True Righteousness: The Old Has Gone The New Has Come

Righteousness comes through faith in Christ. We cannot earn it. Indeed, believers are robed in His righteousness. We cannot produce righteousness on our own in the flesh, nor, for that matter, do anything of eternal significance. It is only through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. When God looks down upon a believer He sees the perfect life of Christ. Amazing. Oil lamps produce no light without oil nor can cars run without gas. In like manner, we were created to be filled with the Spirit, so that we can walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel in all that we say and do and think. It is God Who is the Author and perfecter of our faith bestowing all righteousness within His servants. We are to walk as Jesus walked through His power, for His glory, and for our good. Jesus called this a rebirth – being born again. He came, died and rose again, leaving us the deposit of the Holy Spirit ushering in a way to bring God back to man. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. No good thing.  

Goodness comes only from God’s Hand. The motivation for all actions sans the Holy Spirit have their origin in self, sin or Satan. When going forth in our own power seeking to do “good” works we can become depressed, weary and often cynical. But through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit reigning in our lives, in the difficult and arduous – which in this fallen world are so often a constant – we are instead carried from “strength to strength”. We find rest in God alone. Nothing is to take away our peace. The believer looks through all the secondary causes and sees God’s Hand and relies on the Truth of Scripture that in all things allowed He is working out something for our good and His glory never one surpassing the other.  Therefore the humble soul is blessed both in misery and mercy. There is sugar to be found at the bottom of the bitterest cups. We live in a fallen world - not of His choosing but of ours - yet it will not always be like this. Earth is not our home, heaven is and our passage to our great dwelling place is of greatest importance.