Right Standing With God
I wish above all things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health, even as thy
soul prospereth… The Apostle John
Listen, I have Good News. Christianity is all
about being right with God, not about being right
with others. Getting right with others will come
later. Let's concentrate on getting right with
God. This is what counts.
OUR FEELING OF UNWORTHINESS
Christians are those who are made right with
God. It should be Good News that being right with
God does not happen by what we do or don't do.
It is not up to us to become right with God. Righteousness
is something that God gives to us. It is all about
Him and not us!
We feel unworthy because of our past. Fear grips
our heart, telling us that we can never be right
with God because of past mistakes. We become angry
at God, ourselves and others because He made life
too difficult. We blame God and others for our
mistakes, instead of taking responsibility for
our choices. We feel that God must be punishing
us, instead of realizing we are reaping what we
have sown.
Sometimes we find it impossible to forgive ourselves,
much less receive God's forgiveness. We become
overly responsible, accepting too much blame and
waiting around for judgment from an angry God.
This is condemnation, the expectation of judgment
and damnation. We feel rejected not only by God,
but by everyone else.
We say, "How could God love me after what
I have done?" This voice is not from God,
but has become ours from the devil whose main
purpose is to bring fear, torment, pain, guilt
and anguish. Our thoughts are contrary to God's.
Our own wrong doings brought this torment upon
ourselves. We live in fear that things are just
not right between God and us.
All the time, we are blinded to the fact that
it is acknowledging God's love for us that brings
peace of mind. Unbelief towards God keeps us in
bondage, unstable, and not understanding that
God accepts us just the way we are with all our
faults. He desires for us to know and experience
His great love, peace and acceptance. Faith in
the finished work of Jesus is what pleases God.
He is not angry at you! Will you believe what
He says?
NOT WHAT WE DO
We do not become righteous by going to church
or by even giving to the poor. In other words,
we do not become righteous by our own works. The
only way we can become righteous is by the actions
of God. His plan makes us righteous, so it comes
down to us trusting in God's plan. This should
not only be Good News, but great news! What is
God's plan for us?
His plan is related in the Holy Bible. This is
where we get our facts for life. His plan seems
too good to be true, but is in fact freeing, loving,
kind and generous. The prophet Isaiah asks, "Who
has believed our report?" (53:1). Believing
God's report causes us to feel right about God
and ourselves, because we are made right with
God by doing His will. Doing His will always leads
to a life of peace and happiness, no matter what
situation we face or circumstance we find ourselves
in. God's will is that we believe in His Son (John
6:40).
On the other hand, the enemy has a plan, consisting
of the world, the flesh and the devil. The world
bases our identity on our performance. We try
to live life by our own strength, self-will, in
the flesh. The devil is the one who tempts us
in every way to do it his way. His voice tells
us that we can make it by our own ability, if
we will just listen to him.
Our nature tells us that our performance can
provide us with everything we need. We are convinced
that we are sufficient in ourselves and without
a need for God's help. This works-oriented concept
expects us to keep the commandments of God to
be righteous. In reality, if our righteousness
is based on keeping the law of God, we would be
lost forever, never obtaining salvation. The fact
being that righteousness or right standing with
God comes only by the finished work of the cross,
not by our fleshly ability.
One paraphrase of Romans 8:5-8 says, "Those
who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed
with measuring their own moral muscle but never
get around to exercising it in real life. Those
who trust God's action for them find that God's
Spirit is in them, living and breathing God! Obsession
with self in these matters is a dead end; attention
to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious,
free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite
of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed
in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about
self than God. That person ignores who God is
and what He is doing. And God isn't pleased at
being ignored" (Patterson, Eugene H.,
"The Message", Navpress, Copyright
1994).
Often, we confuse head knowledge of the Bible
for spiritual understanding. By mistake, we base
our righteousness on how well we know the doctrines
of God. Like the Pharisees, our lives become one
big argument with everyone we see, instead of
a loving relationship with God and others (See
Diagram#1).
LIVING BY FAITH
In the book of 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul
encour-ages us concerning many matters, two being:
walking by faith and not by sight (5:7)
and judging no one after the flesh (5:16).
As Christians, we are to see one another as new
creations in Christ. We are left to our own selfish
judgments; unless we know Christ.
We are to see one another as God sees us. He
sees us through the cleansing blood of Jesus,
through the death, burial and resurrection of
His Son. He sees us not only cleansed, but risen
with His Son and seated beside Him in heaven.
He sees us forgiven, made righteous and complete
by the work of the cross.
This view of God comes as we see the revelation
of Jesus Christ. This revelation (vision, unveiling
or disclosure) of Jesus is what He did at Calvary
to purchase us from our slavery to the world,
the flesh and the devil. This happens when the
Holy Spirit awakens us by removing the blindness
from our spiritual eyes and giving us the understanding
of what Jesus Christ did 2000 years ago.
The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus saying, "Not
by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy
Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ our Saviour, That being justified
[made righteous] by his grace [God's ability],
we should be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life" (3:5-7 emphasis added).
At this point, we begin to see others as we see
ourselves. God did this great thing for us, and
He did it for them too. Because God's grace is
no respecter of persons, we see others cleansed,
forgiven and made righteous as well. We cease
to judge after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Compassion comes into our lives with a desire
to pray for the needs of others as we see their
suffering.
Living by faith is living an abundant life from
God's point of view. Seeing everyone and everything
as God sees it. As we believe His report, new
possibilities come to light. People, places and
things are overcome by God's promises. We no longer
see things as we once did, but now see things
from God's point of view, seated with Him in heaven.
WHO IS GOD?
God is love. The prophet Jeremiah says, "The
Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea,
I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore
with lovingkindness have I drawn thee"
(31:3).
The Apostle John writes, "See how much
our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us
to be called his children, and we really are!"
(1 John 3:1a NLT). Again, "God showed
us how much he loved us by sending his only Son
into the world so that we might have eternal life
through him" (1 John 4:9 NLT).
The problem is also revealed by John, "There
is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out
fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth
is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).
God's love brings salvation according to the
Apostle Paul, "…God showed his great
love for us by sending Christ to die for us while
we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8 NLT).
Again, "But God is so rich in mercy, and
he loved us so very much, that even while we were
dead because of our sins, he gave us life when
he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only
by God's special favor that you have been saved!)"
(Ephesians 2:4,5 NLT).
Truly it is as Jesus says, "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" (John
3:16).
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