The Daily Word of Righteousness

Except Your Righteousness Shall Exceed . . ., continued

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, (Numbers 15:2)

"When ye be come into the land"! Godly behavior is required of us in this present world but will be brought to a much fuller state of development in the world to come. The Gospel of the Kingdom is a hope for the future.

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (I Timothy 4:8)

What we have now is a sealing, a deposit on the day of redemption that is in the future. The day of redemption in the future will include full release from the bondages of sin and a body that will not be filled with sinful impulses as our present body is.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:27,28)

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2)

There are several verses in the New Testament that point to a day of redemption, a salvation that is to come in the future.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13,14)

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

Our salvation is to be revealed "in the last time."

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:5)

Therefore it is our responsibility to be faithful now in the small things of righteousness so that when the day of salvation comes we shall be entrusted with the greater.

According to the Scripture our present body is dead because of the sin that dwells in it.

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

The day of redemption must include a deliverance from sin if the body is to be made alive. Physical death is the last enemy to be destroyed, implying that every other enemy of God must be destroyed if we are to attain immortality in the body.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:26)

To be continued.