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Righteousness, the Fruit of Humility

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Posted by: eagle4him

It is written in Romans 1:13, that "the righteous man shall live by faith." This condition of living by faith is not declared to already be so. The use of the words shall live, imply that this type of living is learned as a process over a period of time, a future occurrence, not immediately taking place, or the words would have been...the righteous are living by faith.

In the book of Luke, the writer goes on to say, that (18:8) "when the Son of man comes will he find faith?" This baffles me, for if the righteous will live by faith, the why the question about whether or not there will be any faith when Jesus returns? Will thre be any righteous ones when He comes back?

The answer is found in other teachings about the end times, and the love of most growing cold. This is the great apostasy foretold as the condition of the church on earth, prior to Jesus's return.

The seed of righteousness, is humility. For after the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) the writers quotes Jesus...
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

So then, the seed of righteousness is humility. Humble yoursleves, that you not be humbled, and bear much fruit in season. By so doing then you will live by faith.


Posted by: akabezalel

That is actually Romans 1:17... and when you put it in context and leave the KJV behind it says:

Rom 1:14 I have a debt to Greeks and to the nations outside; to the wise and to those who have no learning.
Rom 1:15 For which reason I have the desire, as far as I am able, to give the knowledge of the good news to you who are in Rome.
Rom 1:16 For I have no feeling of shame about the good news, because it is the power of God giving salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For in it there is the revelation of the righteousness of God from faith to faith: as it is said in the holy Writings, The man who does righteousness will be living by his faith. {Present tense}
Rom 1:18 For there is a revelation of the wrath of God from heaven against all the wrongdoing and evil thoughts of men who keep down what is true by wrongdoing;
Rom 1:19 Because the knowledge of God may be seen in them, God having made it clear to them.

or if you prefer a different version:

Rom 1:14 I am a debtor [fig., under obligation] both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to wise and to foolish.
Rom 1:15 So the [situation] concerning me [is this: I am] eager to proclaim the Gospel also to you*, the [ones] in Rome.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is [the] power of God to salvation to every [one] believing, both to [the] Jew first and to [the] Greek.
Rom 1:17 For [the] righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it has been written, "But the [one] righteous by faith will live [or, the righteous will live by faith]." [Hab 2:4]
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all impiety [or, ungodliness] and unrighteousness of people, [upon] the ones suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.
Rom 1:19 For this reason, the [thing] known of God is revealed among [or, within] them, for God revealed [it] to them.

or for the Greek scholars among us so you can do your own translating...

Rom 1:14 ελλησιν1672 N-DPM τε5037 PRT και2532 CONJ βαρβαροις915 A-DPM σοφοις4680 A-DPM τε5037 PRT και2532 CONJ ανοητοις453 A-DPM οφειλετης3781 N-NSM ειμι1510 V-PAI-1S
Rom 1:15 ουτως3779 ADV το3588 T-NSN κατ2596 PREP εμε1473 P-1AS προθυμον4289 A-NSN και2532 CONJ υμιν4771 P-2DP τοις3588 T-DPM εν1722 PREP ρωμη4516 N-DSF ευαγγελισασθαι2097 V-AMN
Rom 1:16 ου3756 PRT-N γαρ1063 CONJ επαισχυνομαι1870 V-PNI-1S το3588 T-ASN ευαγγελιον2098 N-ASN του3588 T-GSM χριστου5547 N-GSM δυναμις1411 N-NSF γαρ1063 CONJ θεου2316 N-GSM εστιν1510 V-PAI-3S εις1519 PREP σωτηριαν4991 N-ASF παντι3956 A-DSM τω3588 T-DSM πιστευοντι4100 V-PAP-DSM ιουδαιω2453 A-DSM τε5037 PRT πρωτον4412 ADV-S και2532 CONJ ελληνι1672 N-DSM
Rom 1:17 δικαιοσυνη1343 N-NSF γαρ1063 CONJ θεου2316 N-GSM εν1722 PREP αυτω846 P-DSN αποκαλυπτεται601 V-PPI-3S εκ1537 PREP πιστεως4102 N-GSF εις1519 PREP πιστιν4102 N-ASF καθως2531 ADV γεγραπται1125 V-RPI-3S ο3588 T-NSM δε1161 CONJ δικαιος1342 A-NSM εκ1537 PREP πιστεως4102 N-GSF ζησεται2198 V-FDI-3S
Rom 1:18 αποκαλυπτεται601 V-PPI-3S γαρ1063 CONJ οργη3709 N-NSF θεου2316 N-GSM απ575 PREP ουρανου3772 N-GSM επι1909 PREP πασαν3956 A-ASF ασεβειαν763 N-ASF και2532 CONJ αδικιαν93 N-ASF ανθρωπων444 N-GPM των3588 T-GPM την3588 T-ASF αληθειαν225 N-ASF εν1722 PREP αδικια93 N-DSF κατεχοντων2722 V-PAP-GPM
Rom 1:19 διοτι1360 CONJ το3588 T-NSN γνωστον1110 A-NSN του3588 T-GSM θεου2316 N-GSM φανερον5318 A-NSN εστιν1510 V-PAI-3S εν1722 PREP αυτοις846 P-DPM ο3588 T-NSM γαρ1063 CONJ θεος2316 N-NSM αυτοις846 P-DPM εφανερωσεν5319 V-AAI-3S

Those are the strongs numbers after each word.

And, considering that Jesus is our Faith it stands to reason that we already have Faith if we have a real salvation relationship with Jesus which also means we are righteous because He is righteous.

So the concept of working to obtain faith and righteousness is not entirely correct.

Luke 18:8... Once again put it in context. Jesus is speaking parables about people who believe they are better than others and fall short by their own arrogance. He is asking if there will be Faith or arrogance when he returns... Faith in the hearts of men or just faith in their own righteousness and not in the righteousness of God.

Luk 18:1 And he made a story for them, the point of which was that men were to go on making prayer and not get tired;
Luk 18:2 Saying, There was a judge in a certain town, who had no fear of God or respect for man:
Luk 18:3 And there was a widow in that town, and she kept on coming to him and saying, Give me my right against the man who has done me wrong.
Luk 18:4 And for a time he would not: but later, he said to himself, Though I have no fear of God or respect for man,
Luk 18:5 Because this widow is a trouble to me, I will give her her right; for if not, I will be completely tired out by her frequent coming.
Luk 18:6 And the Lord said, Give ear to the words of the evil judge.
Luk 18:7 And will not God do right in the cause of his saints, whose cries come day and night to his ears, though he is long in doing it?
Luk 18:8 I say to you that he will quickly do right in their cause. But when the Son of man comes, will there be any faith on earth?
Luk 18:9 And he made this story for some people who were certain that they were good, and had a low opinion of others:
Luk 18:10 Two men went up to the Temple for prayer; one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-farmer.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee, taking up his position, said to himself these words: God, I give you praise because I am not like other men, who take more than their right, who are evil-doers, who are untrue to their wives, or even like this tax-farmer.
Luk 18:12 Twice in the week I go without food; I give a tenth of all I have.
Luk 18:13 The tax-farmer, on the other hand, keeping far away, and not lifting up even his eyes to heaven, made signs of grief and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I say to you, This man went back to his house with God's approval, and not the other: for everyone who makes himself high will be made low and whoever makes himself low will be made high.

Humility actually comes AFTER drawing close to God and you can only do that when you stand before Him in His righteousness and not your own.

Jas 4:1 From where [come] wars and fights [fig., conflicts and disputes] among you*? Is it not from here-out of your* passions [or, desires for pleasure], the ones waging war in your* body parts?
Jas 4:2 You* desire [or, lust for], and you* do not have. You* murder and are jealous and are not able to obtain. You* fight and wage war [fig., dispute and quarrel]. But you* do not have because you* do not ask.
Jas 4:3 You* ask, and you* do not receive, because you* ask wrongly [or, with wrong motives], so that you* should spend [it] on your* passions [or, desires for pleasure].
Jas 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you* not know that the friendship of the world is hostility towards God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world is made an enemy of [or, is hostile towards] God.
Jas 4:5 Do you* think that the Scripture speaks in vain [or, for no purpose]? Does the Spirit which [has] dwelt in us yearn to [the point of] envy?
Jas 4:6 But He gives greater grace. For this reason, He says, "God resists [or, sets Himself in opposition against] proud [people], but He gives grace to humble [people]." [Prov 3:34]
Jas 4:7 Therefore, be subjected to God. {But} stand up against [or, resist] the Devil, and he will flee from you*.
Jas 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you*. Cleanse [fig., Purify] [your*] hands, sinners! And purify [your*] hearts, double-minded [ones] [or, doubters]!
Jas 4:9 Be miserable and mourn and weep! Let your* laughter be changed into mourning and [your*] joy into gloom.
Jas 4:10 Be humbled [or, Humble yourselves] before the Lord, and He will exalt you*.
Jas 4:11 Stop speaking evil of [or, slandering] one another, brothers [and sisters]. The one speaking evil of a brother and judging his brother speaks evil of [the] Law and judges [the] Law. But if you judge [the] Law, you are not a doer of [the] Law _but_ a judge.

You cannot stand in God's presence unless you already are covered in the robe of His righteousness and you simply ask for that in your daily prayers when you are coming to Him for repentance, cleansing and refreshing of your salvation every day.

Righteousness is not something you can earn or strive for, it is something that God places on you when you ask Him for it, righteousness is a garment to be worn and refreshed daily.

Just like Grace, Mercy, Healing, Deliverance and Salvation, Righteousness is free and a birthright as a Child of God through the salvation relationship we have with Jesus and NOT because we have "earned" it or even deserved it in any way.


Posted by: eagle4him

I stand corrected. Oops! I incorrectly typed Romans 1:17. I choose not to comment on the rest of your interpretation of what I was trying to say. I am trying my best not to argue scripture any more.

Blessings


Posted by: JG

This is a note I sent to Frederik about righteousness

Righteousness:
Frederic, Now we see Righteousness is the end-line of the redemption and salvation process, this is the ultimate reason why we will go to Heaven or to to Hell, as clearly stated by Jesus in the above quotation, the last words of the Olivet discourse about the end of times and about the end of your life and mine.... and very clearly stated also in dozens of places in the Old and New Testament.

Frederic Please see that righteousness is most important for you and for me now!.

What is Righteousness:

Righteousness is a special life in accordance with the commands of God, in all their breadth and height. The righteous man or woman does what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and without this no man shall see the Lord: "For the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God," (1Cor.6:9).

Jesus gives ua a very simple definition of righteousness and unrighteousness in the Olivet discourse:

Jesus said: Righteous is he who gives food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, the one who receives an stranger and clothes the naked, he who takes care of the sick and visits those in prison.
Unrighteous is he who does not give food to the hungry, nor water to the thirsty, the one who does not receive an stranger not clothes the naked, he who does not take care of the sick nor visits those in prison.
And Jesus ends up the discourse with this statement, "Then the unrighteous will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Mat.25:46... 25:31-46).
John will tell us later on: If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1Jn.4:20-21...Jn.14:34,35, 15:12,17).

In the Bible, there are 4 things in the Old Testament we had do to get right: Conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, word, and action:

1- We must think the right things about God, our neighbors, ourselves, nature...
2- We must Make the right decisions. Make decisions that align with the word of God. When we make decisions that defy God’s word we are stopping God’s blessings from flowing in our lives and becoming less effective in warfare!
3- We must Say the right things: Our tongue has the power to create or destroy, to bring life or death. When we speak things that are contrary to God’s word we are bringing curses and death on ourselves or others. We need to repent for all of the things we have spoken that have brought destruction to us or someone else.
4- We must Do the right things, good deeds, good works. If we decide the right things and say the right things but do the wrong thing, we become an un-righteous person, even a hypocrite! How many times have we said we would do the right thing, but given in and done the wrong thing? This is the time to get that right. Metanoia

But Now in the New Testament Jesus Christ Our Righteousness:

This is the name by which You Frederik will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. (Jer.23:6)... Christ Jesus is our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1Cor.1:30).
For the Christians, Jesus is our righteousness, as stated is so many places in the New Testament:
- "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2Cor.5:21).
- "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness." (Rom.8:10).

This is the greatness and beauty of the Gospels:

There is a great exchange between Jesus and the Christian. Jesus, who is God, not only takes our sin, but in exchange He gives us His righteousness. In dying for us He satisfies God's righteous demand for punishment. But He goes still further. Jesus was not only "made sin for us" (2Cor.5:21); He "is made unto us righteousness" (1Cor.1:30). Christ is "Yahweh our righteousness" (Jer. 23:6). He pays the penalty of our sin and provides us with His very own perfections. Our record becomes His, and so He dies. But His record becomes ours, and so we live, praise the Lord!.
This is why God the Father loves each Christian as much as He loves Jesus Christ, as Jesus Himself told us in John.17:23... because when the Father sees us He sees Christ, the Mystical Body of Christ of 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12.
In Baptism, by faith, all sins are forgiven, and on top of it, Jesus Christ comes into our hearts, so we can cry out with Paul, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Gal.2:20...Jn.15, 14:23).
Jesus came to teach us the way and the truth and the life... but still more: Jesus Himself is the way and the truth and the life (Jn.14:6)... so, if Jesus is in me, I have the way, and the truth, and the life, and the righteousness of Jesus, and His holiness, and His redemption... and the love of Jesus, and His patience, and His humility... Jesus Christ lives in me!, praise my Lord Jesus!.

And how come I am not as holy and as righteous and humble as Jesus?... and how come I make so many mistakes?...

because when Jesus comes into me in Baptism, I don't become a robot, I am still a free human, I still can put all my trust and faith in God or in myself, or part of it in God and part of it in myself... and here come the sufferings, the trumpets of God, to clean me, to shout in my ears that I have to repent... and here comes the "good fight of Faith" that Paul had until his last breath, as he told us in his last two letters (1Tim.6:12, 2Tim4:7).

Consider how the Word puts it:

1- The servants of God are praised as righteous (Gen.6:9; 7:1; Matt.1:19; Lk.1:6; 2:25; 2Pet.2:7).
2- The favor and blessing of God are pronounced upon the righteous; (Ps.1:6; 5:13, 14:5; 34:16,20; 37:17,39; 92:13; 97:11; 144:8).
3- The righteous are called to confidence, to joy. (Ps. 32:11; 33:1; 58:11; 64:11; 68:4; 97:12) See this especially in the Book of Psalms. See how in Proverbs all blessing is pronounced upon the righteous. (Prov.10:3,6,7,11,16,20,21,24,25,28,30,31,32).
4- See how everywhere in the Bible men are divided into two classes, the righteous and the godless or unrighteous. (Eccles.3:17; Isa.3:10; Ezek.3:18,20; 18:21,23; 33:12; Mal.3:18; Matt.5:45; 12:49; 25:46).
5- See how, in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus demands this righteousness; (Matt.5:6,20; 6:33).
6- See how Paul, who announces most the doctrine of justification by faith, insists that this is the aim of justification, to form righteous men, who do right. (Rom.3:31; 6:13,22; 7:4,6; 8:4; Eph.2:8-10; 2 Cor.9:9,10; Phil.1:11; 1Tim.6:11)
7- See how John names righteousness along with love as the two indispensable marks of the children of God. (1John 2:4,11,29; 3:10; 5:2)

When you put all these facts together, it must be very evident to you that a Christian is a man who does righteousness in all things, even as God is righteous...

and it is the order of Jesus, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Mat.5:48)... but don't forget the above statement on how come I am not as holy and as righteous and humble as Jesus?

Scripture teaches us that:

1- That no man is righteous before God, or has any righteousness that can stand before God (Ps.14:3; 143:2; Rom.3:10,20)... But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Is.64:6)
2- That man receives the rightness or righteousness of Christ for nothing, by faith; and by this righteousness, he is justified before God, he is right with God. (Rom.3:22,24: 10:3,10; 1Cor.1:30; 2Cor.5:21; Gal.2:16; Phil.3:9).
3- This righteous sentence of God is something effectual, whereby the life of righteousness is implanted in man, and he learns to live as a righteous man, and to do righteousness. (Rom. 5:17,18; 6:13,18,19; 8:3; ***.1:8; 2:12; 1John 2:29; 3:9,10)
4- Being right with God is followed by doing right. `The righteous shall live by faith' a righteous life. (Rom.1:17, Hab.2:4).


I hope this bless some of you
Jesus is our Righteousness Jesus alone.
The Father never see's us he always see's Jesus


Posted by: eagle4him

Thanks Jerry. That was great. My heart was stirred by the pricking thoughts of righteousness, then when I tried to write about it it seems like I stirred up discord. That was completely against what I was trying to do.

Yesterday my wife said that God had told her He would straighten this out. My wife was happy that aka came against me. My wife loves it when others on this prayer board disagree with me, especially women.

anyway this morning I was thinking about what to write to make this right. God said in the middle of church this morning that He had already taken care of it. Thank you God, and Jerry and aka for bringing this out!