Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
The Apostle Paul speaks about our faith in what God has done for us in Jesus, in the above scripture. As God's children, we're to simply believe and have faith, in what He has done for us through Christ. We're righteous, because He made us righteous by faith and believing in what He has done. It had nothing to do with what we think or have done, but it comes from believing in what He has done for us.
Many in today's Church, still struggle with this simple Truth in their salvation. We're trying to become righteous, instead of receiving righteousness, by believing in what Jesus has done for us. Your righteousness doesn't depend on you, but on Him. Once your faith will accept the Truth concerning your righteousness or right standing with God, your faith will grow in many other areas of life.
If you knew that you're righteous in God's eyes, then would it enhance your faith in what and how you pray and then believe in your prayers? We don't have complete control over some areas of our lives, which places us under condemnation and has held us back from receiving the Truth that we have right standing before God, through Jesus. Mistakes we've made while maturing in our new creation being, have overshadowed our faith in what He has done. When we first received Jesus into our heart, we were accounted righteous in God's eyes. It doesn't matter where we were, what we've done. By faith in Him, we were made righteous.
We've walked more by our feelings, than we have by faith in God's Word. Our feelings or our soulish nature is still unrenewed and has dictated our faith, more than His Word. You're not righteous, because you feel righteous. You are righteous, because you're a new creation and were created or made righteous in Jesus.
Paul speaks about our "springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith." When your faith accepts the Truth that you're already in right standing with God, then your faith to do and received what He has done for you, will begin to grow. You have more faith in what and how you pray, because you have now received the righteousness that was imparted to you in Jesus, in your heart. This is what Grace and mercy have transmitted unto you in Christ Jesus. This righteousness is a Gift of God and has nothing to do with the old man and who he was. It has everything to do with the new creation man, who was born-again.
I'm not saying that we're to continue living the life of the old man, but we are to go from faith to faith. When your faith has accepted His righteousness, your new creation man can begin revealing His righteousness into your actions and purposes. These are deeds of righteousness and not deeds to become righteous. Aren't they the same thing? No! One is because you are righteous, while the other is trying to become righteous by our own actions.
In Romans 1:17 (Amplified), Paul tells us that "The just (or justified, the righteous man) shall live by faith." "We were crucified with Christ, yet nevertheless I live; The Life that I now live is the Life of Christ within me, according to Galatians 2:20 (Amplified), "I have been crucified with Christ, in Him I have shared His crucifixion; It is no longer I who live, but Christ the Messiah lives in me; and the Life I now live in the body, I live by faith in (adherence and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
The above scripture tells us that, "The just shall live and shall live by faith." You're already living by faith, if you've received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You might not realize that you're already dead to the old man and are living in your new creation man, but you must receive and understand this by faith. You keep trying to "die to ourselves," which is like trying to resurrect the old, fleshly man, because you cannot do or receive your god by your own efforts. We must receive by faith, what God has already done on our behalf, through Jesus.
You can't become righteous by your deeds. You can only receive righteousness by faith. When you understand that God has made you righteous, then you can begin living in and by the Son of God. He has already done everything that was ever needed, to make you righteous and in right standing with the Father. The old ways will cease to operate in you, as you renew your mind (the soulish part of you) by receiving the Truth of your salvation.
Paul says in Romans 12:2-3 (Amplified), "Do not be conformed to this world (this age) (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you)."
If you don't want to be in His will for you, then you must renew your mind by God's Word and receive what He has done for you, instead of what the world (or age) thinks you must do to become righteous and acceptable to Him. Paul continues in Verse 3, "For by Grace (unmerited favor of God given to me), I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought (not to have exaggerated opinion of his own importance), but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith appointed by God to him."
When you say, "I'm not righteous," when God has made you righteous in Christ Jesus, you've thought of yourself with an "exaggerated opinion of self importance." When you say you're not righteous, when God said that He has made your righteous, is placing opinion over the Truth of God's Word. If you cannot be made righteous or in right standing before God by receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then what can "make" you righteous? God has no other sacrifice to cleanse you and make you righteous. Telling God that "Jesus' Sacrifice wasn't enough to make me righteous," borders on foolishness and is based on prideful self opinion. The customs of this world and age, make us seem religious, when we say these things, but God hears it as unbelief in His ability to accomplish what He has done in Jesus.
Many are called into different parts of the Body of Christ, but we shouldn't think that one part is more important than another. Your faith in your Savior, is more than enough to accomplish whatever God has placed you in the Body to do. Don't become envious of another person's calling, but simply do what God tells you to do. We view certain parts of the natural body, as being more important than other parts. Many view the heart as being the most important part of their body, but when a small artery closes off the blood flow, the heart can stop beating and kill off the entire body. Everyone is important and is made in right standing in favor with the Father. Don't allow someone to tell you that one part of the Body of Christ is more important than another. You are where God has placed you in the Body and your righteousness is of Him, by faith.
In Romans 4:21-22 (Amplified), Paul writes about the Father of our faith (Abraham), saying, "Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His Word and do what He had Promised; that is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness, right standing with God." Paul writes in 2Corinthians 10:3-4 (Amplified), "For though we walk, live in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical weapons of flesh and blood, but they are mighty before God for the overthrown and destruction of strongholds."
Abraham believed God was able and mighty to keep His Promises. We should stand in faith to believe that God is able and mighty to fulfill His Promises for us today, just like Abraham did. God's ability and might are determined by our faith in His might and ability to perform what He has Promised. One of God's Promises was that, "He would cleanse us from all unrighteousness and would grant unto righteousness, in Jesus." God is still able and mighty to fulfill His Promises. We must believe that His Promises are still mighty through Him for the destruction of strongholds and receive them by faith and use them for our lives. We must learn to think by His Promises. We must renew our minds to what God says, instead of what the world and the age tells us.
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