Saved By Righteousness!

By Pastor Bill Taylor

A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 8/Issue 5

Prophecy: Thus saith the Lord, the word of the Lord has come to you.  I have spoken to you and I speak to you now! Are you listening? The Lord has sent to you His servant and prophet Bill Taylor, rising early and sending Him, but have you listened and inclined your ear to hear him? Those who hear him obey My voice and follow after Me for they hear Me and are of Me. Those who do not hear him do not obey My voice, nor follow after Me, for they do not hear Me and are not of Me! Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked! What you sow to, that is what you shall reap! I have said, repent now! And do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, by letting go of all of the good things and provisions that have been given to you by My grace in order that you might do My will. Do not let My enemies overtake you and overpower you to obey them and do their will. It is written in My word If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it! My grace and My gift of righteousness is sufficient for you to reign with Me in this life, over all of the beggarly elements of the world. I’ve called you and chosen you for My victory, not to be those who turn back in the day of battle. My people shall run after Me with all their hearts, as a faithful bride who longs to be with her husband to please him. And as you sow to My Spirit, I will fill you with all of My fullness and you shall not lack any good thing that you need to do My work and glorify Me in this generation. To those who will not receive My saving word and to those who stop their ears from hearing My voice and say in their hearts, “God has not spoken to me”, and you continue to do the things that I have not called you to do. I say to you and I testify this day that My anger will be provoked by the works of your own hands to your own hurt and to your own destruction. And because you do not cherish My word for your own good that your soul may prosper in this life and in the life to come- My word will be your enemy, and My word will fight against you and My word will hunt you down-and you will find yourself with no place to run. There is no rest and no peace to those who do not fear My name, saith the Lord. For those who hear Me are those who fear Me! And those are the ones who have not despised My words. These I will receive as My glorious Bride, for she shall be praised as she stands in all My fullness, right by My side. For it was I the Lord who gave her of the fruit of her hands. And all her glorious works shall praise her in heaven and in this land. And it will be said of her, and thus it shall be on that day, that she stands and she’ll give this testimony, “Our God is the Lord, who was and is our righteousness. Our only wise God, to Him be the glory. Now and forevermore! Amen!”

 Prophecy: Thus saith the Lord; who will testify against these people who have perverted My gospel, who have twisted My word? Who will show them their sin? Who will show them how guilty they are? How will they be able to repent if they cannot see their faults? I must have witnesses who will stand up for My word and My truth, who will point the finger and say, “You, you are the ones who killed the Son of God today! You, you are the ones who have twisted My scriptures, perverted My righteousness, made up a salvation that gives lip service to Christ but does not give heart service to Christ. You are the ones who have tried to be saved by a faith with no works; you are the ones who act as though My love is unrighteous and unfair, that I love the wicked and hate the righteous. You are the ones who will not listen to Me when I speak by the Spirit or the word and yet you think you’re saved from Judgment!” I tell you I will have witnesses who will stand up and point the finger and say, “You are guilty!” I have such witnesses and I will have even more witnesses who will testify for the truth of My word and the truth that I back up by manifestations in the lives and experiences of those who have a true faith in Me; the true salvation in which Christ speaks thru the believer; in which His life and His righteousness manifests, in which God is alive in His people. I will have those witnesses and I am calling you to be those witnesses, thus saith the Lord.

 Prophecy: If you would have looked in the town of My Son and searched around to see what was going on in Jerusalem, you would find a busy city, you would see awesome buildings, you would see a beautiful temple embedded with precious stones. You would see what in men’s eyes they would consider great and glorious things. You would see Pharisees walking around in pride of their great knowledge. You would see teachers, philosophers, scribes such as Gamaliel and many others full of knowledge, yet you would not see My glory until My Son showed up. Because in this I gave Him an exceeding glory. A glory they could not attain to by any means. And that glory was the power to change things. Because you could go to Gamaliel and you could learn all that he knows but he couldn’t heal your issue of blood. You could go to Gamaliel and you could go to the scribes and they could tell you all their knowledge and their reasonings of men, their doctrines and their traditions of men but they couldn’t raise your son from the dead. You could go to them and they could give you their head knowledge but they couldn’t do anything real for you because My glory and My power is that I can change things. I can help you. I can make your life a glory to Me. I can take a sinner and make him a saint, saith the Lord. And this is the glory I gave My Son and I tell you, this is also the glory I give His body the true church. I give you the glory and the power of the Spirit to change things. To take people who are sinners and make them into saints by My power, by My glorious gospel. And what will be seen in this day and this age is a bringing down of the intellectual pride. Because men who are humble and despised by these intellectually proud men will do works of My power. And in My church blind men will see, humble people will hear and become wiser. People who did not know Me will know Me but the proud and the arrogant who thought they knew Me will be found worthless and despicable; a people full of themselves and the pride of useless knowledge, a people that have none of Me, saith the Lord. (Prophecies delivered at “My Father's House”)

Righteousness has everything to do with salvation. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for in it the righteousness of God is revealed. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (Rom 1:16-18) So unrighteousness brings you damnation and the wrath of God. Righteousness brings salvation. Most people in the churches today believe that they are saved because they think they have faith in Jesus. The problem is they think they have faith in Jesus to save them but they do not have faith in Jesus to make them truly righteous. And so their faith is heretical because the means by which Jesus saves us is He makes us righteous. And that’s always been the problem God has had with “saving” His people. Even in the Old Testament, righteousness saves. God needs to make you righteous to save you. You must become truly righteous or you won’t be saved. All through the Old Testament God tells the people to repent and do righteousness so that they can be saved. (See Ezek 33:11-16; Isa 3:10-11) And the good news is that in the New Covenant He’s given us the help of the Holy Spirit by faith so we can put to death the deeds of the body and do righteousness.

The New Covenant faith in Jesus to make us righteous will produce the grace of God’s Holy Spirit so you can behave, think and act in righteousness. Most churches today have cut so many pieces out of the gospel that all they can teach is “faith in Jesus will save you” whereas they’ve lost the understanding that faith in Jesus to make you righteous will save you and because they have left out the righteousness they are not being saved. Many have diluted the gospel to where they think; “God calls you righteous because of faith in Jesus.” But the scriptures, including the book of Romans, prove that God calls you righteous only if you have a true faith in Jesus that will let God make you righteous in behavior. And so again by making you “the true righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” He saves you. Whereas the people who believe that we are saved just because He calls us righteous, and they never pursue righteousness (1Tim 6:11) and never see the need of attaining to righteous behavior; they therefore fail to obtain righteousness and therefore they don’t attain to salvation either because they are rejecting God’s way to righteousness. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. (Rom 10:3) The Jews are not attaining to righteousness which is by faith in Jesus. And the churches today have done that same thing. The ancient Jews were trying to attain a righteousness by keeping the law but the so-called Christians today are trying to believe they are righteous because they “think” the scriptures say they are “righteous” if they confess a superficial belief of Jesus. But if you confess the Lord Jesus and believe He has been raised from the dead and is the Son of God in such a way as to cause you to call upon Him to be your Lord, and to guide you in everything so that you are following His Spirit, doing His will and not doing anything that would be sin – then your faith in Jesus to be your Lord and head and to empower you to do right and not do wrong causes you to become the expression of His righteousness – the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2Cor 5:21) But if you just call Him Lord “the demons believe and tremble” but never have the faith to obey Him and follow Him as Lord then you have no righteousness at all. And most so-called Christians today are like that. They say they have God’s righteousness and believe they have it in spite of the fact that there is no evidence they have it.

So we have the Jews of old trying to attain righteousness by their own works, but we have the churches today trying to interpret scriptures in such a way as to believe they have God’s righteousness when they don’t have it. And both of them are trying to do it their own way, not God’s way. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)

Modern Christians are trying to make righteousness merely a label, whereas real righteousness is a way of living. Righteousness is from the Holy Spirit; it’s the fruit of God’s power and His grace to bring forth the good things that you should be doing in Him and the proper reasons for you to do them. In this study we’ll begin by looking at God’s righteousness in the Old Testament because if our New Testament interpretation of the scriptures doesn’t agree with the Old Testament prophecies on this subject, The scripture cannot be broken. (John 10:35) then our interpretation of the New Testament must be heretical. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever. (Ps 119:152) That particularly includes the Old Testament.

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death. (Prov 10:2) Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The wicked man does deceptive work, but he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward. As righteousness leads to life, so he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death. (Prov 11:4,18-19) Since righteousness and evil are opposites their ends are opposites. If you follow unrighteousness it will lead you to an opposite result from what you would find if you followed after righteousness. So to be saved, is to attain to eternal life and it is righteousness which leads to life. To be saved is to attain to immortality. So righteousness leads to immortality. Unrighteousness does not. Unrighteousness leads to death. And so the problem with mankind is that if we hope to be saved we must be made righteous because the word of God is forever established and it says, “Righteousness leads to life” and “unrighteousness leads to death.”

So if God in the Old Testament says the righteous will have eternal life as their reward and the evil will have death then the definition of salvation in the New Testament cannot disagree with what God has already said. So New Testament salvation has to make the believer righteous. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but He loves him who follows righteousness. (Prov 15:9) And notice that following righteousness is “doing” righteousness not merely being called “righteous” as in “imputed” righteousness. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1Tim 6:11) To pursue righteousness is to go after the “doing” of it.

How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. (Isa 1:21) Jerusalem is symbolic of the church. And God’s church must have God’s righteousness in it; a real, active operating righteousness. But if it doesn’t – I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy. (Isa 1:25) Christ will have a glorious church and He will purge out everything that opposes righteousness in order to produce a church and a Kingdom in which righteousness dwells. “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matt 3:12) whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:26-29) Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2Pet 3:13) God will destroy, bring down, burn up everything that is not of Him, and everything in which His righteousness doesn’t dwell. But God has given His true saints a hope of righteousness. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Gal 5:5)

Of course, if you have a true faith in Jesus, you are immediately accepted in the Beloved. And of course, you couldn’t be accepted if God didn’t in some way count you righteous. So a true faith in Jesus makes you acceptable to God. But to be a true faith in Jesus your faith must allow Jesus to perform His work in you, to actually be making you righteous in your thoughts and behavior. So God doesn’t reject you while that work is going on. You couldn’t go on to perfection in Christ if He didn’t accept you even in your imperfection but in accordance with your true faith. So He accepts you on the basis that you have faith in Him to accomplish the work of forming Christ and His righteousness in you. So there is a righteousness in the fact that you trust Him to do the work, which even though you are still not completely perfected in righteousness, you are progressing and will be perfected because of your faith. That’s what the HOPE of righteousness that comes by faith is about.  Because of your faith you have a hope to be made perfect in Christ’s righteousness which is a process you submit to by allowing Christ to teach you and perfect you through your faith in Him to do that very work. That’s what the righteousness of faith is about. And it’s the fact that you continually trust in God to do this, that will allow Him to finish the work in you and make you perfect in Christ Jesus; (Col 1:28) perfect in righteousness; which means perfect in thought and behavior. So because of your faith, God will accept you now, even though the work is not finished; because he couldn’t finish the work if He didn’t accept you as you are now. So it’s not right to think, “I’m accepted even though I’m unrighteous,” in such a way as to believe you can remain in unrighteousness; because if you are not actually seeking for Him do the work of perfecting you in righteousness, then you have undermined the purpose of your acceptance. And what you must understand concerning imputed righteousness is that your faith in Jesus is saying “Jesus I will let You, day by day, month by month, complete Your work of perfecting righteousness in me.” So Jesus makes a covenant with you that because of your faith in Him to do that, He will accept you and He will do the work of perfecting you in His righteousness. And God the Father will accept you while Christ is doing the work. And the end result is if you continue in that faith you will be perfect; you will be blameless in the day of Christ’s appearing. And you will be perfectly acceptable to God in that day because of your faith which allowed Christ to work His perfect righteousness into you, teaching you His ways.

This salvation isn’t just to believe Jesus will save me and then go on about my business. True salvation is trusting Jesus to make me righteous so that I can be saved and stay saved. And that requires me to cooperate with Christ in His work of putting righteousness in me; seeking His righteousness; (Matt 6:33) putting on Christ; (Eph 4:24) and learning His ways. (1Cor 4:17) So Jesus says, “Blessed is he who hungers and thirst for righteousness.” (Matt 5:6) But how could a person possibly hunger and thirst for righteousness and not be doing something about it; asking for it, seeking to become more righteous in his actions, in his workings, in the way he thinks and the way he lives? And so the person who is satisfied to think, “I’m called righteous and that is all I need or want for me to be saved,” they totally miss the point of what Christ must do to save you. And that’s where most of contemporary Christianity is today. They totally miss the point of what Christ is doing. And they are not saved and if they don’t repent they are not going to be saved. They are as lost as any drunkard, drug addict or adulterer because they have perverted the word of God to mean something different than what God is actually saying.

You will not be righteous unto salvation just because you’re “called” righteous. You can only be righteous unto salvation if Christ actually makes you righteous. But if you have a faith for Him to do that He will call you righteous. And in the end you will be saved because of your faith in Him to make you righteous – that is what saves you. Cut out the part where you are believing to be made righteous, and you are not going to be saved. You will not be saved just because you think you have a faith to be saved. There is a process in salvation and you must participate in the process by a faith that works. For example, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good…” (Isa 1:16-17) Here God is saying you must do what it takes to become righteous in your actions. Don’t worship Me if you aren’t willing to learn to do good. “Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.” (Isa 1:13) If you don’t let Me make you righteous stop coming to church. Your worship and your church is an offense to Me, if it is not teaching you to do righteousness. If you are just going through the motions of religion and you are not letting Me make you righteous, then I won’t accept your worship. “Come let us reason together.” (vs 18a) If you will let Me convince you of My true righteousness and what you ought to be doing, I’ll wash your sins away. I’ll make you white as snow. (vs 18b) But you see, there are too many church people today that won’t let God reason with them. They won’t listen to the preaching of a real man of God. They can’t endure sound doctrine. (2Tim 4:3) They just want to believe that they are saved and they won’t listen to God trying to tell them what they need to do to really be saved. They refuse to hear His voice, so their sins are not washed away. They are still in their sins. So God says, “How the faithful city has become a harlot.” (Isa 1:21) What do you think of the church today? You look at the first century church and how pure and chaste they were in laying down their lives for God and walking in holiness and then you look at what calls itself Christianity today; these are actual signs I saw recently in front of some of our local “churches” in Melbourne: “Elvis Presley’s Brother-in-Law” – “Gospel Rock Group” – “Rummage Sale” – “Ventriloquist” – “Bring Your Can to Church” – “Beat the Christmas Rush – Come to Church This Sunday” – Do you think people who only go to church around Christmas are “saved?” Can you imagine the first century church advertising such things to attract passersby and making cute quips to amuse the people? These “Christians” are not worthy to tie the shoelaces of the real Christians. How the faithful city has become a harlot.

And you can see God define the harlotry in the book of Hosea. “Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; for she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;” “I will not have mercy on her children, for they are the children of harlotry.” (Hosea 2:2-4) A harlot lifting her skirts and selling herself – willing to do anything to get a little more business; using any carnal trick she can. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

Spiritual adulterers and adulteresses are people who love the world. They have no heart for the kingdom of God, no heart to get to know God, no chasteness, no separation unto Him. They want God to entertain them, or fix up their worldly lives and make them prosperous and successful and then take them to heaven too. Righteousness used to be in the church. But it’s not there anymore. Righteousness used to be in Jerusalem. But it’s not there anymore. Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes… “Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, and take vengeance on My enemies. I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy.” (Isa 1:22-25)

God is still looking for real righteousness and He will have it! “I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” (vs 26) This is a prophecy that is not yet fulfilled but it indicates what God will do in order to produce the glorious church without spot or wrinkle. Jerusalem is often a symbol of the Spiritual church as you see in its culmination the “New Jerusalem.” And the prophet is saying even though the church or Jerusalem has become corrupted into a “harlot” God will not let her stay that way. God will judge the corruptions and get rid of every adversary. He will destroy the wicked. As He does this Isaiah says, sinners in Zion will be terrified. (Isa 33:14) or in Malachi Who can endure the day of His coming? He’s like a refiners fire. (Mal 3:2) God promises to rid Himself of the problems in the church. He will straighten things out, and you better get ready. John the Baptist says, “make straight the paths of the Lord” because if you don’t straighten yourself out God will deal with you accordingly. Paul says, What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? (1Cor 4:21) The point being, if you get ready before I come, we can enjoy our get together. But if you don’t get ready, my coming will be a time of judgment. And the scriptures indicate the Lord’s coming will be terrifying to the disobedient. “Sinners in Zion are terrified” (Isa 33:14) or “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men.” (2Cor 5:11) And God will confirm and fulfill His word. ...Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. (Isa 1:26) That has to be as true of the church as it is of Jerusalem. That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:27) There must come a time when the church is restored to perfect righteousness. And she will be called the city of righteousness. (Isa 1:26) Nobody looking at a worldly, wicked church is going to say, “That’s the city of righteousness.” She’s not going to be called “the city of righteousness” because of an imputed or “declared” righteousness – or an invisible righteousness. But her righteousness will be real, visible, shining! (Isa 60:1; Matt 13:43)

Nebuchadnezzar could see the righteousness in Daniel. “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.” (Dan 4:18) It was because of the “holy behavior” of Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar could see “the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.” And it will be that way with the church! Outsiders should say, “Those people are sure straight. If they give you their word, they keep it. If they tell you they will do something they do it. These Christians, you can trust them. They are a righteous bunch.” That is what should be said of the church. Christians should be spoken of that way. But often it’s just the opposite today. The wickedness of many professing Christians today is they think they are permitted to do many unfair things and be forgiven, so they behave abominably. They make promises they don’t keep; they renege on debts. They do shoddy work and behave in ways they ought not towards others. The churches have become altars for sinning. (Hos 8:11) The idea that through Christ their sins can be forgiven has caused them to multiply sin. Instead of repenting and sinning less they have used Christ’s blood as an excuse to sin all the more. What was going on in Jesus’ day? They were using the Lord’s name to cheat people by making false oaths and breaking them. (Matt 23:16-22) And today many so-called “Christians” use the blood of Jesus to cheat people, thinking, “God will forgive me.”

The people in the true church love the Lord not the world. And they do all things to His glory! And God will produce a church of such people because His word says He will. But He’s going to produce such a church by a process. It’s not just going to be automatic, as though we go to sleep while the church is corrupt and wake up one day and it’s holy! There’s a process involved in purifying the church. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy-- everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, (Isa 4: 3-4) So God will produce a church that is righteous and holy by getting rid of what isn’t. And He uses judgment and fire to do that! And that is what God has done here in “My Father’s House” and when He has finished the cleansing process He then asks us to protect the clean church and not let it become corrupted again. Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (1Cor 5:6-7) Since you are a new lump and unleavened, don’t let any leaven come back in. Purge out that old leaven, and keep it out. Don’t let the old sinful ways return. When Paul speaks about the sinner in 1^st Corinthians 5 he says get rid of him. As a church you’ve been purged, you’ve been cleansed, now keep your church clean. God has cleansed your church by the Spirit of purging, burning, fire, and judgment. And we’ve been through it here at “My Father’s House.” But now that we have a clean church let’s protect it. And God will help us protect it. Then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. (Isa 4:5) A church that is purged and cleansed will have a covering from God. Remember Isaiah 5: a fruitful church will have hedges and a watchtower. God’s protection will be there. When you’re under obedience to God, doing His will, obeying Him properly you’re under His covering.

Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness. The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed. (Isa 1:27-28) Saying that Zion shall be redeemed with justice and righteousness does not mean calling somebody who is a sinner “righteous” while they are still committing sin. This is not speaking of “imputed righteousness.” ...And her penitents with righteousness. In other words if you are to be among the saved it will be because you’re penitent, repentant, and you’re becoming righteous because God teaches righteousness to the penitent. The idea of penitence is “Lord I’m guilty. Forgive me. Please help me do right.” The penitent are those who mourn over their sins and they are sorry for their sins. (Matt 5:4) And God will save them with righteousness because if they are penitent and they don’t like being sinners and they come to Him in faith, His grace will make them into righteous people. So when He has a people who are truly penitent, He can make them righteous and when He has a people who are truly righteous they will be a glory to Him and they will become the purified church that will be called the city of righteousness; the faithful city. In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.” (Isa 26:1-3) But on the other hand, He brings down the proud. For He brings down those who dwell on high, the lofty city; he lays it low, he lays it low to the ground, he brings it down to the dust. (Isa 26:5) And For You have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin... (Isa 25:2)  So the harlot Jerusalem, the church that isn’t righteous, will be brought down. But of Mt. Zion He says, And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people... (Isa 25:7) The true church, the spiritual Jerusalem is Mt. Zion. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just (righteous) men made perfect, (Heb 12:22-23) So Mt. Zion is connected to the Heavenly Jerusalem. It’s the true Spiritual church.

Now we can see a visible church in this world but much of what is going on in the Spiritual church, is going on in the invisible realm. It’s in the prayer closet (invisibly) where that covering is destroyed; that veil that blinds people to God’s truth. (2Cor 4:3-4) Where you have a real church “they are seated in the Heavenlies in Christ Jesus.” The true church is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” (1Tim 3:15) In the true church they are destroying the works of the evil one. (1John 3:8) They are bringing down the lies, and fighting the spiritual battle. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments (imaginations OKJ) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (2Cor 10:4-5) In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. (Isa 29:18) Because the veil is brought down “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the tongue of the dumb sing.” (Isa 35:5) And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isa 37:31-32) The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isa 40:3) Only a remnant will survive the purgings and that remnant will be composed of those who prepare the way of the Lord; straightening their lives out before His coming. The prophecy also says, “every valley shall be exalted, every mountain brought low, the crooked places smooth and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed; all flesh shall see it.” (Isa 40:4-5) This is certain to come to pass – the Lord will fulfill His word and you better prepare for His coming. And like John the Baptist we are warning you – Prepare ye the way for the Lord. Get yourself straightened out before He gets here, or God will have to destroy you when He comes.

“Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it.” (Isa 45:8) This is the early and latter rain. And what are you expecting God’s rain to do? What is a revival? It’s an explosion of righteousness in answer to Zion’s prayers. God will send rain and that rain is His Spirit. And it will be a righteous rain, a rain that brings righteousness. He’ll send a righteous Spirit of conviction to straighten things out and let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation. Adam’s body is made of earth, and so is yours. Now open your heart up to receive the conviction – repent and take hold of God’s salvation. The people who have rightly received that word of God in their hearts, when the word is watered by the rain of the Spirit, it’s going to bring forth righteousness in them. They are the earth that righteousness will spring out of. And “let righteousness spring up together;” this speaks of a church, a congregation of righteous believers springing up together. He’s prophesying there is going to be a righteous people. God will bring a righteous people back to His church. He will sow righteousness in their hearts and bring true righteousness into manifestation.

Now, this righteousness cannot be a mere declaration that His people are righteous. This prophecy is not speaking of imputed righteousness. For this kind of righteousness to spring up it has to be a real visible righteousness. So the prophecy indicates God will bring forth a true righteousness, a people who behave righteously in the earth. Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, (Isa 52:1) Which is similar to the passage in Revelation where it says, “the bride has made herself ready.” (Rev 19:7)And what is she dressed in? The righteous deeds of the saints, (vs 8) a people who do righteousness. For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you. (Isa 52:1) After the purgings only the true Christians, the holy ones will be found in the church. Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. (Isa 52:11) When God says, “Be clean” is that “imputed righteousness” as in calling them clean or is it a true righteousness when He’s telling His people to behave righteously? He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. (Isa 53:11) By His knowledge Christ can teach us to be righteous. Justify means to make or prove righteous. Because He has the knowledge of righteousness, He can teach us to be righteous also. Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.” (Isa 56:1) So we are admonished to BEHAVE rightly if we want access to the salvation that is coming. And we will not become heirs to the righteousness that comes by faith if we don’t obey and do right in our behavior as God instructs us. (Heb 11:7) For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isa 61:11) So God is not just calling people righteous because that doesn’t cause the nations to see anything spring forth. To spring forth, the righteousness has to be visible. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways... (Isaiah 64:4-5) Not the one who is called righteous but the one who does righteousness. As for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified… (Rom 2:13) But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21) God answers the prayers of those who remember what God teaches them to do, and do it. Great shall be the peace of your children. (Isa 54:13) The fruit of righteousness is peace. (Isa 32:17; Heb 12:11; James 3:18) You will all be taught by the Lord in the ways of righteousness. And your righteousness will bear the fruit of peace. By teaching us how to live a righteous life Jesus gives you peace. “Blessed are the peace makers.” Righteousness produces peace. By teaching me righteousness Jesus has set me free. But He hasn’t set me free to sin, He has set me free from sin. God has also released me from the bondage of having religion imposed on me from the outside and He has put Jesus in my heart so I now delight in doing the will of God from the inside. (Heb 10:9; Ps 40:8) Because Christ is in me it’s a joy for me to do the will of God and I am free to do the will of God and I am set free from the bondage of trying to comply with religious rules and rituals and I am actually enjoying the freewill service of God because it’s in my heart to do His will. It’s not in my heart to follow after the flesh. The flesh had me in bondage. That is what Romans 7 is talking about when it describes a man who wants to do good but he can’t and then Romans 8 says I’ve been set free by the Spirit of Christ to do the good I want to do because the law of the Spirit in Christ has made me free. (Rom 8:2)

Now I’m free to be righteous and have joy in it because God has put righteousness in my heart. And You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1John 4:4) God didn’t just call me righteous, He put Jesus and His righteousness in my heart and gave me the power to do righteousness. How can you being dead to sin live any longer in it? (Rom 6:2) By the death of Jesus we’ve been set free from the power of sin. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Rom 6:6) Now we enjoy doing righteousness. We serve righteousness. (Rom 6:18) We delight in righteousness. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness. (Isa 64:5) The true Christian enjoys doing righteousness. You’re not pushing him into it. You’re not twisting his arm to do righteousness. The true believer rejoices to do right. He remembers God in His ways. (vs 5) “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;... (Isa 65:17) in which righteousness dwells. (2Peter 3:13) So these things are not passé because they are Old Testament; they continue in the New Testament. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, (2Pet 3:10-11) Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (vs 13) This is the culmination of righteousness – the final perfection of where God is taking us; into a perfect and complete righteousness. There is an initial righteousness where God says because of your faith in Jesus, I accept you. If He didn’t count you righteous, He couldn’t accept you. But He’s crediting righteousness to you on the basis that you have covenanted with Him to let Him teach you righteousness and make you truly righteous.

So there is a working out of that imputed righteousness to produce a real righteousness in you, which is exactly what your initial righteousness is purposed for. My faith is for Jesus to make me righteous so I can stand before Him blameless in the day of His appearing. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thes 5:23) And so there is a “blameless” state of righteousness that I can have in my spirit, soul and body and yet I’m still not completely delivered until I get the resurrection body because there is still sin dwelling in my flesh even though it doesn’t manifest because of the power of the Spirit (Gal 5:16) but it’s still there and must be overcome daily. (1Cor 15:31) And so I have a hope of righteousness, For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Gal 5:5) in which my glorified body will share in that perfect righteousness and there’s no more daily struggling with the flesh. And I have even a greater hope because even if I had a body that was perfect in righteousness and my soul and spirit were perfect in righteousness, I’m still living in an unrighteous world that vexes me. It’s painful to me here because of the unrighteousness around me. And delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- (2Pet 2:7-8) So I am looking for a place to live where there is a perfect righteousness. And God has promised to produce that. And that hope won’t be disappointed because the love of God is shed abroad in our heart through the Holy Spirit. (Rom 5:5) And love is the fulfillment of the law of righteousness. (Rom 13:10) So we are attaining to a blameless righteousness now and yet hoping for an even greater and complete righteousness to come. And that’s one reason why we eagerly anticipate the coming of the Lord because when He comes He will usher in that perfect righteousness where there is no more sin in the creation. Heaven and the earth will be re-created in righteousness; perfect righteousness. There will never be another reason for sorrow or a tear. Sin and unrighteousness have caused all the sorrows and sufferings. Now there will be a rejoicing forever. Since the only thing that causes hurt or sorrow is sin. Do away with sin and you will have joy forever. And so, we are looking forward to that and we are working towards that. The real church believes in that; that is our target. We are not trying to fix it up down here. No matter how good we fix it here, it will still vex us and cause us to sorrow here because perfect righteousness doesn’t dwell here. No matter how well we perfect the governments and things in this earth there will still be unrighteousness here. This world will never be perfect in righteousness. Just like your mortal body, we can by the Spirit get sin under restraint so that the body doesn’t let the sin act out its desires and we might get governments to a place that they keep the sin in the people under restraint but it is still not the same as perfect righteousness. In this realm there will always be a struggle. So why would we try to make our heaven here; this is the wrong place. You can’t do it here because unrighteousness dwells here.

So we are headed for a place in which righteousness dwells. (2Pet 3:13) The true church understands that clearly and deeply desires it. The true church feels the pain of dwelling with unrighteousness. and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- (2Pet 2:7-8) I would not live forever, Job said. (Job 7:16) Meaning he wouldn’t want to be in this world forever where unrighteousness dwells. But even though it is painful for the righteous to live here if you are able to help somebody else, there is a reason to stay. That is one terrible thing about most suicides. When a person commits a selfish suicide, they often make many other people suffer. Most suicides are trying to escape sufferings and they are so utterly selfish. They don’t consider how many people around them they may hurt and how badly they hurt their loved ones when they commit suicide. And that is one effect of the terrible sin of suicide. A selfish mother leaves her children, injures them for life because she is too selfish to think, “I’m suffering but my children need me and even if I suffer I am going to stay and help them so they don’t suffer.” Whatever the problem, if you stop looking at your own suffering and start looking at what you can do for somebody else, you’ll find God’s grace is there for you.

The true Christian is always in that faith that works by love. He’s in the place where staying in this world is a suffering to me but others would suffer worse if I didn’t stay. I don’t have the right to leave them. It’s like an army deserter. Like a coward running away from the battle and leaving the others to fight on alone. Righteous love says I have to stay in the battle for my brethren’s sake and even to lay down my life for them. (1John 3:16) I just can’t up and run away. That is what Paul is saying in Philippians. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. (Phil 1:22-24) In a real Christian there is the knowledge that it is better to be with the Lord but there is also a real love that says it’s better for my brethren if I stay and so I will not go until the work is done. And I will not complain or murmur about my sufferings because I am not here for my comfort; but I am here to help others and save them from the works of the evil one. (1John 3:8)

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (Isa 65:18) You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness and remembers You in His ways. (Isa 64:5) I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. (Isa 65:19) For thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,” (Isa 66:12) Because the fruit of righteousness is peace. (Isa 32:17) So Abraham is looking for a city whose maker and builder is God. (Heb 11:10) In which righteousness dwells. (2Pet 3:13)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Matt 5:6) Hungering and thirsting for righteousness can’t mean that you are called righteous while being content to live in the flesh. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is “Lord, make me righteous in my behavior.” Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:10) Now how can people be persecuted because they are called righteous when they are not doing righteousness. The righteous are persecuted because they are doing righteousness. Doing righteousness includes rebuking the oppressor, defending the fatherless. (Isa 1:17) It means standing up for what is right against people who are doing wrong. That is one reason why the righteous are persecuted. God’s prophets stand for what is right and they rebuke what is wrong. (Jer 23:21-22) And God says concerning Jerusalem – Your sword has devoured the prophets like a roaring lion (Jer 2:30) The unrighteous don’t want to be rebuked. So they persecute and fight against the righteous who are trying to save them by showing them their sin and bringing them to repentance.

The reason God’s people are persecuted for righteousness’ sake is that their righteousness expresses itself in actions that convict the unrighteous. Their righteousness is not merely a title. And when Jesus says you are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor it’s good for nothing, (Matt 5:13) He is talking about your righteous behavior is what gives you savor. And if your righteousness is merely a title it’s; If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:15-17) Be warmed and filled is just worthless words. Giving the poor person something to eat is a useful work of righteous faith. An imputed righteousness is no better than saying, “Be warmed and filled.” It does no good unless you have a righteousness that is made real by actions and deeds. When Jesus says – Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, that is a real righteousness. And then He says, “Don’t think I came to destroy the law and the prophets. Heaven and earth will pass away but not one jot or tittle will pass from the law until all is fulfilled. So whoever breaks one of these least commandments will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, whoever does and teaches them will be called great.” (Matt 5:17-19) So Jesus says doing God’s commands is righteousness.

For I say to you, That unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:20) So He is not talking about imputed righteousness here but doing righteous acts – and a real righteousness in behavior as well as heart. For example: He says you need a righteousness that not only does not commit adultery but doesn’t even lust in the heart. (vs 28) It’s a righteousness that not only does not commit murder but it doesn’t even become angry in a sinful way. (vs 22) So to enter Heaven your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. He says concerning them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.” (Matt 23:25) If you’re unrighteous inside, you are not acceptably righteous outside! So Jesus says first cleanse the inside of the cup.

Now the cleansing of the cup on the inside is not merely a declaring you to be righteous. It’s creating in you of a clean heart and righteous spirit. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Ps 51:10) When God does this inside then you will not be lustful and selfish anymore. You will not be full of extortion and self-indulgence. You will be full of God’s righteous love. (Rom 5:5) So there is real righteousness inside of you. And if you have that real righteousness inside of you then your external actions will be righteous too. And of course this applies to the churches because most churches today want to have some sort of an appearance of righteousness on the outside but they aren’t dealing with the real problems inside the church; the carnality within their people and their sins. The flesh inside has always been the real enemy; where the sin dwells. (Rom 7:17-18) So the preachers in such churches are not serving the Lord. They are not ministering Christ to the people if they are not teaching the people to crucify the flesh and walk in the Spirit. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Rom 8:13-14) It is classic ear tickling to tell the people God calls them righteous when in fact such people are still full of selfish behavior. The people have to be taught to crucify their self-indulgence before they can become worth something to God or before they can perform His will and do righteousness. And so the power of the cross (1Cor 1:18) is that we are crucified with Christ and the cross has broken the power of sin which is found in the selfish flesh and because of the breaking of that power of sin in the flesh we can now serve God. But where that flesh isn’t dealt with, God is not being served. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Rom 8:13) Where that flesh isn’t being dealt with you have dead religion; you have Pharisaical religion. You have an external religion where inside the motives are still selfish and that is not acceptable to God. You must have a better righteousness than something that appears outside to be righteous. It has to be real inside and out.

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Dan 12:2) “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25) “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (vs 28-29) Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. (Dan 12:3) So the ones who are raised to eternal life are the ones who do good and those who turn people towards righteousness. And when you repent and turn to righteousness, what are you repenting from? You are repenting from what you do, repenting from the way you think, the way you are; self-indulgence, selfishness. You are repenting from a wrong way of living and turning towards God’s righteous way of life where you will be thinking and doing right. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;’” “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” (Matt 25:34-35,40) Doing righteousness is the love of God. And so there is nothing fake about this. There is nothing that is merely a title or that you are just called righteous. There is a real working of righteousness.

“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness. (Dan 9:24) The reconciliation for iniquity is to forgive past sins. But notice Jesus is also going to make an end of sins and that means there will not be any sinning anymore. “To bring in everlasting righteousness” can only be understood as a time when sin no longer exists; in which all actions are done in righteous obedience to God. Of the true church, the church that lets Jesus wash her and cleanse her (Eph 5:26-27) God says, Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in loving kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. (Hosea 2:19) But of the disobedient, He says, “Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; for she is not My wife. (Hosea 2:2) “All their wickedness is in Gilgal, (Gilgal means a circle, as in something that just keeps going around.) for there I hated them. Because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them from My house; I will love them no more. All their princes are rebellious. Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit. Yes, were they to bear children, I would kill the darlings of their womb.” “Though they bring up their children, yet I will bereave them to the last man. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them! Ephraim will bring out his children to the murderer.” (Hosea 9:15-16,12-13) God is love! Yes, but He is a jealous God and He won’t put up with a church that pretends to love Him when it chases after the world. One of the first signs of a harlot church is the people lose their children. That is the curse on harlotry. The children die Spiritually. The children run to the world. The sign of a true church is the children are saved and that God blesses and receives to Himself the children of the believers in the true church. If there is a true believing parent the children are clean, but the people who claim to be His but live for the world, their children are not clean. God does not accept the children of a harlot church.

Now notice also that God says, “I will betroth you to Me forever in righteousness.” First, “betrothed” is an engagement; it occurs before the marriage. So the people who believe this is talking about God making the church “righteous” at the marriage supper in Heaven are mistaken. We get engaged to Jesus now. That is the beginning of our salvation. So when Jesus says, “I will betroth you to Me in righteousness” He means the true church will behave righteously for the Lord’s sake. And the church that doesn’t behave righteously is not betrothed to Him. She is the Harlot. I will betroth you to Me in justice. The true bride will behave justly, the harlot won’t. In loving kindness, mercy and in faithfulness; the true believers will be faithful to Him. It isn’t difficult to recognize the harlot church by how she behaves. Nor is it hard to discern the opposite of the harlot church when you see the righteous behavior of the true church. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2Cor 11:2) So the true church will surely behave in a different way than the harlot does. She will not just be called righteous, she will actually behave righteously, because she actually is righteous; just; loving; merciful and faithful. She is betrothed to Christ in a true visible manifestation of these virtues.

So you can look at the kind of Christianity we have in “My Father’s House” and decide which church we are. Are we the harlot? Do we come to church and sing pretty songs to God, and then afterwards run about our own business, doing our things, following after the world, entertaining ourselves without a thought towards the Lord? Or do we commune with the Lord all the time and seek His righteousness and His justice and His mercy and do everything we can to be faithful to Him? You see, what we are doing defines what kind of church we are. We define ourselves by our actions; “Wisdom is justified by her children.” (Matt 11:19); by what is in our heart, and we become a fulfillment of prophecy. Either we are betrothed to Christ in true righteousness or we are a harlot and not betrothed to Him at all. So many of the churches today are fulfilling the prophecy concerning the harlot. But the true church is fulfilling the prophecy of being a chaste virgin unto Christ.

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12) There is a command to sow here and that you have to do something as in, But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1Tim 6:11) “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt 6:33) So you must sow righteousness; do righteousness. You must seek the Lord, “Call upon the Lord” as in Romans 10:13 – But does this mean ask the Lord to “call” you righteous – or call upon Him until He makes you righteous by raining righteousness on you? Which indicates the Holy Spirit falling upon the believers and guiding them into works of righteousness as in: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good (righteous) works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10) “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:8)

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom 5:6) We were ungodly because we had no strength to do righteousness. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Rom 7:23) Without God’s strength, we couldn’t overcome the sin in the flesh but then even when we were without strength Christ died for us. And by His death He freed us from sin in the flesh. knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Rom 6:6) When we were without strength Jesus died for us and in that death He put to death the body of sin and He gave us strength in His Spirit to overcome sin because being associated with His death and His victory over that flesh and being empowered by His Holy Spirit to enter into His resurrection life we are no longer without strength. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Rom 8:13) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Gal 5:16) And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. (Rom 6:18) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:1-2) So because we are walking according to the Spirit we are set free from the law of sin and death. But when I was without strength I was not free from the law of sin and death, yet even when I was without strength, Christ died for me and He gave me strength to overcome the law of sin and death through the Spirit and life of Christ in me. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh ...He condemned sin in the flesh, (Romans 8:3) that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:4) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Rom 8:4-6,13)

Now the weakness of the Adamic flesh nature is described in: For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. (Rom 7:15,18-21) And when Paul says he wills to do good, he indicates that he doesn’t want to be wicked in behavior. He has a desire to be righteous – not in title or name only but to actually do righteousness. He wants to do good and is grieved that he can’t. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Rom 7:22-24) But I thank God-- through Jesus Christ our Lord! (vs 25) So because even when we were without strength to do good in the Adamic flesh nature, Christ died for us. But now by putting on the second Adam, the Christ nature, the new covenant believer can choose to overcome the sin in his flesh through the Spirit and strength of Christ in him. But that choice has to be made daily; “if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” You must make the choice to put to death the deeds of the body. You couldn’t do it before Jesus came but now, in Christ, because Jesus died for you and He did away with your body of sin, (Rom 6:6) you can now by faith connect up with Christ’s death and you can now by the Spirit of Christ overcome the power of sin in your flesh if you choose to do it.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body... (Romans 6:12) What does this mean? If sin is manifesting in you it is reigning and it is reigning because you are letting it reign. You are letting it reign! God’s command is: do not let sin reign because you now have the power to overcome sin in the flesh because by the death of Jesus your body of sin can be overcome by the Spirit of Christ’s resurrection life. So your faith in Christ’s death on your behalf and resurrection life, the Spirit of Christ in you can produce an awesome victory over the sin in you. But you don’t get that victory unless you stand up for it and take hold of it. Pursue righteousness! Too many who claim to be Christians today are not standing up for this victory or pursuing righteousness and yet they claim they are saved anyway. And the point of this matter is that if you don’t stand up for your victory over sin in Christ, if you don’t fight the good fight of faith (1Tim 6:12) to attain to the promise that may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Thes 5:23) If you do not believe this promise of holiness and fight to attain to it, (Rom 6:18-19) then you are like the evil spies who saw the promised land but said, “We can’t go in because the giants (our sins) are too big for us.” Because you don’t have faith in the power of God to accomplish what He says concerning overcoming sin in the saints. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (Rom 6:22) So a true saving faith takes hold of God’s promise, and fights the fight of faith to enter into what God has promised. And what God has promised is that you have the power to not let sin reign in your mortal body. (Rom 6:12) But through the righteousness of Christ you can reign over sin (Rom 5:17) But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, (Rom 3:21) So that you can actually “be holy as God is holy” (1Pet 1:16) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (1Pet 1:15)

What kind of Christians and their churches are letting sin reign and claiming to be saved when the command is: DO NOT LET SIN REIGN. You have been set free. (Rom 6:16) So enforce your freedom. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Gal 5:1) Enforce the death that Jesus died upon your body of sin. Fight the good fight of faith. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Rom 8:11) So when you by the Spirit put to death that sin in your flesh and take hold of the Spirit of resurrection life in Christ then righteousness will really reign in you. And righteousness will lead you to eternal life. You will not get to eternal life without righteousness in heart and behavior. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. (Rom 6:19,22) And you are not going to attain to eternal life if you let sin reign. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Rom 6:16) The wages of sin is still death. (vs 23)

So the salvation Jesus has given us comes through receiving the truth that the body of sin has been done away with by the cross of Christ. knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (Rom 6:6) But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal 6:14) So no longer can sin reign over us unless we let it. No longer are we in captivity to the world or sin or the body of sin (flesh) unless we refuse to put it to death because the power in the cross of Christ is available to put a world of sin to death and that means He can conquer all the sin in you. If you will take hold of Jesus, Jesus will take hold of you. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:11) But if you will not put to death the sin in your flesh you are an enemy to the cross of Christ – not a real Christian. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-- who set their mind on earthly things. (Phil 3:18-19)

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12) Sow, reap, break up, seek; you have something to do. God has done something to make you righteous but you have to stand up in faith for what He’s done and take hold of His righteousness. And these people who say, “Our righteousness is imputed. It’s just a title He’s given us. He calls us righteous but we don’t have to actually be righteous or do anything that would be works.” These are enemies of the cross of Christ – they teach doctrines of demons – they call unrighteousness, “imputed righteousness” and faith without works they call “live faith” and faith that has works they call “dead works.” Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; (Isa 5:20) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. (James 2:17,20-23) It was “accounted” unto him for righteousness – Abraham’s “imputed” righteousness was given to him because his faith was a living faith that expressed itself in obedience to God; works of faith and obedience; real works of faith.

And it is these wicked Baptists-type churches and Baptists-type Christians who have a dead faith that cannot overcome sin, yet who claim they have an imputed righteousness – but what they have is a dead righteousness not an “imputed” righteousness because they have no works of righteousness. So they call evil good and good evil (Isa 5:20) claiming that they are saved by grace through faith when they have a dead faith and a dead righteousness and they are slandering God’s true people – calling it “works” theology when the true believers have a living faith that works like Abraham’s faith. So these Baptists-type “Christians” are totally erroneous because true Christians do not let sin reign; we put to death the deeds of the body. And that is something Christ requires us to do. We do it in faith because we know Jesus will back us up and give us the victory when we do it because He has given us the power to do this.

“I hate, I despise your feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies.” (Amos 5:21) “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” “…making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:7,13) God says, “I don’t like vain worship, you offer Me useless sacrifices, all this stuff you do; the songs, the praises you sing to Me means nothing unless you …let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:24) The purpose of God’s word is to teach love from a pure heart, a good conscience and from sincere faith (1Tim 1:5) and if you are not attaining to that righteous conscience, to that pure love which is also righteousness, to that true faith which produces the righteousness of faith; if that is not what is happening in your church; if justice isn’t raining down like water; if righteousness is not flowing like a mighty stream in your church, then don’t bother to have church. This is God’s church: the pillar and ground of the truth (1Tim 3:15) righteousness flowing like a mighty stream. Otherwise your church is just a cesspool of useless and vain worship.

Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together. O shameful nation, before the decree is issued, or the day passes like chaff... (Zeph 2:1-2) Here God is talking to the same church Hosea calls the harlot. He’s talking to the same church as Isaiah describes saying, “Righteousness used to dwell in her but now she’s a city of murderers.” He’s talking to the church in which unrighteousness is flowing like a mighty stream and He says you better get together and repent before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD'S anger. (Zeph 2:3) How will you be saved from God’s wrath? Did He just say call yourselves righteous? What does He mean when He says “seek righteousness?” You better be learning how to do righteousness if you want to be hidden in the day of God’s wrath. That is where your salvation is; not the hearers of the Word (even if they claim to believe it) but the doers of the Word will be justified (Rom 2:13) The doers are the real believers who have a faith that works. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18)

“The city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.” Thus says the LORD of hosts: “If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes?” Says the LORD of hosts.” (Zech 8:5-6) God will restore a righteous Jerusalem and He will have a glorious church. Does it look impossible? Do we look at the pathetic ruins of the churches today and think, “How will it be possible to have a glorious church without spot or wrinkle?” And God says it does seem like that would be a miracle in our eyes? But it’s not a difficult thing in God’s eyes. It’s already foreordained. It’s certain to be done. God is not awed by the apparent difficulty. His power far surpasses any problems. It’s nothing for Him to do it. “Thus says the Lord of host: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’” (Zech.8:7-8) They will not be saying they are righteous when they are not. In truth and righteousness, they will be a really righteous people. Their faith in Christ will cause Him to make them righteous in thought and deed. “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant... Behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.” (Mal 3:1-3)

John the Baptist  refers to this “coming of the Lord” in a New Covenant context when he says, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matt 3:12) And he’s warning you to repent and straighten out before Jesus comes. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt 3:2) “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,” (vs 8) And he shows “fruits of repentance” to be “righteous acts.” So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:10-14) These are righteous deeds. John the Baptist is exhorting the people to behave righteously. There is no possible way that you can call this a merely imputed righteousness.

In Malachi the prophet rebukes unacceptable offerings. “And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts. (Mal 1:8) “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.” (vs 10) God would rather that they close the church than embarrass Him with their disrespectfulness. But then He says He will purge them through fire and the ones who survive will respect and love Him. They will worship Him in a way that is fitting and they will give a sacrifice that is worthy.” (Mal 3:3) And that means they will be a people who do real righteousness; acts, thoughts, activities that are righteous. “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in former years.” (Mal 3:4) If God was content to just call you righteous, He wouldn’t care what kind of offering you make, and He wouldn’t need to purge. Contrary to the evil theologies of today, God does care what kind of offering you make and He will have a people whose offering will be pleasant to Him; a righteous offering.

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good manners.” (1Cor 15:33) The wicked Baptist-type church has taught that imputed righteousness is all that counts for salvation and by this “doctrine of demons” they undermine God’s purpose of producing a Godly people who are truly holy and known by their righteous behavior – a people who glorify His name by their blameless devotion to Him. If you value your soul flee from these wicked Baptists like an Old Testament Jew fleeing from a group of lepers. “Evil company corrupts good manners.” Those who fellowship with the Baptist-type Christians are soon corrupted by their contagious doctrinal diseases and poisonous heresies. The Lord has exposed them. They are the Pharisees of today, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees – they say but they do not do. (Luke 12:1; Matt 23:3) They are the spiritual lepers of today’s church infecting all around them with their manmade theology that makes the Word of God of no effect. (Mark 7:13) For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. (Rom 10:3) For they seek to be righteous in imputation only and refuse the righteousness of God that comes through a living faith.

Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1Cor 15:34) Is this awaking to imputed righteousness? Is this awaking to just being called righteous? Baptists do not have the knowledge of God. God says wake up and stop sinning. And then He equates sinning with being asleep. Those who believe Christians cannot stop sinning, do not have the knowledge of God. They are keeping evil company. Wake up. Get out of your sin; awake to righteousness. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. (Eph 5:8-10) Find out what is acceptable to the Lord so you can do it. Righteousness is a doing. Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2Tim 2:19) Do whatever it takes to depart from unrighteousness. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched” (Mark 9:43) This is not imputed righteousness, it is cutting off unrighteousness to be really righteous.

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness...(1Pet 2:24) Living for means living to do righteousness not just being called righteous. And the Lord says we must continue in righteous behavior. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. (2Pet 2:21) The way of righteousness is the way to do righteousness. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. (vs 20) Which means they stop doing righteousness and go back to doing unrighteousness. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1John 2:29) practicing is doing righteousness not just being called righteous. Only the ones who do righteousness are born of Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. (1John 3:7) This says nothing about imputed righteousness – it is doing righteousness that makes you righteous.

What does Jesus mean when He says,  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matt 7:24-25) “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:17) But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21) God’s word is telling you how to be righteous by doing righteousness. And He’s telling you to do it and not just to hear it. Righteousness is something you do. (1John 3:10) Now we live in a very wicked, heretical, apostate church age. Most so-called churches and so-called Christians today do not know God. They have twisted God’s Word into something that tickles their ears and excuses their worldly behavior. They cannot endure sound doctrine. They are not His people; they are harlots.

And we have a battle every place we preach the true gospel that we have to overcome the twisted Scriptures and destructive lies that these false brethren have sown wherever they go. And chiefest among this false doctrine is that they’ve twisted righteousness into something that is merely a title. Whereas God’s Word actually tells us that righteousness saves you because it is the way that you live and so to be saved we have to have faith that Jesus will make us righteous in our thoughts and our behavior and even the motives of our heart. And of course Christ must get rid of the selfishness and the sin in us and empower us to overcome the sin in the flesh so we can be free to do righteousness. And by filling us with the love for God and for the church and our fellowman then we will desire to do righteousness from the heart and we will be saved because of God’s righteousness that He has put into us through Christ living in us. And the way that we attain to this righteousness is that we have a faith that by His grace Christ will come to live in us and make us righteous. Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)

And this I say, that the law… cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; (Gal 3:17-19) Now when people try to attain to righteousness without a real faith for Jesus to live His righteous life in them – they will usually attempt to find it through adhering to rules, laws, regulations or moral principles, which they keep in their own strength; the strength of the flesh. And at best this becomes a very menial kind of righteousness, nowhere near the standards of righteousness which God requires. “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:20) So any attempt to attain to righteousness by our own power is doomed to fail. Else Christ died in vain, if righteousness could come by our own strength. So real righteousness has to be by faith in Christ. Of course a faith in Jesus to forgive our sins and to reconcile us to God, but then a faith for Christ to actually live in us (Gal 2:20) and lead us in the way of life, and empower us to live His righteous life and transform us by the renewing of our mind until we are in total agreement with His righteousness. (Rom 12:1-2) And true salvation is to have a faith that Christ will accomplish that. And that faith includes the expectation that Christ will finish this work in us and that we will be presented blameless before His presence in the day of His appearing. (Jude 24, Col 1:28,22) And God has an awesome ability and power to accomplish this. (Eph 1:19-22) And He has given us everything necessary so that we can receive His work of power in us by faith. (2Pet 1:3-4; Eph 1:3; Phil 2:13) But having faith for that which God will do does not stop us from accomplishing the part which we must do, in mortifying the deeds of the body, (Rom 8:13) and pursuing the knowledge of God etc. till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (Eph 4:13)

“Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col 1:23) But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1Tim 6:11) But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. (2Pet 1:5-7) These things all pertain to God’s righteousness so that you can make your calling and election sure. (2Pet 1:10) So in any true Christian there must be a faith for Christ to perfect us. And where there is true Christianity there will be a continual visible progress in true righteousness; from faith to faith and glory to glory. (Rom 1:17; 2Cor 3:18) And when this progress is lacking as in so many “churches” and the lives of so-called believers in which year after year you see no real change, no growth in faith or righteousness or fruitfulness in the church or the people – this is a sure and certain evidence that such a church is not a real church – Jesus is not their head – God is not working in them. (Phil 2:13) They have a form of godliness but no power. (2Tim 2:5) Flee from such people. (1Tim 6:5) If Jesus is not their head, they are not His body. They are not saved themselves and certainly cannot save others.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, (Rom 3:21) God promised through the prophets that He would make His people righteous; that He would forgive them, cleanse them and purify them; after judging and destroying the disobedient. “And it shall come to pass in all the land,” says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people;’ and each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” (Zech 13:8-9) He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then you shall again discern (you will see the difference. It will be visible.) between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. (Mal 3:3,18) For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:3-4)

So God’s part is to give us His Spirit and it is the Spirit of His grace (Heb 10:29) that He gives us so that we may do our part which is to walk in the Spirit by faith; not just “believe we are saved” but to walk in God’s Spirit. And His Spirit gives us the power to do His righteousness. So it is God’s Spirit, God’s righteousness that actually lives and operates in us, doing deeds of righteousness. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10) We walk in God’s works by faith. So faith makes us righteous in God’s works. And faith causes God’s righteousness to work through us – “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe... (Romans 3:22) and the believing is not for Jesus to save me, per se, but for Jesus to make me righteous so I can be saved by His working His righteousness in me, conforming me to His image. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom 8:29)

...For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:22-23) But “Christ in us is the hope of glory” because Christ makes us behave righteously as Jesus is righteous. (1John 3:3) being justified freely by His grace (or this can also be translated “being made righteous freely by His grace) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (Rom 3:24-25) It demonstrates that God is very righteous and so merciful to us in that He says, “If you will come back to Me, I will forget your past sins.” To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just (righteous) and the justifier of (the one who makes righteous) the one who has faith in Jesus.

Now the same Greek root word (dikaios) that is translated “just” or “justification” at times in the English is also translated as “righteousness” at other times. And often when it’s translated “justification” it would be clearer to say “being made righteous.” You see in the Greek there is no real doctrine of “justification” – there is only the doctrine of righteousness and being made righteous in Christ, and being proven righteous. Righteousness is what it has always been about. Because of the “mistranslation” of righteousness as justification, English speaking churches have misconstrued the doctrine of being made righteous into a doctrine of “justification” in a way that was never considered in the true apostolic churches. When we use the English term justification it gives a sense of a work completed and in title only – whereas the true meaning of “being made righteous” shows us the work is still in progress and affects our actual behavior; it is not merely a title. And the work of being made righteous must continue until we reach perfection. Since “Justification” and “righteousness” are translated from the same root word an accurate translation of Romans 3:26 would also be “that He might be righteous, and the one who makes righteous, the one who has faith in Jesus.” And that is what God’s purpose is; to make us righteous because of our faith in Jesus. So using the word “justification” in the English may cause us to believe He is merely declaring us righteous – whereas in a courtroom justification actually means proving one is righteous by evidence and therefore declaring his righteousness or justification because it is proven. And if one is to be proven righteous it must be shown by his deeds he actually does righteousness – then he can be declared righteous because it has been proven he actually is righteous. But to prove us righteous so He can declare us righteous and be speaking the truth when He declares us righteous, God must actually make us righteous. And that is what He does for those who actually have a true saving faith in Christ; He “justifies” us by making us righteous by conforming us to the image of Christ and His righteousness so we actually are doing righteousness and can be declared righteous because of the righteousness that is in us from Christ.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. (vs 27) There is no boasting because faith means I am not making myself righteous, but I am trusting in Christ to make me righteous. So the glory goes to God – the credit goes to Him and not to me. That’s how faith works. So we glory in Him - look at the wonderful work God is doing. The law of faith gives the glory to God not to the one who has faith – who is the recipient of God’s grace. Now the legal “Christian” boasts about how well he can keep the law. But the Spiritual Christian is boasting in Jesus and how great a work Jesus is doing in us and for us. Jesus is doing a wonderful work in me. Then there is no boasting in me, the boasting is in Him, isn’t it? So the law of faith precludes boasting because the whole idea of faith is that I am trusting in Christ to do it. He’s the one causing it to come to pass. He’s the one who gives me every victory. He’s the one who says to me, “Don’t let sin reign in your mortal body because I have condemned sin in the flesh – now reckon yourself to be dead to sin.” (Rom 6:11-12) And when I trust in Him I find that all He says is true – Christ has given me the power to overcome sin. Who am I going to praise? Me or Him?

Before I knew Christ I was weak. I had no power over sin, (Rom 7) “O’ wretched man that I am.” But then I found out that I could be connected up with Jesus and He gave me the power to overcome sin and now in Christ I can stand up against sin and sin is defeated. (1John 4:4) Now who do I brag on? Me or Jesus? As the Romans 7 man I was a slave to sin and I couldn’t overcome. Then Jesus came to me and faith in Him has given me the grace of His Spirit to overcome the sin in my flesh. Now who do I brag on? Jesus. He’s the one who’s grace has saved me. So the law of faith precludes boasting.   Therefore we conclude that a man is justified (proven to be righteous) by faith... What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified (proven to be righteous) by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Rom 4:1-3) Remember what James says. Was not Abraham our father justified (shown to be righteous) by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. (James 2:21-23) Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies (makes righteous) the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, (Rom 4:4-5)

Now looking at both James and Romans here we can see that Abraham’s “faith” was evidenced in his “work of obedience” which is not like a dead work that originates in self-righteousness. But Abraham heard and obeyed God (the hea