John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
Many see the four Gospels as being New Testament books, but Jesus was still operating under the old covenant, speaking to and with people who were still under Law. The New Testament didn't begin for us in earnest, until Jesus Resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Everything Jesus spoke about the Holy Spirit and the Father, was still a Mystery to those He ministered with and spoke too.
We've been born-again through the new birth in Christ Jesus. We have the New Testament, in which to read and understand what Jesus taught. To only real knowledge we have of the new creation family of God, comes from the letters Paul wrote to the Church. These are all Revelation knowledge and Spiritual understanding about our new birth, but without the Holy Spirit interpreting these letters, we still know very little about who we are in Christ.
We continue seeing ourselves like those Jesus spoke to under the old covenant. We can only know who He has made us to be, by Revelation. This is one of the main reasons there is so much division in today's Church. We've tried blending what Jesus said to those who were still under the Law, with the new and try walking both covenants simultaneously. If the Old Testament saints couldn't even walk under the Law, then how can we expect to walk under the Law and the new covenant at the same time?
We've not understood Grace and try "making" Grace help us keep the Law, but this can't happen without our losing sight of both Grace and Law. If we move by the Law, then we're not depending upon Grace and if we try making Grace do what the Law dictates, then we can't walk the Law. Thus, we've become annulled by both, because the Law can't make us righteous. Our righteousness comes by Grace, through faith in Jesus Christ and His Righteousness.
We've had difficulty accepting our righteousness, because it is by Grace and we feel like we don't deserve it. The Truth is that we don't deserve it, it's a Gift of Grace. This struggle has befallen the Church since it's beginning. Many believers continually quote Romans 3:10 (Amplified) which says, "As it is written; None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one." we do this, because we know that we haven't always been or acted righteous. Grace provided our righteousness, by faith in Christ Jesus. It's not because we were always doing right, but because He Is Right. We can only have righteousness and be able to stand upright again in God's Presence, by faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness can only come by faith in the Finished Work of Jesus.
Jesus did for us, what we could never do for ourselves and it requires faith in that, to make us righteous. Paul received Revelation from Jesus Himself and when we read Paul's letters, it's difficult for us to see ourselves the way the Word sees us, because we know that we don't deserve to be what God has made us to be in Christ. It must be by faith, because we don't deserve it. I am what I am, because of who and what Jesus did for me and it's by faith in Him, that I allow His Grace to transform me.
Paul wrote about renewing our minds and being transformed in Romans 12:1-3 (Amplified) saying, "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies, presenting all your members and faculties as a living sacrifice, holy, devoted, consecrated, and well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable, rational, intelligent, service and Spiritual worship. 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 new attitude, so that you may prove for yourselves what is that Good and acceptable and Perfect will of God, even the thing which is Good and acceptable and Perfect in His sight for you. For by the 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 an exaggerated opinion of his own importance, but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him)."
You must have a very high and exaggerated opinion of yourself, if you believe you can make yourself righteous enough to stand in God's Presence on your own. Jesus is the Only One Who ever fulfilled the Law and was Righteous before God! We stand before God, based on our faith that God has apportioned to us, to receive His Grace and make you righteous. It's only Pride that would say, "You're not subject to God's Grace to make you righteous. You can do it on your own, external, superficial customs."
We can see why Paul instructs the Church to "Renew your minds and way of thinking." The carnal mind is at enmity (is hostile) to God's way of thinking and cannot be reconciled to Him, according to Romans 8:7 (Amplified) where Paul writes, "That is because the mind of the flesh with its carnal thoughts and purposes is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot." Your carnal mind (the mind of the flesh), will not accept God's Righteousness, without your needing to earn and deserve it, by its own works. That is pride at it's best.
We can only walk in God's Promises by being righteous in His eyes and the only way of being righteous in His eyes, is by Grace. The only way to be righteous in God's eyes by Grace, is by faith. Hebrews 11: 6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out." Without having faith in God's Grace to make you in right standing with Him, you cannot come near or have the right to stand in His Presence. It's only by Grace through faith, that we can stand in God's Presence. It's not by works, external customs or the ways of the carnal mind with it's fleshly way of pride and thinking.
You were made righteous when you were born-again, but if you don't renew your mind by the Truth of God's Word, then your flesh will hold you back from Him, because it is hostile to God and will never submit to Grace. This is the "pride of life," John writes about in 1John 2:16 (Amplified) saying, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, craving for sensual gratification, and the lust of the eyes, greedy longing of the mind, and the pride of life, assurance in ones own resources or in the stability of earthly things, THESE DO NOT COME FROM THE FATHER."
When we don't understand righteousness, then nearly all of God's Promises made to us in Christ Jesus, are not available to us, even though they're already ours. Our sense of being unworthy and not righteous, will prevent our believing and receiving. Our faith will never reach out for these things, because we feel like we don't deserve them, in the mind of the flesh. This is one of the reasons why healing, tongues, Blessing and fulfilled Promises are so lacking in today's Church. The mind of the flesh wants to "make us righteous enough to deserve them."
The only response to a Gift, should be, "Thank you." Grace and Righteousness are Gifts from God and so it the faith to receive these Gifts. Let's Thank Him and allow Him to Bless us, like He desires to. The only thing holding back His Promises to you, is you.
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