Righteousness -- Faith in His Love

"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5: 8)

The breastplate of righteousness guards the heart of every believer. Here, it is faith and love which guard the heart.

Faith works through love (Galatians 5: 6): God's love, for this love is shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5: 5).

Yet Paul uses different elements when describing the breastplate of the believer in his Epistle to the Ephesians:

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” (Ephesians 6: 14)

Righteousness, the perfect standing of acceptance that we have before God in Christ, works in our lives because we have faith in God's love:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. " (1 John 4: 10)

Because Jesus came to be the mercy-seat for our sins, we receive His righteousness:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. " (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Have faith in God, whose love sent His Son to die for you, that you may receive His righteousness!

This faith, this love, manifests this righteousness in your life to protect your heart!

 

Do Not Fall in With this Fallen World

When Adam sinned against God, he fell from grace.

God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil:

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2: 17)

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a picture of the Law:

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (2 Corinthians 3: 6)

The law killed Adam and Eve, causing the Spirit of God to leave them, and thus they were dead, self-conscious, and condemned:

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3: 6-7)

Adam fell, and with him the world fell as well:

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5: 14)

This is still a fallen world:

"And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away." (1 Corinthians 7: 31)

and

"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2: 17)

Yet in Christ, we are no longer in fallen Adam:

"But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

"And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 15-17)

Because of God's grace, we now reign in life, seated in heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2: 6)

We are called therefore to be transformed to the new creation (2 Corinthians 5: 17) that we are in Christ:

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)

Do not fall in with this fallen world, for you are in Christ!

You Cannot Postpone Your Joy

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14: 17)

Joy is the last element listed in Paul's outline of the Kingdom of Heaven, something which God our Father gives us out of His good pleasure (Luke 12: 32). Joy is not something that we have to fight, strive, or even wait for in this life, for it is a blessing included in the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2: 38)

and

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5: 22)

Indeed, we do not have to wait for joy to come. If we rest in our righteous standing which we have received from Christ Jesus, then His joy will flow in our lives!

Do not postpone your joy, for His joy, which is your strength (Nehemiah 8: 10), is already flowing in you!

Righteousness: The Basis of Quality of Life

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

Jesus declared that "righteousness" is the most important thing to pursue in this life. After His death on the Cross, the Kingdom of Heaven enters every believer through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14: 17)

What is the context of this verse? The Sermon on the Mount, in which our Heavenly Father feeds the birds and clothes the flowers.

The birds and the flowers are powered and provided by God the Father, and He does the same  for us:

"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Romans 5: 21)

This grace empowers to do all things:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

We are not called to strive in our own efforts, but rather to rest in His righteousness, and thus His grace guides us and supplies us and blesses us in all that we do.

Paul expounds to Titus further what God's grace does in our lives:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

'Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2: 11-14)

Grace brings salvation into our lives, not just for heaven but for our walk on the earth, as well. The grace of God teaches to avoid sin and live righteously. Grace also opens our eyes, that we may see and receive the certainty of good in our lives.

This is the quality life that people are looking for. We know what to do, what not do, we receive all that we need, and more, and we do not have to strive or suffer to make it in this life.

This grace explodes in our life based on our standing, and our standing is the righteousness of God in Christ!

Peace You Already Have

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14: 27)

This peace now dwells in us:

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" (Romans 5: 1)

Literally, "Having been justified" -- it's already done!

You have His peace now, and the Holy Spirit in you keeps bearing forth this peace in your life:

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, " (Galatians 5: 22)

The same Holy Spirit brings forth in us love, joy, peace, all wrapped up together!

Our peace can be disturbed only to the extent that we have to "do something" to maintain this peace in our lives:

"My peace I give you."

This is an active giving, by the way. Jesus keeps giving us His peace! Receive His peace by faith, and let His peace rule in your heart (Colossians 3: 15).

Walk in the Spirit -- His Faith and His Grace

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

"That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."  (Romans 8: 3-4)

The law has been fulfilled in Jesus' death on the Cross (Colossians 2: 13-15)

We are not called to live by the dead, oldness of the letter, but to live in the Spirit of life:

"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7: 6)

We walk in the Spirit as we rest in the faith that we have received from God:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

At first glance, "walk in the Spirit" seems vague, ethereal, or just plain impractical. When we receive the truth that it is Jesus' own faith which moves us, which prompts us to live out the life which He is living in us (Philippians 2: 12-13).

By His faith, then, we receive the grace to live the life that He wants us to live : to "walk in the Spirit":

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5: 1-2)

We access God's grace by faith. We were saved by grace, which we received by faith:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2: 8)

Even this verse signals that the faith we live by is also a gift!

Convicted of Righteousness -- Convinced of God's Grace

"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

"Of sin, because they believe not on me;

"Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

"Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."  (John 16: 8-11)

I have shared many times on the misconstruction which some teachers have given on these verses. The conviction which applies specifically to believers is the conviction of full justification, or "righteousness". This righteousness is a gift which we are called to keep receiving  (Romans 5: 17).

The more that we are convicted of our righteousness, that in no way to do we have to fight, or deflate, or smack down any charges in our lives, then do we realize the victory which Christ Jesus has given and keeps giving to us.

Paul first wrote:

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

'He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

Then Paul writes:

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 37-39)

The manifest protection that we have in God's love, signaled to us through Jesus' death on the Cross (1 John 4: 10). This love even now is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit in us (Romans 5: 5)

It is important to note that Paul establishes for us our righteousness  before God, because they he can declared that "I am persuaded" -- and persuasion is a matter of renewal of the mind (Romans 12: 2) that God the Father has, does, and ever will come through for us in all things Verses 37 through 39 are all manifest examples of God's grace working in our lives.