The Bible in Depth – #3

Study Three

Righteousness - Part 1
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17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed – God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be,” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb (Romans 4:17–19).
 

God gives life to the dead. God calls those things that are not as though they are. When things look hopeless, God only sees hope. We are made in His image; we may then mimic Him. God created heaven and earth by the words of His mouth. Words create. You are the same; you can create the things in your life by the words you speak. Every negative word that comes out of your mouth must be denounced because you do not want negativity—you want positive goodness. Speak what you want, not what you already have. If Abraham and Sarah could do it, you can too. At the age of 100 Abraham had a baby boy. At the age of 90 Sarah gave her husband the gift he longed for, a baby boy. Don’t box God in. Just because these things don’t work for somebody you know, doesn’t meant these principles don’t work. Speak to your future.
 
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17, 18, 20, 21).
 
Are you a new creation? There is no more important question than that one on the face of the earth! If you answer yes, then you will spend eternity in heaven with Almighty God as your father.
 
But if you have no idea what I’m talking about, I urge you to fall to your knees and do the only thing that will get you into heaven—and that is SURRENDER. Give your life to Jesus Christ. Put away all self-promotion, all selfish living, resist having to have things your way and surrender your entire being to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Receive His Holy Spirit and allow Him to make His home in you. Become the temple of the Living God and allow Jesus to make you into a living stone in this temple known as the Church, or better yet, the Body of Christ.
 
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
 
Now we stand before God in His favor. There is peace, no condemnation. He doesn’t blame us for anything we’ve done because Jesus paid the penalties, and the thing that throws us onto the grace of God is that we accept what Jesus did for us on the cross—forgiveness of sins, healing of sickness, favorable finances.
 
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
 
There’s more, oh, so much more! Read the New Testament and find these facts for yourself.
 
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:21–24).
 
One time, the Lord asked me to make a list of all the people I needed to forgive. My list had over 1,000 names on it. That makes 1,000 sins. I made a study of these names and forgave them one by one. But then He asked for a list of those who needed to forgive me. How could I possibly count those? I didn’t know who I had wounded. I could easily see how I had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But when I invited Jesus to live His life in me, to be my Lord and my Savior—ALL my sins were forgiven—past, present, and future. Jesus bought me back, my Redeemer!
 
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9, 10).
 
God made us for His own company, His fellowship. As we (who choose our own friends) all know, we don’t choose people unlike ourselves. God is perfect. To also make us perfect, His Son paid the price of our salvation.
 
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
 
Please read the following scriptures with the knowledge that these things were done for you, to reunite you with God our Father, Jesus our Lord, and the Holy Spirit—our teacher and guide.
 
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:1–3).
 
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
 
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:12).
 
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16).
 
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Ephesians 6:14).