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."
Wisdom has already come, through Jesus. Understanding though, is something you acquire by reading God's Word and listening to the Voice of the Spirit. We haven't lacked Wisdom, but our problem has been that we lack understanding about what Wisdom says. 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God has made our Wisdom, from God, revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine Plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness, thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God, and our Consecration, making us pure and holy, and our Redemption, providing our Ransom from eternal penalty for sin."
This is Wisdom through Christ Jesus and it has nothing to do with religion or denominational things. We've lacked understanding of God's Word, so many still struggle with believing that through Jesus, we are Righteous in God's eyes. Many try to "become righteous," because they lack clear understanding of what Jesus has done for them. No one can become righteous. We must accept righteousness by Grace, as a Gift of God's Sacrifice, according to 2Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified), which says, "For our sake He made Christ virtually to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become endued with (viewed as being in), and examples of the righteousness of God, what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His Goodness."
2Corinthians 1:20 (Amplified) tells us, "For as many as are the Promises of God, they all find their Yes answer in Him, Christ. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it), to God through Him (in His Person and by His Agency) to the Glory of God." We read one of these "Yes Promises" to and for us, in Isaiah 54:17 (Amplified), which 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 is reproduce, this the righteousness or vindication which they obtain from Me, this is that which I impart to them as their justification, says the Lord."
It's God's Own Righteousness that we've obtained by faith and Promise. We can't improve on righteousness, because it's His Own Righteousness that we've obtained by Promise. When we struggle to "become righteous," we miss out on being righteous and in right standing with the Father. Our faith in prayer and everything concerning our Christian walk is hindered, because we hold back in our understanding.
This isn't a blank check we use as an excuse to be foolish, but it's a signed check we use to enter into His Very Presence. 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 by 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."
Paul wrote the above scripture, assuming we would have understanding concerning righteousness; the righteousness God ascribes." Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right)." We've been given righteousness by our faith in Jesus and this is God's way of doing and being right or the Righteousness which God ascribes. It's only our faith in Jesus and His finished work and our acceptance of His Righteousness are acceptable to the Father. The harder you work and try to become righteous, the further you get from it, because we know that by ourselves and our own merit, we cannot be righteous. This is why Paul says, "It's a Righteousness which God ascribes and is only revealed and springing from faith."
We frustrate God's Grace and fail to enter into the place His Grace has provided for us, when we try to become righteous. Don't remain at the cross. This is where we died with Jesus, but we must go beyond the cross to where we were raised from the dead with Jesus. We must take our place by faith in the righteousness or right standing that we have now with the Father, through Jesus. This is understanding.
It's only by faith that we can accept His Gift of Righteousness, through Jesus, like Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified) invites, "Let us fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the Throne of Grace." 1John 5:14 (Amplified) says, "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness, which we have in Him. We are sure that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His Own Plan), He listens to and hears us." Our Righteousness, is His will and is according to His Own Plan, not ours.
This might be the greatest hindrance to answered prayer and fellowship, in the Body of Christ today. We know that in our own selves, we're not righteous, so our way of seeking His Righteousness is far from His will and God's Own Plan for us. This is Grace and the only way to obtain it, is by faith in His will and Plan.
Grace has made all of God's Promises to and for us, "Yes and Amen to His praise and Glory through Jesus." If we try obtaining righteousness by our own works, then it's not by Grace but works. This is why the Law isn't for the new creation child of God. If works is the only way to obtain righteousness, then we're doomed. Jesus admonished in Matthew 5:17 (Amplified), "Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo, but to complete and fulfill them." The only way we obtain God's Promises and His Righteousness, is by faith in what Jesus has done when He fulfilled them. We must simply receive them by God's Grace.
Paul wrote about this in Hebrews 4:11 (Amplified), "Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that Rest of God (to know and experience is for ourselves), that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience into which those in the Wilderness fell." Those in the Wilderness refused to believe in God's Grace to deliver them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land and His Rest. Many Christians today, have accepted God's deliverance out, but not into. It's only be Grace that we can be delivered into God's Presence and Righteousness. Our Righteousness is accepted only when we have faith in what Jesus has done for us. Jesus said in John 14:6 (Amplified), "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me." This includes our right standing or our righteousness.
This is truly an act of faith in God's Grace and no other way is His ascribed way or His Plan or His will. This is why we labor to enter in, because we know that within ourselves, we're not righteous. This is a battle between the carnal mind and the renewed mind. Your carnal mind has been ruled by your senses and will not let you Rest in righteousness, so we must labor or work, at renewing our minds, according to Romans 12:2 (Amplified) which says, "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 that Good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Even the thing which is Good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you." This is Grace and it must be contended for, by faith.
Our lacking understanding makes us lack confidence in our prayers for the sick or receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit. We know that we didn't deserve to have these things function through us. This carnal mindset has held the new covenant child of God in bondage to the external, superficial customs of the unrenewed mind. Learning to think as God has made you through Jesus, requires laboring in God's Word that overcomes the world's way of thinking.
Don't be deceived into thinking that what Jesus did at His Resurrection, wasn't enough to make you a new creation. If you're a new creation, then you have no past, otherwise you're not new, but you're simply done over. "New creation" means exactly that, "NEW." 2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether), the old (previous moral and Spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold! the fresh and new HAS COME."
We must understand what the Word is saying to us, in Wisdom and receive the Wisdom God has given us, through Jesus. Remember, God says, "Therefore get understanding." Grace is saying to us in 2Corinthians 4:7 (Amplified), "However, we posses this precious treasure, the Divine Light of the Gospel, in frail, human vessels of earth, that the Grandeur and exceeding greatness of the Power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves." We can't show forth God's Power, without His Righteousness being developed in us. Jesus repeated this in John 5:19 (Amplified), saying, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His Own accord), but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way in His turn."
Jesus totally depended on His Father, just like we must do. Jesus had to walk the Law perfectly, in order to fulfill it, for us. Jesus had to allow the Father to direct Him, by listening to the Holy Spirit. We can never develop right standing with God, without listening to the Holy Spirit. When we read God's Word without the Holy Spirit's giving us understanding, we establish man-made rules and not the Wisdom of God.
Until we begin to depend on God's ascribed way of being Righteous, we will never truly walk in what our Father has for us. We can sing and build bigger churches, without taking the Power of the Gospel to the world, like we should. The Gospel was never to be without the signs and wonder of God's Presence following.
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