RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH:
"BUT NOW A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD, APART FROM LAW, HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN, TO WHICH THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS TESTIFY. THIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD COMES THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST TO ALL WHO BELIEVE".(Rom.3:21-22)
"ABRAHAM DID NOT WAVER THROUGH UNBELIEF REGARDING THE PROMISE OF GOD, BUT WAS STRENGTHENED IN HIS FAITH AND GAVE GLORY TO GOD, BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT GOD HAD POWER TO DO WHAT GOD HAD PROMISED. THIS IS WHY "IT WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," THE WORDS "IT WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM" WERE WRITTEN NOT FOR ABRAHAM ALONE, BUT ALSO FOR US, TO WHOM GOD WILL CREDIT RIGHTEOUSNESS - FOR US WHO BELIEVE IN GOD WHO RAISED JESUS OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD.(Rom.4:20-24)
"YOU, HOWEVER, ARE CONTROLLED NOT BY THE SINFUL NATURE BUT BY THE SPIRIT, IF THE SPIRIT OF GOD LIVES IN YOU. AND IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, HE DOES NOT BELONG TO CHRIST. BUT IF CHRIST IS IN YOU, YOUR BODY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN, YET YOUR SPIRIT IS ALIVE BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.(Rom.8:9-10)
"BROTHERS, MY HEART'S DESIRE AND PRAYER TO GOD FOR THE ISRAELITES IS THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED. FOR I CAN TESTIFY ABOUT THEM THAT THEY ARE ZEALOUS FOR GOD, BUT THEIR ZEAL IS NOT BASED ON KNOWLEDGE.
SINCE THEY DID NOT KNOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES FROM GOD AND SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN, THEY DID NOT SUBMIT TO GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS.
CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW SO THAT THERE MAY BE
RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES.(Rom.10:1-4)
"IT IS BEACUSE OF GOD THAT YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS,
WHO HAS BECOME FOR US WISDOM FROM GOD - THAT IS,
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS AND REDEMPTION.
THEREFORE, AS IT IS WRITTEN: "LET HIM WHO BOASTS BOAST IN THE LORD."(1Cor.1:30-31)
"THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST AND BE FOUND IN CHRIST, NOT HAVING A RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MY OWN THAT COMES FROM THE LAW, BUT THAT WHICH IS THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES FROM GOD AND IS BY FAITH."(Phil.3:8c-9)
"MY DEAR BROTHERS, TAKE NOTE OF THIS: EVERYONE
SHOULD BE QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK AND SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY, FOR MAN'S ANGER DOES NOT BRING ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS LIFE THAT GOD DESIRES."(James1:19)
"FOR CHRIST DIED FOR SINS ONCE FOR ALL, THE RIGHTEOUS FOR THE UNRIGHTEOUS, TO BRING YOU TO GOD. CHRIST WAS PUT TO DEATH IN THE BODY BUT MADE ALIVE BY THE SPIRIT."(1Peter3:18)
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION:
IF WE ARE OUT OF OUR MIND, IT IS FOR THE SAKE OF GOD; IF WE ARE IN OUR RIGHT MIND IT IS FOR YOU. FOR CHRIST'S LOVE COMPELS US, BECAUSE WE ARE CONVINCED THAT ONE DIED FOR ALL, AND THEREFORE ALL DIED. AND CHRIST DIED FOR ALL, THAT THOSE WHO LIVE SHOULD NO LONGER LIVE FOR THEMSELVES BUT FOR CHRIST WHO DIED FOR THEM AND WAS RAISED AGAIN.
SO FROM NOW ON WE REGARD NO ONE FROM A WORLDLY POINT OF VIEW. THOUGH WE ONCE REGARDED CHRIST IN THIS WAY, WE DO SO NO LONGER. THEREFORE, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION; THE OLD HAS GONE, THE NEW HAS COME! ALL THIS IS FROM GOD, WHO RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST AND GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION: THAT GOD WAS RECONCILING THE WORLD TO HIMSELF IN CHRIST, NOT COUNTING MEN'S SINS AGAINST THEM. AND GOD HAS COMMITTED TO US THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. WE ARE THEREFORE CHRIST'S AMBASSADORS, AS THOUGH GOD WERE MAKING HIS APPEAL THROUGH US. WE IMPLORE YOU ON CHRIST'S BEHALF: BE RECONCILED TO GOD. GOD MADE CHRIST WHO HAD NO SIN TO BE SIN FOR US, SO THAT IN CHRIST WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.
AS GOD'S FELLOW WORKERS WE URGE YOU NOT TO RECEIVE GOD'S GRACE IN VAIN. FOR GOD SAYS, "IN THE TIME OF MY FAVOR I HEARD YOU, AND IN THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU."
I TELL YOU, NOW IS THE TIME OF GOD'S FAVOR, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.(2Cor.5:13-6:2)
"THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT IS RIGHT AND JUST AND FAIR-EVERY GOOD PATH."(Prov.2:9)
CHRIST IS THE PATTERN FOR MY LIFE, AND GOD IS TRANSFORMING ME TO THE PATTERN. SO I SAY "THANKS BE TO GOD." AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment