ANOTHER WORD ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS
"For I
say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven." Matthew 5:20
The scribes and pharisees
were the most righteous men, outwardly, who ever lived. They lived by the ten
commandments. According to the letter of the law, they were blameless. They
paid tithes of all they possessed, fasted twice every week, and prayed three
times every day.
Yet, our Lord tells us that
we must be more righteous than them, or we "shall
in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The fact is that without
perfect righteousness no one can ever enter into heaven (Rev. 21:27; 22:11-14).
"And there shall in no wise
enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27)
"He that is unjust, let him
be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that
is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still. And, behold, I come quickly; and
my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that
they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city." )Revelation
22:11-14)
The righteousness required
by God is a perfect righteousness, a righteousness which no mere man can
produce. In order to enter that perfect kingdom we must be made perfectly
righteous by the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:21). All who
believe are made the righteousness of God in Christ by two distinct acts of grace.
l.
The righteousness of Christ
is imputed to God’s elect in justification (Rom. 4:3-8). Our sin was
imputed to Christ at Calvary. Though he never committed sin, he was made to be
sin, and became responsible under the law for our sins, as our Substitute. In
exactly the same way, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to all who
trust the Lord Jesus Christ, though we never have performed a righteous deed.
Just as the law punished Christ for our sin, which was legally imputed to him,
the law of God rewards every believer for the righteousness of Christ imputed
to us.
2. The righteousness of Christ is imparted
to redeemed sinners in regeneration (2 Pet. 1:2-4; 1 John 3:4-9). "If any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). If I am born again by the
Spirit of God, I have a new nature created in my soul, a righteous nature is
imparted to me, by which I reign as a king over the lusts and passions of my
flesh. Yes, God's people do sin. Sin is mixed with all we do, so long as we
live in this body of flesh. But sin no longer reigns over us. We are no longer
under the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14-16; Gal. 5:22-23). The believer's life is
a life of faith, godliness and uprightness.
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For
Today Radio Message #778
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S.
Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net