Christ, Our Righteousness

Christ, Our Righteousness Proverbs 3:5, 7 (KJV) Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.be not wise in thine own eyes When we lean on our own understanding, we look away from God's Word and focus instead upon: 1) experiences (what we think we know from our past experiences) 2) feelings 3) appearances 4) what other people say Let s give God the respect He is due. If God declares something to be true, then let s humble ourselves and admit that He knows what He is talking about, even if it doesn t line up with our own understanding. We can be wrong; God never is. The Bronze Serpent Numbers 21:5-9 (RSV) And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. Numbers 21:5-9 (KJV) And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. John 3:14-16 And as Moses lifted up the in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:14-16 (KJV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 2

eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. As far as salvation is concerned, one look at Christ is worth more than a million looks at self! We can t look at one thing when we re looking at something else. We can t look at Christ when we re looking at ourselves. Why did God pick a serpent, the biblical symbol of evil, to represent Christ on the cross? 2 Corinthians 5:21 God him who knew no sin to be, so that we might be the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor. 5:21 (KJV) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He didn t just bear our sins so that we could be forgiven. He actually became sin for our sake so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. God chose the serpent to represent Christ because Christ actually became sin on the cross. This verse contains a statement of irony and an antithesis. It is ironic that the very thing Christ knew not, He became! The antithesis is that God made Christ to be sin so that we might be made the very opposite of sin the righteousness of God. As Jesus was made to be sin apart from doing evil, so we are made the righteousness of God apart from doing good. Some Christians think, I am not really righteous; God just sees me that way. But notice 2 Cor. 5:21 doesn t say, God saw Jesus as sin, so that he could see us as the righteousness of God. Likewise, it doesn t say, God declared him who knew no sin to be sin that we might be declared the righteousness of God. It says, God made Him to be sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Please note: God is not saying our behavior is righteous. He's saying we are righteous. Our behavior is transformed as we renew our minds to the truth about our new identity. Robe of Righteousness Isaiah 61:10-11 (KJV) says, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness I heard a preacher quote this verse and then he said, I'm sure glad God can't see what I'm like behind the robe!" Apparently, he believed that the robe hides who we really are on the inside, that the robes make us appear righteous even though we are not really righteous on the inside. There are several problems with this interpretation: 3

1. The Bible doesn't say that Jesus wore a robe of sin on the cross, so that we could wear robes of righteousness. It says God made Him to BE sin that we might be made the righteousness of God. 2. God is not in the deception business. He s not trying to hide what s really true. He calls you righteous because He first made you thus. God sees us accurately. We are the ones who need to get our thinking in line with His. 3. If this preacher had just read the very next verse, he might have realized that his interpretation was wrong: Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11 (KJV) For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Why is righteousness going to spring forth? Because righteousness is what God has planted in us His righteousness. None is righteous; no, (Romans 3:10) Romans 3:10 (KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Let s read it in context. Romans 3:10-18 are all quotes from the Old Testament law. Paul returns to his own voice in verse 19 and in verse 20 he expounds on the statement that None is righteous; no, not one. 20 For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 21 the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Romans 3:20-22 (KJV) 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe As the elderly man looked at the entire passage, he realized that his theology had been largely based on a verse he was quoting out of context! Once he read the entire passage, he realized that Paul s point in the passage is diametrically opposed to the conclusion he had come to by being familiar only with verse 10 by itself. Could millions of Christians be making the same mistake? If so, could it be that the church is crippled as a result? 4

Trusting in Ourselves LifeGivingWords.com Copyright 2013 Jamie Lash, All rights reserved Luke 18:9-12 (RSV) He also told this parable to some who trusted that they were righteous and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and I give tithes of all that I get." KJV And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Self-righteous people look down their noses in disgust at those who aren't living up to the same standards. This man thinks he is right with God based on his own performance, but Jesus assures us that he is wrong. (See Luke 18:14). What proof does the Pharisee give to show that he's righteous? Self-righteousness depends on our own efforts to be good, our own will power, our own conduct, our own adherence to some standard or law. The Good News God Himself Wants You to Know Romans 1:16a, 17a For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed. KJV For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed Why is the gospel so powerful it can save anyone on earth? It shows us how, on the day of judgment, we can stand before God with His righteousness, rather than our own. What are people relying on to get them into heaven? The difference between a non- Christian and a Christian can be illustrated in this way: Imagine it's judgment day and God asks each person, "Why should you be allowed in heaven?" 1) A non-christian will generally point to or to something he's done. 2) A Christian will point to or to something He's done. Is your faith in yourself and your work or in Jesus Christ and His work? Jesus wants us to trust in Him because nothing else is capable of making us right with God. Not good deeds. Not religion. Not anything. No human being will be justified in His sight by works of the law. (Romans 3:20). 5

Romans 3:27a, 28 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.for we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. KJV Where is boasting then? It is excluded. we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Our righteousness is not self-righteousness, so we don t exalt ourselves. God gets all the glory, for He has done what we could not do for ourselves. A Christian with a renewed mind exalts Christ, not himself. We can have an extremely healthy and positive self-image with no pride. How A Sinner Becomes A Sinner If we define a "sinner" as someone who sins, then all of us are sinners. The Bible does use the word sinner twice when referring to Christians. But when the Bible uses the word sinner it is usually not referring to what a person does, but to what a person is to that person s identity. In that context the Bible never calls a Christian a sinner. Fifty-six times the Bible refers to born-again people, not as sinners, but as saints (i.e. holy ones). But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). (KJV) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Why is this past tense? Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. When we were born again, a change took place. We were made the righteousness of God in him. Biblically, a sinner is a sinner because he is "in Adam". God told Adam "on the day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die." Adam and Eve didn't die that day physically; they died spiritually. All of us were in Adam when Adam sinned. Through Adam death spread to all of us. All who were born of Adam were born with a sin nature. 1 Cor. 15:22 For as in Adam, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (KJV) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. When a person accepts Jesus, he has passed from death to life" (1 John 3:14 KJV). God takes that person out of Adam and places him "in Christ." He receives eternal life. He is no longer dead spiritually. He is made the righteousness of God. At the very core of his being is not sin, but the righteousness of God. Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience, many will be made righteous. 6

(KJV) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Therefore, Christians are not "sinners saved by grace." We were sinners, but when we were saved by grace, God changed who we were. Now we must renew our minds to the truth, so that we will live in accordance with who we really are on the inside. When we truly know who we are, it will impact our conduct. When we really see what Jesus accomplished for us and in us, it changes our lives. A lot of people try to figure out what their nature is, not by looking to God s Word, but by looking at their behavior. ( My behavior is sinful, so I must have a sin nature. ) They thus lean on their own understanding, walking by sight, not by faith. Actually, our identity is determined, not by behavior, but by birth. A bird is not a bird because he can fly. A bird is a bird because he is born a bird. Every Christian still sins, but our essential nature is no longer sin. Do you see yourself as a sinner or as a saint who sometimes sins? Can you see how important this is? If believers are taught that their essential nature is to sin, what would you expect to happen next? The Enemy s Masterful Strategy Since God calls us new creatures, saints, the righteousness of God, and since God s word is true, what a masterful strategy on the enemy s part to convince millions of Christians that their nature is to sin! Imagine the Difference between 2 Christians: One awakes and says, I am the righteousness of God in Christ. By the grace of God I ve become a new creature created in Christ Jesus for good works. I am equipped. Today provides me with a whole new set of opportunities. God, what good works have You prepared for me to walk in today? The other wakes up thinking, My nature is to sin, but God wants me to be holy. I m going to try to be holy. I m going to try to resist sin, but my nature is to sin. If we believe the lie that our nature is to sin, then our behavior is going to be consistent with our self-image. The message of the New Testament is Be who you are not Act like someone you re not. The New Testament informs us of who we are and then exhorts us to live in light of the truth. As is Fitting Among Saints Eph. 5:3 But immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. (KJV) But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 7

These sins are not fitting among saints, but they are fitting among sinners. (Note: They are also common among saints who still think of themselves as "sinners".) Notice that Paul doesn t call them sinners. On the contrary, he appeals to their identity as saints in order to straighten out their behavior. He is saying in effect, Saints, these sins are totally inconsistent with who you are. What about the Corinthians??? Saintly? The Corinthian Christians were a mess. Some were getting drunk at communion. Some misused the gifts of the Spirit. One was sleeping with his stepmother. They had factions, strife, and jealousy. Their behavior certainly wasn t saintly, but Paul knew that the way to correct their behavior was to help them understand the truth about their identity, because then the truth would make them free. The power of God would come on the scene through that truth. It would conquer sins they could never conquer in their own strength. When we don t walk in truth, we cut off God s power. Without God s empowering, we are left trying to resist sin in our own strength which doesn t work very well as you know. Colossians 3:9-10 I have heard many Christians make statements like these: I lust because of my sin nature. I lie because of my sin nature. I gossip because of my sin nature. But check out the method Paul uses to correct the sinful behavior of the Christians in Collosae: "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Col. 3:9-10). KJV seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; Paul s diagnosis of their problem does not match the diagnosis of Christians who say, We sin because of our sin nature. Instead, Paul points to an entirely different cause: They were sinning because they were not seeing themselves accurately. Paul points out to them that their sinful behavior is inconsistent with who they really are. What they needed was the truth. Those in Christ have a new nature created in the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24). If we have a new identity in Christ but don t yet see ourselves that way, we will act in accordance with who we used to be, not in accordance with who we are now. Paul is simply telling them to act in accordance with who they really are. Since people live out what they believe about themselves, it shouldn t be hard to predict what will happen if Christians are taught that their nature is to sin. The damage done by this teaching is profound. When it is taught to new generations of believers, the bondage spreads into their lives as well. In many churches few beliefs are more commonly taught than the notion that believers still have a sin nature, and yet the Bible does not contain a single verse that says so. Shouldn t we be teaching what the Bible actually says? 8

Answers for Fill-in-the-Blank Questions Christ Our Righteousness any serpent For our sake made sin made not one But now in themselves himself Christ all die 34

Please note: We only have time to cover about 1/3 of the Freedom in Christ series during the Regional Conference, but the entire series is available on CD in our conference book store. Ministry and Speed Reading Resources by Jamie Lash: 1) Freedom in Christ (There is No Chain that Can t be Broken) CD only 2) This Was Your Life! (Preparing to Meet God Face-to-face) book, CD, and DVD 3) Time Management: Reduce your Stress, Multiply your Effectiveness! CD only Jamie Lash s Contact Info Email address: JamieLash1@gmail.com If you purchase a DVD or CD set, please feel free to email Jamie Lash if you would like him to send you notes for all the topics covered in that particular series. Ministry website: www.lifegivingwords.com Speed Reading website:www.doublemyreadingspeed.com 35