The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Righteousness - Fact and Fruit"
"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe" (Romans 3:21-22).
God made human beings to serve as His spiritual dwelling place. He therefore accounts as righteous all who receive His saving grace through the Lord Jesus Christ, which imparts the Holy Spirit to live within our spirits. He views believers through the lens of Christ, as it were, or as acceptable in His sight because He sees the Spirit of the perfectly righteous Lord Jesus in our hearts.
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).
The doings of Christians matter far more than we often realize as we seek to honor our Lord and to "be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:11). However, the fact of our righteousness forever abides regardless of fruit bearing. Our standing and relationship with God exists not because of ourselves or our doings, but rather solely through the Person and work of the Lord Jesus on our behalf. "Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us… righteousness" (I Corinthians 1:30). As the hymnwriter so beautifully depicted...
"And lest the shadow of a spot should on my soul be found, He took the robe the Savior wrought, and cast it all around" ("Awake My Heart, Arise My Tongue" - Isaac Watts).
God eternally and irrevocably sees the believer as righteous in Christ. Indeed, find the most fallen Christian on the planet in this hour. The robe remains, the robe of the Savior's righteousness, despite the believer's inexcusable unbelief and disobedience. This constitutes sin in the Christian's life as far more serious than we often consider, and serves to explain why the writer of Hebrews warned believers that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Because our Father so freely accounts us as righteous in Christ, He must act in our lives in order to reveal His own righteousness. "God is not mocked" wrote the Apostle Paul to believers "accepted in the Beloved" and thereby righteous in His sight (Galatians 6:7; Ephesians 1:6). Yes, the completely free gift of justification through Christ means that our Father will righteously act to affirm our faithful response to Him, and to chasten us if we fail to bear "the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ."
God sees us through the lens of Christ, freely and forever righteous in His sight, based on the Lord's presence in us and intercessory work for us. No more blessed truth exists for human hearts. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). However, the same truth must also be viewed in the most solemn terms. "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48). Because the robe of Christ's righteousness is so freely "cast all around," our Father must act if we fail to bear the fruits of the Vine that bears us. Yes, the righteousness of Christ provides the freest gift ever given, bestowed and maintained by Him. The same righteousness also constitutes the most challenging matter in our lives as we seek to honor the gift and bears its holy fruits.
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."(Romans 4:4-5)
"For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?"
(Hebrews 12:6-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
(I Corinthians 2:12)
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