Hunger & Thirst after Righteousness (Part 2)

In continuation of our last blog, we would like to pick up where we left off:

Now that we have assessed that Christ is the Perfect One, of Whom holds all Righteousness and right standing in the sight of a Holy God, then we are able to receive Him and what He offers us, and begin to walk in that blessing He has so graciously provided for us.

When we receive Christ, we inherit God's Righteousness "in Christ." Well, allow us to try it from this angle:
We are taken up out of the body of the Fallen and Sinful Adam (who we are before we are saved), and baptized INTO the "Last Adam," which is Christ Jesus (and in the moment that we receive Christ, we are placed into the safe position of "In Christ"). We are saved from our "old man," and placed into the "new man," which is the Perfect and Righteous Christ Jesus. What we had before was filthy rags, and by evidencing faith in the One that took our punishment for sin, we receive His "robe of righteousness."

We're going to share some scriptures here, because we feel that it is imperative that the reader see first hand that the Bible shows us that we receive Christ's Righteousness AT salvation and not sometime just down the road, or after we have finally lived holy enough to have earned it, but at the INSTANT that we receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

Isa 45:8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. 

God poured down His Righteousness when He sent His Son down to live the perfect life He did to give to those who will believe. He brought forth salvation when we, died to our old self with Christ and believed on what He did for us. He let Righteousness "spring up together," when we were raised in the newness of life WITH and IN CHRIST JESUS. 

Rom 4:25

Who (Christ Jesus) was  delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Isa 46:12-13

Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that [are] far from righteousness:  I bring near my righteousness (Christ's); it shall not be far off, and my salvation (it's as close as the mention of the name of Jesus), shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in (Us) Zion for Israel my glory.

These are just a couple, you can read these others at your leisure: Isa 51:5, 56:1, & 61:10.

Arthur Pink writes on this subject and states that Righteousness is synonymous with salvation. We found that to be an interesting observation because in modern churches the opposite message is being taught. Many if not most pulpits are proclaiming double-sided messages to their laity: in one breath they state that no matter what you have done in your life and no matter how bad it was, come to the altar and give your heart to the Lord and Jesus will save you; in the next breath they say that now that you have done that Jesus has made you "the righteousness of God in Christ" (which is correct), but now we must maintain such a standing on our own. This is a travesty for those who know not any better than to try such an impossible feat, for it sends them straight into a vicious cycle of work keeping and rule making which will always result in Christian failure.

The reason that Christians fail and continue to abide in that failure is because they are not abiding truly in what it is that the Lord has freely provided for mankind. If we can use this poor analogy, God gives us a car and with the car He provides us with the key to start the car, in order that we might be able to drive the car up the hill. The car is our life, the key is Jesus Christ, the hill is our journey to Heaven's gate. If we choose to push the car up the hill while the key stays unturned in the ignition, the attempts that we make will be strainuous and nearly if not completely impossible for us, because we are not using what has been given to us in the proper way. The most ideal way to get up the hill is in the car with the key turned in the ignition and the car in overdrive. Other than turning the key and putting the car in drive, our work is effortless, such is the Christian walk when we use what God has created for us in order that we might have an "easy yoke and a light burden," for our journey is meant for us to be able to "travel lightly." God's Word says that His people perish because of a lack of knowledge. Ignorance is not bliss in this present world, for the way of the transgressor is hard and any other way than Jesus Christ and Him Crucified will simply not bring forth fruit unto God. If we don't bring forth fruit unto God, than our labour is in vain.

The key to living a successful life in Christ and above sin, is to understand God's Grace through the Message of the Cross. Our desire and goal is to continue to provide information that will help edify and lead Christians in the "plain path" with are the "paths of righteousness," Christ's Righteousness that is given freely to us by His Sacrifice for us, simply by our evidencing faith in that act.