The key to our having confidence in God, is understanding our righteousness or right standing with Him. Many believers still don't understand that the Father has taken up creation again for the first time, since He rested from His work in Genesis 2:3 (Amplified) which says, "And God Blessed (spoke Good of), the seventh day, set it apart as His Own, and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all His work which He had created and done."
I can't find any place in God's Word, where He created anything again, until 2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified), which 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're not just forgiven sinners. We are a new creation family of God. We mostly still see ourselves through our own eyes, instead of through God's eyes. We still see ourselves in our old sinful state, instead of as new creations in Christ. Our sins and past lives haven't been just covered up, but God created new persons who have no sin or past lives. He created us in righteousness, with His Own Righteousness.
The disciples walked with Jesus throughout the Gospels, but they didn't know what was taking place when Jesus went to Calvary's cross. Jesus had tried His best to explain it to them, without having satan prevent His crucifixion, but they still didn't understand. We see why Jesus couldn't openly reveal the entire plan of salvation to them, at that time, in 1Corinthians 2:7-8 (Amplified) which says, "None of the rulers of this age or world perceived or recognized or understood this. But rather what we are setting forth is a Wisdom from God once hidden from the human understanding and now revealed to us by God, that Wisdom which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification to lift us into the Glory of His Presence. For if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of Glory."
Those who followed Him, witnessed Jesus' miracles and heard His teachings, but they didn't understand the new creation man/woman would be in their future. They didn't understand that they would become righteous and be restored as sons and daughters of God and able to stand in His Presence. Paul tells us that, "The old previous moral and Spiritual condition has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come." We weren't just made over, we are new creations altogether. We're a species of being, that had never existed before.
This righteousness had been lost in Adam and couldn't be restored in man's present state. God could cover the people with the blood of goats and bulls, but He couldn't make them new, because the Law of Sin and of Death was transferred into man from Adam. This was a Spiritual death that separated mankind from God and sinful man had no right to come before God. God could cover man's sins, but the sacrifice of bulls and goats couldn't remove them. Only a sinless man could remove our sins. Jesus' Blood removed the unrighteousness, sin and death from mankind and created a new man made in God's Own Image and Likeness again.
God spoke about the new creation man in Isaiah 54:13-14 (Amplified) where Isaiah writes, "And all Thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of Thy children. In Righteousness shall they be established, they shall be far from oppression, for they shall not fear, and from terror for it shall not come near thee." The greatest Blessing of the new creation, is our being established in Righteousness and acquiring a righteous conscience. The most persistent and oldest enemy to our faith, has been the sin consciousness.
We're not just forgiven sinners, like those in the old covenant, but we're new creations who are sinless in our new creation spirits. 1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him, God, that you have your Life in Christ Jesus, Whom God 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."
The disciples had no idea of what was actually occurring when Jesus hung on the cross, was laid in the tomb and rose from the dead. They didn't know what to expect when Jesus directed them to go to the Upper Room and wait there until they would be "empowered from on High." These things were only made known through Paul's letters and his preaching the Revelation he received from Jesus. No Plan of Redemption would be complete, without the restoration of Righteousness.
We have an invitation to "Come boldly to God's Throne of Grace," in Hebrews 4:16. Only the new creation man/woman can do this, because our righteousness has been restored and we've been given the right to stand in God's Presence again, without fear, guilt, or condemnation. We are established in righteousness and have been created new, by Jesus' Sacrifice. We've sadly been taught that we still deserve punishment and rejection for our sinful lives and faults, but the Lord says that we "are established in righteousness and far from fear and oppression and destruction," in Isaiah 54:15 (Amplified) which says, "Behold, they may gather together and stir up strife, but it is NOT FROM Me. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you."
Many (even those in the Church) have read the above scripture, but have never dared to put faith in them, because of things they were taught. The old saying tells us that, Faith stops at the question mark." When you begin questioning the Truth of our righteousness in Jesus, then your faith won't work like it should. When you accept what God's Words says, instead of what man says, your confidence and faith will work for whatever God has Promised the new creation family.
The Truth of Righteousness is one of the most important things you can have and will bring your faith to the place of having assurance and confidence in God's Promises. If you still consider yourself an old sinner and unrighteous, then your faith can't work like God intended. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith if is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out."
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