As you’ll recall in one of my previous posts (or maybe not if this is your first time reading) I had a God Thing happen to me and it involved a verse…this verse:
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32.17
(The version I first read said "trust" forever.)
The words “righteousness” and “trust” were what captured my attention, so I’ve been studying righteousness ever since.
What a study I’ve undertaken. It’s taken me in a few different directions and it’s kind of overwhelmed me. I prayed about that this morning. (On a side note, it was interesting to wake up this morning, read my daily verse and discover it was one of the last verses I discovered last night during my study. Gotta love those God Things!)
Being the methodical person that I am, I thought it might be best to break down my study into pieces for you.
So here goes.
So here goes.
My initial exploration took me back into the Old Testament, right in Isaiah. It seems God has been instructing his people in righteousness and trust from the beginning, because He says in Isaiah 30.15
…in repentance and rest you will be saved. In quietness and trust is your strength. But you were not willing.
Ouch.
We’re still not willing, me thinks.
Back in Genesis (15.6) we see that God responds to a man’s faith by crediting righteousness to him.
This is emphasized in Hebrews 11.7
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
This is emphasized in Hebrews 11.7
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
My understanding of this is that our faith in God encompasses believing in Him and believing Him when He speaks to us. Which only makes sense when you think about it. If you are going to have faith in someone, you are going to believe them and trust that what they say is true and in your best interest. You don’t hesitate if you’re given instructions.
In Deut. 6, Moses is talking to the people about God’s commands and in verse 25 says:
"It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.
In 2 Sam. 22.21 we read:
"The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
Observing God’s commands equates to our righteousness in His eyes and He rewards us accordingly.
Hmmmm. Seems works based…BUT is it really?
There is more to come, but I want to keep my posts to a minimum so you won’t be so overwhelmed like I’m currently feeling right now.
Sue:
ReplyDeleteMany believers do not have a basic understanding of righteousness, our right standing with God and the rights we have once we are born again. It's our spirit that is born again and becomes a new creature in Christ. Our soul and physical body can still sin but it is our spirit that is perfected at salvation. It is not automatic for the soul and physical body.
We have the promise of a glorified body but that does not come until Jesus comes for us. As we renew our minds with the Word of God we can see changes in the soul and the body here on earth while we wait for the glorified one, but it is not automatic once we are saved.
There is so much sin consciousness in the body of believers and it leads to much condemnation and judgment of others. If we can understand the basics of righteousness it will help us to understand how we can still sin and maintain our right standing with God.
Tess