Righteousness, Always Through Christ Jesus

 

Jesus Christ, is the righteousness of God. In fact, Jesus Christ has always been the righteousness of God. We know that Noah was called a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). That is Noah preached that men were sinners that pleased self, not God. Sacrificing animals for the remission of sin, started with Adam and Eve, as God used that first animal, the innocent animal, to cover their sins. The sacrifice of the innocent animal represented the way of righteousness or restoring a right relationship with God, but meant much more. It was most certainly a foreshadowing of the blood of the Messiah, which was to be poured out by Jesus Christ, as He “being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him:” (Hebrews 5:9).

 

This was the plan from eternity to bring man into a right standing with God. Man was initially in a right standing with God in the Garden of Eden. They did not have the “knowledge of good or evil”, or else they would already have had enmity with God. The tree in the midst of the Garden was called “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” for a reason. Man did not have this knowledge yet and God, for their own protection warned them not to eat, or else they would surely die. God knew they wouldn’t drop dead on the spot, but He was referring to death at the second death. The Hebrew word for death there is defined as “die in your dying”. The one, who doesn’t have the knowledge of good and evil, cannot be held responsible for evil done, because it is done without any knowledge it is wrong. 

 

Conversely, we today who have the law of God (Moral Law) written on our hearts (Romans 2:14–15) our conscience bearing witness are without excuse. How then was it that Eve was coveting the fruit, wanted to be as God, and wanted to satisfy her flesh, but was not “guilty” of those items that we know now are sin, until she and Adam actually ate from the tree? God’s word doesn’t say anywhere that they fell, but instead says their eyes were opened! (Genesis 3:7) This is very important, because we like to blame Eve like Adam to this day for our sins too. The eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused man then and now to respond to the conscience and the Moral Law written on their heart. They hid because they saw themselves as guilty before God, not just of eating from tree (please don’t miss this) but saw many other things that were sinful. The only thing different was suddenly their eyes were open to the knowledge of good and evil. This knowledge was hidden to them before they ate for their protection, but since God’s Word is eternal, the Moral Law of God had always existed, but they (Adam and Eve) were not subject to it before they had their eyes opened.

 

The curse of the Law is that we are all born with eyes opened to the knowledge of good and evil, as we are their children. The upside of having a conscience and the law written on our hearts is that we are warned by it to depart and avoid sin against God. The downside is that the conscience and the knowledge of good and evil, also will condemn all men on Judgment Day that have reached an age of accountability (whatever that age is). Everyone then that reaches that age is now in need of “righteousness”, and his or her conscience will bear witness with God for every sin (sin—transgression of the law, 1 John 3:4).

This righteousness must be found in the blood of the lamb, the Christ Jesus. This is the scarlet thread that runs right through the Bible. Jesus is the righteous of God for us, and has always been the righteousness of God from time beginning. How do we know this? Again Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He knew about sacrificing animals too. Surely he knew of the One to come, the One who told him to build the ark.

We know that the first Passover, was reflected in that first sacrificed animal, and was made even more evident to Moses and the Israelites who were told to place the blood of the lamb upon the doorposts, so that death would Passover. Those who heard this, and obeyed the command to do what was told them, put this blood over their door posts, and death did in fact Passover. The Passover was and is still celebrated even unto today by Jews. We must understand that from Exodus onward, they celebrated this time. The fourth cup was and is, the cup of redemption. This cup from Exodus to Christ represented the blood of the Messiah to come; the innocent righteousness of God that was to come. Sadly, many Jews passed by the Savior when He didn’t come, as they wanted him to come, as a conqueror of the Romans. What they missed was that He conquered a much more deadly enemy sin and the second death.

Since it is established that even in their tradition of Passover that salvation was of the Lord’s blood to be shed, when we read Old Testament prophets, we must know that these prophets knew this and it is found in their writings. One cannot read Psalms 22 or Isaiah 53 and say that God’s Word was directing His people to be saved by the blood to be shed, and that the sacrificing of animals was done so with hope of the One to come as the perfect lamb of God. This is very important to see and agree with because it helps us understand the New Testament as well, because God doesn’t change. God even warned the teachers that they had strayed from that teaching and were leading people to hell (Malachi 1 and 2). Rather than warning the people to turn to the Righteousness of God (the Messiah to come) they were trying to do it on their own strength, and taking pride in their efforts. Their righteousness was being found in themselves and their outward appearance, yet God wanted to give them a new heart, so their actions would flow from love of Him, and love for their neighbors. This is why David prayed, wash me, cleanse me, blot out my transgressions; and very importantly he asked, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10).

So many even today want desperately for their sins to blotted out, but do they desire to love and obey God enough to ask for a clean heart and a right spirit? David as we read further didn’t ask selfishly for this but so he could teach transgressors the ways of God so sinners might be converted to God. Wow! David wanted this gift not for self, but so he could preach righteous and warn the ones that did not know the righteousness of God. David had the love for his neighbor, as well as the love for God. This is critical to see because God speaks through his prophets to lost all through the Bible to turn from their wicked ways, which we can all agree upon, but God also calls true preachers of righteousness to also warn the “righteous” man to turn back to righteous if they turn from their righteousness (Ezekiel 3:16–21, 33:1–20). Please stop and read those verses carefully, and know that Israelites already knew, or should have known by the very word of God that righteousness was of God for those who put faith in the blood of the Messiah to come and then turned from sin.

Does God change today? These in the Old Testament could only have been called righteous, if they were trusting in the lamb to come, just as the fourth cup of redemption had been taught. When God calls them righteous (those in Ezekiel 3:20, 33:12) can we not see that God really saw them as “righteous” until they turned from that righteousness? Can therefore a righteous man turn from his righteousness? Could those who were trusting in the shed blood of the Messiah to come and walked in His ways, as David and the prophets taught men to do by depart from sin and walking with God; depart from the living God? If God went through the trouble to have Ezekiel not only warn them once, but also twice, God must have believed they could turn back from Him. Maybe this is why God’s Word talks about a Backslider in Proverbs 14:14. What would the purpose be of labeling one a backslider, if they didn’t first slide forward, and then shrink away? In fact God says He has no pleasure in him that fall away (Hebrews 10:38–39) and return to living wickedly, with their father being perdition.

God clearly warns that those that live to their wickedness shall die in their iniquity (sins). That is, those who live to sow to the flesh shall reap corruption; but those who reap to the Spirit shall reap everlasting life. Whether you claim Jesus and Lord and savior or not, what do you live for? Do you live to please self and your fleshly desires or are you living to please Him? In your heart, are you really living wholly unto Him, or are you just using grace as a license to live comfortably in your sin. James 1:12-16 talks about the worst kind of deception a believer might have, self-deception. James felt compelled to warn “beloved brethren” not to err, or be deceived, otherwise they could fall away. Isn’t this exactly what Ezekiel was asked to warn the righteous about twice? Was not their righteousness based in the same thing our righteousness is still based on today? Is the Fourth Cup, not the cup of redemption? Should we then not heed these warnings of God through Ezekiel, James, 2 Peter, Hebrews 10:23–31, and the warnings to the Churches (not the unbelieving world) in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3? Is God just bluffing? Is God just hoping His hollow warnings might cause us to do more, but He really doesn’t mean the threats He gives? Does your flesh like the teachings of your teachers on this subject, a teaching that tickles your ears? If so, ask yourself honestly this question: “If the fear of God is to cause man to depart from evil, which teaching would seem more likely to accomplish the fear of the Lord; one which is being taught that says as long as you have faith in Jesus, no matter how you live, feel safe and secure; or conversely, one that warns the wicked to turn from wickedness, and also warns the righteous, to not be drawn away by sin unto death (the second death)?

Brethren, if it weren’t possible, the Bible wouldn’t teach it! If it weren’t possible, why does God’s Word have all the verses heeding us and warning us? This is not about departing from faith in Jesus Christ’s shed blood; it is about knowing you are saved, because you truly have become a new creature. One that fears, obeys, and loves God; one that truly has selfless love for the good of mankind and therefore naturally places others needs ahead of his own. If the true Spirit of God is in you, and I say “if”, are you a new creature? Do you have an unexplainable urge to serve God out of a love for Him that wasn’t there before? Did you go from putting you first in all things to suddenly not caring about yourself, but are you more worried about the well being of others? Without even trying, are you finding that you are more and more departing from evil, and even the desires of evil things? Is there evidence of things not seen in your very heart that God has given you a new heart and put a right Spirit in you? Do you find that you now delight in the Law of God, where before it was a grievous chore to you? Are you returning to your vomit as a dog, or returning to mire like a pig, or do these no longer have appeal? Brothers, Paul says examine yourselves to see of you are the faith. 

Lastly, if you are justifying these desires, lusts, and even sin in your life, realize how bad deception is said to be in the last days:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men will be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1–5)

 

 

 

If anyone is convicted, or angry: take it up with God. you can seek for commentary’s and teachers that will tickle your ears, because they are many; or, maybe you could just repent, ask for God’s forgiveness, holdfast, overcome through the love of God and love for your neighbor which He will give you if you ask; and finish the race heartily unto the Lord.