Beloved,
You CANNOT GROW in RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS. You MAY GROW in RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS Consciousness. You are as righteous and holy as you can be and will ever be IN YOUR SPIRIT. You can NEVER BE MORE or LESS RIGHTEOUS and HOLY than you are now. You MAY THINK and FEEL that you are NOT righteous and holy. You must NOT GO BY YOUR WRONG THINKING and FEELINGS.
You must be TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. (See Romans 12:2) The HOLY SPIRIT WILL CORRECT YOUR THINKING BY TEACHING YOU TRUTH. You are to live by THE FAITH OF CHRIST and NOT BY YOUR FEELINGS. I pray, YOU UNDERSTAND that YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS and HOLY.
WHY are you righteous and holy? “It is because of him [God ] that you are in Christ Jesus, WHO HAS BECOME FOR US wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
Does the bible verse read that you are righteous and holy In Christ BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU DID? NO, IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF YOU! IT IS BECAUSE OF GOD. GOD MADE CHRIST JESUS TO BE YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS. JESUS IS your righteousness and holiness. It is because of WHAT GOD DID IN CHRIST JESUS that you are righteous and holy.
Christ Jesus HAS BECOME FOR US RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS. You (we) ARE RIGHT WITH GOD because OF THE GRACE OF GOD IN CHRIST. Many people, including some Pastors, do NOT UNDERSTAND GOD'S WAY OF MAKING PEOPLE RIGHT WITH HIMSELF. It is written in Romans 10:3-4, in the New Living Translation:
“For they don't understand God's way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God's way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.”
Are you trying to get right with God by what you do? Are you REFUSING TO ACCEPT GOD'S WAY? GOD'S WAY IS JESUS. Jesus said “I AM THE WAY and the truth and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.'' (John 14:6).
JESUS IS GOD'S ONLY WAY TO HIMSELF! (John 14:6). Many people think the way to be right with God is by the Law of God. WE CHRISTIANS are NOT UNDER THE LAW OF GOD. CHRIST HAS already accomplished the purpose for which the Law was given. ''CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW so that there MAY BE RIGHTEOUSNESS for everyone who believes.'' (Romans 10:4) Christ fulfilled the Law.
All who rely on observing the law are under curse, for it is written: ''Cursed is everyone who does continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly NO ONE IS JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD BY THE LAW, because, “THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH.” The Law is NOT BASED ON FAITH, on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.'' CHRIST REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ''Cursed is everyone who hung on the tree. (Cross) He redeemed us in order to that the blessing given to Abraham might become to the Gentiles THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, so that BY FAITH WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT.” (Galatians 3:10-14).
''But if you are led by THE SPIRIT, you ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW.'' (Galatians 5:18) If you are trying to keep the law, YOU ARE NOT LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. You who are led by the SPIRIT are NOT trying to keep the law.
RIGHTEOUSNESS from God comes THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST to all who believe. There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and ARE JUSTIFIED FREELY THROUGH HIS GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus'' (Romans 3: 22- 26).
Christian, it is because of our HEAVENLY FATHER (God) that we are in Christ and Christ is in us. CHRIST IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS and HE WILL ALWAYS BE our righteousness and holiness.
IT IS BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS and WHAT HE HAS DONE THAT WE ARE RIGHTEOUS and HOLY for eternity. I am righteous and holy in Christ Jesus, and so are you that believe. "And you He made alive when you were dead (slain ) by your trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1). "Even when we were dead by our own shortcomings and trespasses, he made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ – He gave us the very Life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him. For it is by grace – by His favor and mercy which you did not deserve, that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation)." (Ephesians 2:5). We were born into this world spiritually dead. God made us alive with the Life of Christ. Christ is our spiritual Life. Father saved us from aionian death (separation from God) by birthing Christ in us as "one spirit" with Him. We are "saved by His Life." (Romans 5:10). "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has life; and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:11-13).
We did not deserve salvation. But by Father's grace and mercy in Christ, (I repeat) He saved us by giving us the very Life of Christ Himself. Christ in us is our salvation. We did nothing to earn our salvation, and we do nothing to remain saved! Father in and through Jesus Christ has done it all for us. We are eternally secure in Christ for He is our security. We are "one spirit with the Lord and nothing can separate us from Him. *"He that is united with the Lord is one spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:17).
"Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) We being one spirit with the Lord, are in perfect spirit union with our Lord Jesus Christ and nothing in His creation can ever separate us from Him. “All things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." We may think and feel that we are separated from Christ Jesus, but according to His word we can not be separated. Father can not separate us from Himself, for He would be going against His word, and He keeps His word. "God cannot lie." He always tells the truth because He is the Truth. Do you believe God? I do too!
Because of Father's grace in Christ there is nothing we can do to cause Father to love us more than He does now. "If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we live in him, and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Who ever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who lives in love lives in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected in us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (John 4:12-17).
God is love and He lives in us, and His love is complete in us. His love for us is perfect and complete. Nothing can be added to completeness and perfection! Father is eternal and His love for us is eternal. There is nothing we can do to make Father love us less. "Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39) The Father can not love us less, because He is LOVE, and He is complete in us, and we are complete in Him. He can not be added to or be less than He is! His love for you is perfect because He is perfect in you, and you are perfect in Him for ever.
“We may present every man PERFECT in Christ Jesus." (Colossians 3:28 NKJV). "And you are COMPLETE in him." (Colossians 2:10).
Father is not holding anything against you. He is not holding sin against us. We are forgiven of all sin. "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." (John. 1:29). "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and has committed to us the WORD of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
We are forgiven all of our sins. Does ALL MEAN ALL? Yes, all means ALL! "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
Here is good news, God chooses not to remember our sins, because He dealt with them all at the cross. We are to forgive other people as Jesus has forgiven us. Forgiveness begins the way for peace between people and nations. We are holy and blameless in Father's purposes and intents! "When we were enemies WE WERE RECONCILED to God through THE DEATH OF HIS SON; we shall be saved by HIS LIFE." (Romans 5:8,10). Our identity was “sinners” before we were in Christ and He was in us. We have a NEW IDENTITY in Christ.
We are New Creation beings in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Christ is eternal Life and He lives in us. God our Father made us alive with and in Christ for ever. Be happy, your Father is holding nothing against you. He is for you and that is Good News.
In the invisible spiritual realms of the Father, we have been crucified with His Son, Jesus Christ. "I have been crucified with Christ." (Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6). "I no longer live." The old man we were before we were crucified is dead. "You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in God." "We were buried with Him." (Romans 6:4). "We were made alive (resurrected) with Christ." "But because of His great love for us God, who is RICH IN MERCY, made us alive with Christ." (Ephesians. 2:4- 5). We have been raised (ascended) with Christ. "Since you then, have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1) "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6). The Father says that we are glorified with Christ, so that we may share in His glory. Jesus prayed, "Father glorify them (you and all believers) with the glory that I had with you before the world was." (John 17:5).
We are new beings in and with Christ. All who are identified in Christ are New Beings. We are not the same as we were anymore. The old man is dead and gone, a new life has begun. All this newness is from our loving Father who brought us back to Himself through what Jesus did. We need to know what has happened to us in Christ. All of us needs to pray for knowledge and revelation that we may KNOW. (Ephesians 1:17-23). Father wants us to know WHO Christ is in us, and who we are in Him and why. We have been crucified, buried, made alive (resurrected), raised up, (ascended), seated with Christ and glorified with Him in heavenly dimensions in the Father.
"Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His Seed remains in him: and he can not sin, because he is born of God." (1 John. 3:9). “Being born again, not of corruptible, but of incorruptible (Seed), by the Word of God which lives and abides for ever." (1 Peter 1:23).
This is spirit perfection, and not of the soul mind. We must be "transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is that good And acceptable and perfect will of God." The Holy Spirit renews our mind by teaching us Father's truth in Christ Jesus. The Spirit teaches truth of scripture, and He reveals Christ to us. We have to listen and obey the Holy Spirit to have the fullness of Christ expressed through us.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2). The "law of sin and death" was abolished at the cross of Jesus, especially the ones born of the "incorruptible Seed" of the Father. Father's DNA was genetically programmed into our life before the beginning of the world. Our life is not in the seen or temporal. We who are born of the Spirit Christ were crucified, buried, arose, and ascended with and in Christ. And are now corporate members of The Christ – Messiah. All came out of God, all goes through God, all returns unto God. All is of God, and you are His offspring. Amen! Nothing of this world can be compared to our Father's Love, Mercy and Grace. God's sovereignty guarantee's the final triumph over evil. "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8 - the center verse in Bible).
Love and hugs,
Scott & Louise Paris
sparis333@aol.com
See other writings by Scott Paris