By: Jim Kaseman
The greatest blessing of the Born-Again believer is to be established in righteousness and to have a righteousness consciousness.
Righteousness is the key word in Paul’s epistles. It means the ability to stand in the Father’s presence without the sense of sin, guilt, fear, condemnation or inferiority. We see a promise of this in Isaiah 54:13-14, “And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shall they be established: thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near thee.”
SIN CONSCIOUSNESS
Many Christians today have a sin consciousness and a weakness consciousness that has kept them slaves of fear.
Sin consciousness has made slaves of the human race and has destroyed the initiative in multitudes of people. It has been the oldest and most persistent enemy of faith.
As a Christian you cannot have faith in the Word of God when you are under condemnation.
RIGHTEOUSNESS CONSCIOUSNESS
The reason for the creation of man in the first place was because of the heart-hunger of God for fellowship.
This fellowship between God and man was destroyed by the entrance of spiritual death into man’s spirit after Adam committed the sin of high treason.
The reason for man’s redemption was the same as the reason for man’s creation – God’s desire for fellowship with His children.
So what good would it be to be a son of God and not have righteousness or right standing with your Heavenly Father? The Heavenly Father would have no pleasure in His children because they would be shrinking, cowardly, fearful beings. The children would never enjoy the Father’s presence. There would
be no fellowship.
Therefore, if man was to be restored to perfect fellowship with the Father-God, our Heavenly Father, righteousness must be given to him. All sin consciousness, sense of unworthiness, and inferiority must be eliminated from man’s spirit and mind. It’s easy to see that redemption would be worth nothing without righteousness.
As we study the subject of righteousness, the teaching and traditions of man cannot be authoritative to us. The Word of God alone must be our authority. Let us study the scriptures to find out what God has made known to us about righteousness.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS
Romans 4:25 reveals to us how God has provided that righteousness, upon legal grounds: “Who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.” A LITERAL TRANSLATION READS: “Who was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised when we were declared righteous.”
Romans 5:19 throws light upon this scripture: “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.”
Redemption is based upon the law of identification. It is through the identification of humanity with one man, Adam, that all were made sinners, that is, all came under condemnation. It is therefore reasonable that through one man all be made righteous, as the human race was identified with Christ when He paid the penalty of that transgression.
Therefore, when Christ arose from the dead the human race had legally been declared righteous. The human race stood legally before God as free from sin as if Adam had not sinned. (Note the scripture in Romans 5:15-19)
CAN’T BE EARNED-FREE GIFT
Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING TO BE RIGHTEOUS. It’s already done by Christ. In other words, getting under the law by not wearing makeup, not wearing jewelry, not working on Sunday, not going to sports events, requiring hair to be a certain length, acting very religious (like the Pharisees)…THESE THINGS DO NOT MAKE YOU RIGHTEOUS! YOU CANNOT EARN RIGHTEOUSNESS. IT IS A FREE GIFT THAT GOES WITH THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION!
Romans 5:17, “for if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” There it is, GIFT of
righteousness, NOT WAGES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. When someone gives you a gift, you just receive it.
Let’s look at Romans 5:17 in the Amplified Bible: “For if, because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive God’s overflowing grace (unmerited favor) AND THE FREE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (putting them into right standing with
Himself) reign as Kings in life through the One, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.”
TO REIGN means to rule.
ABUNDANCE OF GRACE means to have unmerited favor.
THAT SHOOTS DOWN THE “POVERTY SYNDROME.” As Christians, “Born Again believers,” we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to inherit riches. We are to prosper right NOW here on the earth. This scripture tells us that we are to reign as Kings in life, “In Life” – that means now, not in heaven after you die! As a son of God, I’m a King. Therefore, I can look forward to wearing and eating the best now, in this time on the earth!
BUT SOME WOULD SAY, “Brother Kaseman, don’t get so worldly, you should be humble and not be concerned about material things, after all, God isn’t…” Well if God isn’t concerned about material things how about that city in heaven that is made of gold, jasper, emerald, pearls and other precious stones.
The truth of the matter is that believers, as children of God, have been created in the image and likeness of their Heavenly Father and have the same desires that He has. The Bible clearly teaches that there is no
poverty, sin, sickness or death in Heaven. Therefore, there should be no poverty, sin, sickness or death in the Body of Christ – If there is to be, as some would say, then the suffering of Jesus Christ was in vain. It’s
time we believe God when He said that He wanted His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven!
Galatians 3:13 tells us that Jesus Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. Deut. chapter 28 tells us that the curse of the law is poverty, sickness and death. I have been redeemed from the curse of the law –
according to the Word of God.
WHAT ABOUT HOLINESS?
NO MATER HOW YOU FEEL, as a Born Again believer you are righteous – you have right standing with God. Righteousness is not the way you live. Holiness has to do with the way you live and the deeds you perform. THE BIBLE SAYS, “BE YE HOLY” – IT NEVER SAYS BE YE RIGHTEOUS!
As a Christian you can never lose your righteousness – unless you deny Jesus Christ. You can lose your enjoyment or sense of righteousness. FOR EXAMPLE, when a child is caught disobeying his parents, he loses the joy of his relationship with his parents but he does not lose the relationship as child of the parents.
Romans 3:25 says, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of SINS THAT ARE PAST, through the forebearance of God.”
Under the Old Testament, man’s sins could only be covered. But under the New Testament, when you come into Christ Jesus, ALL PAST SINS ARE REMITTED, washed away, never to be remembered again!
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PRESENT AND FUTURE SINS OF A CHRISTIAN? Well, if he should miss it and sin, God has made a provision for him in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It’s important to note that this verse is only for the Christian and these sins MUST BE CONFESSED IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE WIPED OUT. And then, not only does God forgive our sins but He also CLEANSES us from all unrighteousness or condemnation!
IT’S BY FAITH THAT I HAVE TO BELIEVE that my sins have been forgiven and then I must act like it!
AS CHRISTIANS WE MUST LEARN NOT TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT NOT FEELING GUILTY.
WHAT ABOUT HUMILITY?
Satan has made us think that it was a mark of humility before God to boast of our sinful and weak and unworthy condition.
But it is not humility to speak of ourselves as poor, weak worms of the dust. It is dishonoring God, His plan of Redemption and the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is considering Satan’s work in Adam more effectual than
redemption in Christ.
Now we can understand why Satan has hindered our knowing the righteousness that is ours.
TRUE HUMILITY will believe what God says in II Cor. 5:21, “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.” True humility will say, “I’m the
righteousness of God because His Word says I am. Thank you Father that I am no longer a sinner. I was a sinner saved by grace. Now I am your child and the righteousness of God! PRAISE THE LORD!
SECRET OF POWER
Can you see what this message of righteousness will mean in life? It will solve every problem that you have. Your fellowship with the Father will be sweet and joyous, without a sense of condemnation, with nothing to stand between you and Him. It will be easy to trust God for your needs. You will gain a reputation for having your prayers answered, because you will know that when you ask in the Name of Jesus He hears you, and that if He hears you, you have the petitions you desire. You will be able to pray for the sick in the authority of the Name of Jesus Christ because you will not feel too unworthy to use it.
Here is the secret of the power that you have been seeking in your faith life. It is knowing that you are the righteousness of God. No longer will you be hindered in taking your place or using the authority of the Name of Jesus through which God will be glorified.
Let us arise and take our place as victors, as conquerors.
Let us go out and do the work that Jesus has commanded us to do as He works together with us.
(The above material was published by Jim Kaseman Ministries.)
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