How to live a life of righteousness: it's a gift!

Living a life of righteousness and making peace with all men is paramount for every believer. In fact, this is what sets us believers in Christ apart from the world. But what many of us Christians get wrong is HOW to live this righteous life. Many feel that in order to please God, remain in His good graces and live life protected from evil, they must do their best to keep the Ten Commandments, avoid sin and do good works, all by their own human effort. Many believe that God will not respond to their needs or heal them unless they do things like “sow a seed,” fast, bring their kids’ photos for prayers on some mountain or break some generational curse, all on the orders of pastors that have designated themselves as high priest.

Many churches actively preach this but nothing could be further from the truth! This is putting the cart before the horse. Galatians 3:10 shows us that it is impossible to live right and do God’s will in order to get right with God. Rather, we live right and do God’s will BECAUSE God has made us right with Him as a gift (Romans 5:17), paid for with the blood of our Saviour Jesus! In fact, according to Galatians 5:4 keeping the law in order to get right with God cuts one off from Christ 5:4 – “For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”

Would you really let your child remain sick because he did something you don’t like? Would you use this as grounds for not paying his school fees or letting a wicked lesson teacher have a go at him with his koboko? How much more our Father in heaven! See this in the words of our Saviour Himself in Matthew 7:9-11- “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”

You see, the key to reigning in life as a believer is the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to understanding the two covenants that exist for man – the old and the new – and our new position in Christ. The bible says in John 1:17 – “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The law represents the old covenant while Grace and Truth is the new covenant cut for us with our Heavenly Father by our Lord Jesus Christ.

These two can never mix. Our Christian life is faith-based and the bible clearly states that “the law is not of faith” in Galatians 3. Also, Paul puts it succinctly in Romans 11:6 – “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” You can’t say “I’ll do my best and God will see that I have tried and Jesus will do the rest.” You can’t put new wine in old wineskins. If a believer’s right standing with God has anything at all to do with what he does or does not do and not totally what Christ has done, then it is of works and he is of the law.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Our right standing with God is a gift purchased with the blood of Jesus. Nothing we do or do not do can change this. If your right standing with God is not as a result of what is recorded here, a free gift, you are under the old covenant of the law, even believers!

Being under the law is fairly straight forward. When you do good, you get good; when you do bad, you get bad. There is no grace – God’s undeserved, unmerited favour – here. If you could keep the law 100%, you don’t need our Saviour Jesus before you enjoy all of God’s blessings. All of God’s blessings will come upon you and overtake you, according to Deuteronomy 28:2. You won’t need to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ to enjoy all the blessings in this link to Deuteronomy 28 if you can DIY - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…!

On the B-side, verse 15 of the same chapter says “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/…. Did you notice it says ALL, and not just some of the commandments?

All it takes for one to benefit from all the curses here is to slip up in just one area – maybe wish you were the one got that promotion at work (covetousness), lie that you have to go to work on your mother-in-law’s weekly thanksgiving service, wish that the driver that cut in front of you would be involved in a minor accident so you can smirk at him as you overtake him or be grateful that it was your neighbour’s house that was on fire when you first thought that it was yours (love thy neighbour as they self  :)

James 2:10 emphasises this “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” Just one sin is all it takes to be cursed for those who believe that it is what they do or do not do that makes God bless them or answer their prayers!

To make matters worse for those who are doggedly trying to keep the law in a bid to get right with God, Romans 3:20 says “20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” It is an effort in futility! No wonder Paul says in Romans Galatians 3:10 – “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Yet our churches are preaching that our salvation is dependent on the good or bad things we do aka law keeping! No wonder many believers are still experiencing symptoms of the curse and running around from pillar to post looking for liberty that is already theirs in Christ! Believers, take your Christ's blood-bought position in Christ and reign in life! You will not desire to continue in sin.

Believers, on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17) when Moses and Elijah (representing the Law and the Prophets) appeared, Peter was offering to build three alters, one for each of them and our Lord Jesus when God said: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Not hear Moses (the law) or Elijah (the prophets), but hear Christ.

Believers, let’s hear Christ and not the horrid mixture of law and grace; neither hot nor cold. He says there is no condemnation for you in Him! Paul says of Him in Acts 13:38 – 39 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” In Him, you are justified, made righteous, spotless, without blemish in the eyes of God, something the law can never do.

As the righteousness of God in Christ, we are not under law but under grace. Here we get the good we don’t deserve and we escape the punishment we deserve not because God has gone soft but because our Lord Jesus Christ has satisfied the righteous requirement of the law on our behalf. God is a just God and will never ever punish us for the same sins that Christ paid for with His blood, which is all of our sins – past, present and future! But His grace is not a license to sin, much like you don’t find diplomats going berserk and committing crimes in their host country because they have diplomatic immunity. His grace is the key to right living. His Spirit transforms us from inside out.

Are you still worried about doing the right thing always? I’ll tell you an open secret. The Christian life is not only hard to live for man, it is impossible to live. Thank God for with Him, all things are possible! Believers, the grace of God will produce effortless self-control and right living for you. The law is fulfilled in us but not by us. Human self-control with rules and regulations (law-keeping) can only arouse sinful passions in the church and the result is more sin and bearing fruit for death, according to Paul in Romans 7:5 - "For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death."

Paul also says in verse 10: "And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death."

Being in Christ isn't about behaviour modification. It isn't about law-keeping or trying to be good or making the 'right' choices with our common sense. It isn't about "do good, get good; do bad, get bad."

It's being raised from the dead to life by Christ. It's about being transformed from the inside by the Holy Spirit. It is about believing that you are righteous apart from what you do or don't do because this righteousness is given as a gift to all who believe. With this righteousness comes no condemnation for all those who believe and this gift of no condemnation is what makes us go and sin no more.

As the righteousness of God in Christ, we effortlessly love more, live right, give more and rest, yet not us but Christ that lives in us! So much to say about our wonderful Jesus! The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right!