RIGHTEOUSNESS: BY FAITH OR GOOD WORKS?

Reference: Romans 5:1, Gal 3:6, Phil 3:9

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1) 

Consider Abraham; “He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Rom 3:6)

And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Phil 3)

COMMENT:

The dictionary defines righteous as morally blameless. Righteousness in other words is also goodness, love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). This is what a saint is, according to the bible, not according to the traditions taught by some organizations. A saint is any truly born-again Christian. Born-again by faith through grace and adding nothing. Real faith in the work done by Jesus Christ on the cross is able to entirely save anybody. Only faith and grace from God are required.

People mistakenly think you need to keep the Law of Moses or a mixture of the law and grace but it is an error because Jesus did everything that was required and finished. On the cross, he cried in a loud voice:  “It is finished!”.

 Unfortunately many pastors are teaching that we mix the law with grace without knowing they are mistaken.

The Law of Moses is okay, but human beings cannot keep it. It was introduced to prove to us that we cannot obey it and so we need a saviour. Only Jesus Christ alone was able to keep the law, and said he came to uphold it, but not to destroy it. He never committed any sin and that way, he was able to save the whole world.

The bible says the righteous shall live by faith. It is therefore fruitless to try to work on our own, to achieve righteousness, yet we cannot. Let us trust the finished work by Jesus so that we can be declared righteous. It is God’s plan that we fix our faith on Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Righteousness was credited in the account of Abraham for believing in God, when he was ordered to move away from his home to live in tents in a difficult area, where God would bless him. He just believed God and arrived in Canaan after all the hardships. At an old age he was blessed with a baby boy as he had been promised. Isaac, who was the promised seed, was born and the secured Hebrew race was founded.

Dreamed self-righteousness can come from the law, but will not be real because of man’s inability to obey the same law. Whoever thinks they can earn themselves a place in heaven by obeying the law are in error, because the bible says if you fail in obeying just one law, you have disobeyed all. There are more than 300 laws mentioned in the bible, and we are supposed to obey all, but it is not possible.

Just trust Jesus. He has done everything properly as required.