What Is RIGHTEOUSNESS? Part 1
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| deborahsdescendants.com |
Sadly,
this freedom is being stripped away. And while it feels like it happened
overnight, in reality, it’s been happening for at least 75 years. Our nation
has slowly and systematically expelled the One True and Living God from
schools, courts, government, businesses, and our everyday lives.
Why
would we do such a thing when we, of all nations, have been so blessed?
Evil—pure, unadulterated evil.
In
Matthew 24, Jesus addressed the disciples’ questions about the signs of the
end, and the first sign He gave was deception. “…Jesus answered…Take heed
that no one deceives you….”[1]
We
have been in an unseen battle with evil since sin entered the world. And it’s
growing more intense the closer we get to the end. False teachers deliver a
watered-down gospel. They secretly bring in destructive heresies and
even deny the Lord who bought them. By covetousness or greed, which Colossians
3:5 tells us is idolatry, they exploit with deceptive words. Peter compares
these deceivers to natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed.[2]
These,
who facilitate the falling away, speak evil of things they don’t understand. They
use great swelling words of emptiness, alluring believers through the lust of
the flesh. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray. They are wells
without water, mists carried by a storm, and God has reserved the blackest
darkness for them.[3]
If
false teachers appeared like brute beasts, we would reject their words
immediately, but they don’t. Instead, they present themselves in business
attire, with a list of degrees from the most prestigious universities.
And,
they aren’t always “church” people. Sometimes they’re politicians, globalists,
and “kings” from foreign countries. But these are of their father, the devil, the
liar, and murderer from the beginning. He presents himself as an angel of light.
Therefore, his deceitful workers transform themselves into ministers of
righteousness.[4]
So,
what is righteousness?
Righteousness is the quality or state of being righteous—morally right
or virtuous.[5] Righteousness is
also a synonym of godliness, and these
wolves are far from godly. They use trickery and the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting.[6] In other words, they deliberately lie.
Yet,
we know, “there is none righteous, no not one…for all have sinned and
fallen short of God’s glory.”[7] And since ALL includes us, where then is our hope?
It’s
certainly not in good deeds or human righteousness. Why? Because compared to a
Holy God, all our sin-tainted righteousnesses are as filthy rags.[8] And by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be
justified—declared righteous—in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
[9]
Righteousness is of God. It is revealed “…through faith in Jesus Christ to
all and on all who believe….”[10] For “whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born
of God….”[11]
Paul
informed the Philippian church any righteousness he possessed came from God
through faith in Christ. And Peter said, “…in the knowledge of God and of Jesus
our Lord…His divine power has given us all things pertaining to life and
godliness….”[12]
Don’t
be deceived—false teachers have fake righteousness. Only we, who are born of
God, keep ourselves and live righteously because Jesus the Christ, God the Son,
is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.[13]
Everything
we are, everything we do in the body, is contingent upon Jesus, who He is, and
what He has done for us.[14]
[1]
Matthew 24:4
[2] II
Peter 2:1-3, 12a
[3] II
Thessalonians 2:2:3; II Peter 2:12b-18
[4]
John 8:44; II Corinthians 11:13-15
[5] Dictionary.com
[6] Ephesians
4:14
[7]
Romans 3:10-11, 23
[8] Isaiah
64:6
[9]
Romans 3:20
[10] Romans
3:21-22
[11] 1
John 5:1
[12]
Philippians 3:9; II Peter 1:2-3
[13] I
John 5:18; Jeremiah 23:5-6
[14]
John 15:5
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