Can You Be Righteous?

Many Christians say, "God only requires one to be righteous, His Son". The thought goes that since He is righteous, God does not require me to be righteous. This is a typical response coming from Christendom, today.

Does God require men to be righteous? Here many Christians would respond, "No". They take a view called positional holiness that can be expressed as follows: "Oh, yes, I am very unholy and I commit sin; I sin in thought, word and deed every day, but by virtue of my position in Christ, all Christ's perfect righteousness is accredited to me so that God does not even see my sin; He sees only Christ and since I have my position in Christ, I remain holy before God."

The logic is, because of my position in Christ, God does not see me, He sees only Christ. Since Christ is righteous, I am righteous.

In this view one see righteousness as a legal position in Christ rather than a life of righteousness. They would say you cannot be righteous, only reckoned righteous. Faith enters into a legalistic reckoning of all sins, past, present and future, as already remitted. A permanent justification encompasses all the future sins he may commit, and nothing he does will change his position in Christ. Faith has completed the work, he no longer is responsible to repent.

Also a certain gnosticism has entered the church that says the knowledge of it makes it so. In this view, righteousness is just a matter of knowledge. If you know it, then it is yours. Confess it, and it will be so. This accomodates the positional view of righteousness. But, does a confession of righteousness make one righteous?

Let me say that again: Does a confession of righteousness make one righteous?

Is faith a substitute for repentance?

I think the church has given up on personal righteousness. Does God require men to be righteous or is it something that is impossible so we just say I am righteous because of Jesus Christ? We can't live half truths.

So, if Christ came to make men righteous, how does one experience righteousness as a work of the Spirit? Is this supposed to be an experiential reality in our lives or not?

Is there such a thing as the transformation of righteousness in a believer?

I believe there is because without righteousness the glory of God will not abide among men. It is not enough to be "declared righteous" and to say we are "justified", there must be real fruit. There must be some manifestation of the work of righteousness by the Spirit in a person. Otherwise, there is no reality of Christ in our lives and we just continue down the "happy" road of deception.

As the Church today is praying for revival the words of the prophet still speak with clear direction.

Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God

Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

True believing leads to the inworking (sanctification) and the outworking of our faith (true works authored by the Holy Spirit).

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. John 15:14

Obedience is not legalism.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Here is a question for you: Was Jesus' obedience to His Father a product of love or legalism?

Pilgrim

Good Post, As I have said before and will say again I have much to learn from you Pilgrim.

Amen.
Blessings Pilgrim.

Grace overcomes sin and the gospel empowers us to fulfill the commandments of God.

It seems so strange that we boast in the power of God to save, but not to sanctify. When it comes to sanctification we add a perverted Gospel of Grace. Truly, we live in strange days.

The gospel of grace is about the power to become sons of God...not a free for all in the flesh through a repealing of irksome laws that tend to limit our freedom of doing what we feel like.

Jesus Christ is not an anarchist who tolerates sin...and He did not die to protect our right to sin. In this scheme (false gospel) men don't change or convert...GOD DOES! So the law or anything that shows the truth...is abolished. What a time we are living in. A time of no faith.

Pilgrim

When God declares sinners righteous, He actually makes them into what He calls them. And they live their lives as righteous people do, because of the supernatural miracle that has happened in their lives.

He won't make them into what He calls them against their will. Being conformed to the image of Christ and overcoming sin, requires our cooperation with the Spirit.

But, if you think He saves them against their will, then you might believe He sanctifies them against their will.

Your reply is mostly vague and ambiguous, though. Who are these sinners and righteous people that you talk about? Is it everyone that names the name of Christ?

Do we have any responsibility in this walk that God has given us in Christ?

Pilgrim

Pilgrim,

Good instruction,...pleadings, ...

God bless,
elizabeth

Yes, and when we begin in the Spirit, we need to continue in the Spirit and not resort to living our Christian life by the flesh, which only becomes "religious flesh". There is no real power there. One is actually professing a form of godliness but denying the power, thereof. It is just religious and no victory over sin is taking place.

Amen!

Pilgrim

Your reply is mostly vague and ambiguous, though

You may find my answers vague, but I'm ok with that. So I will go on to say something that will probably not satisfy the stirrings of your heart. But I see the Lord in it just the same. Hopefully, you "will" receive it:

After wrestling with the angel of the Lord, Jacob walked the rest of his life with a limp. The question of his will after this encounter, was one that was irrelevant. At the end of the day, he still walked with a limp, whether he liked it or not, because Jacob had an encounter that changed him for the rest of his life.