a.
Righteousness
The fourth term and integral
component of our covenant of sacrifice as saints is that of righteousness for
we have been duly instructed saying; “The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and a contrite heart ---These, O God, You will not despise. Do
good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You
shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and
whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar” (Psalms
51:17-19).
What therefore is the sacrifice
of righteousness? We know that it is definitely not our own righteousness
because according to the scriptures; “we are all like an unclean thing, and all
our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our
iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on
Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your
face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities” (Isaiah
64:6-7).
Neither can it be the
righteousness which is according to the works of the law because the scriptures
again state; “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of
righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by
the works of the law: For they stumbled at that stumbling stone” (Romans
9:30-32).
What can be derived from the
aforementioned scriptures is the fact that even though man’s own righteousness which
is as filthy rags before God, and Israel pursuing the law of righteousness has
not attained to righteousness and Jesus Christ being the end of the law for
righteousness, there is nevertheless a practical act of righteousness which the
saints are covenanted to observe which is termed the righteousness of faith.
We should note carefully that,
the reason why Israel has not attained to the law of righteousness it is
because they did not seek it by faith and they stumbled at the stumbling stone.
So how do we seek and fulfill the act of righteousness by faith?
The righteousness one attains by
faith and which is the stumbling stone and a rock o offence to those who do not
believe is no other but Jesus Christ, who at His death fulfilled the righteous
requirements of the law, by paying the penalty of sin in full, which is death,
and conferred His righteousness to all those who receive God’s abundant
provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness, and will reign in life through
the one man Jesus Christ.
As the result of this one act of
righteousness, justification which brings life, came for all men. As the
scripture clearly states; “But now, the righteousness of God apart from law has
been made known, to which the law and the prophet testify. This righteousness
from God; comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” And in fact,
we have been admonished to put on the new man which was created according to
God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Romans 5: 17-19; 3:
21-22; Ephesians 4:24).
This righteousness therefore, has
not only been imputed, but has to be practiced as well, because we have been
admonished saying; “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness. And because of this enslavement the advice is, “For just as you
presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to
more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for
holiness” (Romans 6:18-19).
We have also been forewarned
saying; “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness
is righteousness just as He is righteous.” This act of righteousness is the
only righteous act that can produce holiness as we have been admonished saying;
“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you
have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (1
John 3:7; Romans 6:22).
This act of righteousness is also
that stone of stumbling and the rock of offense to those who are disobedient to
the word, to which they also were appointed. And the word to which the slaves
of God are appointed is to become priests of God to offer to Him His food for His
offerings at the appointed times, One should note carefully that being a slave
of righteousness is synonymous to being a slave of God and it is this
enslavement that produces holiness and culminates to everlasting.
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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