2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
Having a distorted, religious understanding of what it means to be righteous, has resulted in what might be the greatest gulf between the Church and the Father. As "the redeemed of the Lord," we've been paid for and justified by the Father, through the Sacrifice of His Son Jesus. Isaiah 54:17 (Amplified) says, "But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This (peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition) is the heritage of the servants of the Lord (those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced). This is the righteousness of the vindication which they obtain from Me (this is that which I impart to them as their justification) says the Lord."
This "righteousness" isn't some religious sounding word, we use to impress others with. This is a state of legal, spiritual Law that must be enforced by the courts and standards of God's Laws. God is "Just in what He does" and all the Laws He sets forth are "forever settled in Heaven." God cannot overlook the breaking of these Laws. I'm not speaking about the Law of Moses, but about the eternal Laws that govern Life and eternity.
When Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden, he did more than eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, like religion has led us to believe. Adam transgressed the Laws of God's court and his transgression became a spiritual disease, that was transferred through the spirit of every child born into the human race. This disease is called "sin" and separated God from His family, shutting the Life of God off to all of mankind, because of Adam's treasonous action.
This act of treason (sin) resulted in the separation between God and mankind. Adam was the father of all flesh and his act of treason not only resulted in his being cast out of the Garden, but resulted in mankind's losing the right to stand justly in God's Presence. Isaiah 54:17 (Amplified) again says, "This (peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition) is the heritage of the servants of the Lord (those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced); This is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me; (this is that which I impart to them as their justification) says the Lord."
1Timothy 3:16 (Amplified) says, "Now listen, all that are in Christ Jesus! And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden Truth (the mystic secret) of Godliness. He (God) was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the Holy Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, (and) taken up in glory." We can now see what the Prophet Isaiah may not have seen, even though he was the one through whom the Lord spoke. God said that our "right to stand before Him" as "clean, justified, in right standing again" would be "of Him." We, the new creation people, know that this awesome Truth was carried out in Jesus.
We were "in Him," when Jesus died. We died with Him and were buried with Him. When Jesus was raised from the dead and declared to be in right standing (or had the right to stand before God again), we were raised and made in right standing with God, too. We were granted this same right to stand again in the Presence of God. When Jesus was justified, we were justified and when He was raised into the place with the Father, we were raised and seated together with Him.
Now, we see why God said, "This is the righteousness or vindication which they obtain from Me (that which I impart to them as their justification) says the Lord." When we deny our justification or right standing with the Father, we are denying the redemptive part of Jesus' Sacrifice. Remember, Jesus didn't have to do this for Himself, because He was already just, righteous and not in need of vindication. He did this so we could be just, righteous, and not needing vindication. Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified) says, "For we are God's (Own) handiwork (His workmanship) recreated in Christ Jesus (born anew) that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us (taking paths which He prepared ahead of time) that we should walk in them (living the good life which He pre-arranged and made ready for us to live)."
Jesus has brought us back from the dead (the result of Adam's transgression) and in Him, we are fully restored and accepted again in the Father's House. The plans the Father had for His family in the beginning were lost in Adam, but Jesus' Sacrifice has restored and implemented them. God didn't simply bring a family into the earth and then try to figure out what to do with them. He had "pre-arranged" and planned out and made ready a "good life" for us to live.
Whatever God's plan for His family was before Adam's fall, is now made available for the new creation family to walk and live again through Jesus Christ. The first persons who could understand Isaiah's prophecy about the new creation people, were Jesus and His very early disciples. It didn't take the enemy long, though, to try bringing things back under his control, through man-made religions and traditions. We witness the Super-natural Spirit of God living in His people, in the early Church. Satan knew he had no authority to control these new creation people, in the spirit realm. He needed to once again, make them operate in the life of the flesh (the sense realm). Satan is the "god of this world" and if he could bring the Church back into the world, then he could still control it, through deception.
Man-made ideas, laws, tradition, control, strife, division and even witchcraft, were introduced into the Church by the world, until the Church began losing it's salt and light. Instead of displaying the Gospel we began debating the Gospel. We tried coaxing the people in the Church, to "be good." When we understand who we really have become in Jesus, then the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ will again be transfigured for all the world to see. The world will once again see Jesus. We're almost there. We are growing in revelation and learning God's Wisdom for these last days. Soon the Glory of the Lord will shine out from His people, and everyone (from the least to the greatest) will know that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of the Father.
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