The Word of Righteousness

[Guest]

The following is a guide to teach the Word of Righteousness and it is by a good friend of mine named Chad Craig who planted and pastored a church in the Philippines. He now is a student at a bible college in Georgia. I wasn't sure if I should put it this in the essay section, or in the Theological section. I decided to put it here in hopes that this could be discussed. It rings true to me, and has blessed me. Here it is:

Paul’s Gospel/ The Gospel of Grace
Word of Righteousness 1

I. Introduction

Hebrews 5:12-14
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

1. The fulfillment of the word (doctrine) of righteousness is found in the division of the Word of God called Paul’s Gospel or the Gospel of Grace in the New Testament Scriptures (Romans 16:25/Acts 20:24).

2. God’s plan and the Holy Scriptures were revealed progressively.

3. People who only partake of milk or the first principles of the Word of God found in the Old Testament are inexperienced in the full revelation concerning the word of righteousness.

4. The doctrine or word of righteousness accumulates to an understanding of what God has done for humanity through Jesus Christ.

5. The writer of Hebrews is writing to Jewish people who were familiar with Old Testament revelation but needed to become skilled in God’s current revelation concerning the word of righteousness.

II. Righteousness

1. Righteousness - The ability to stand in a position acceptable before God has now been made possible to all men through Jesus Christ.

2. God therefore, commands men to respond to His provision through Jesus Christ by repentance and faith.

3. This involves men acknowledging that God will not accept their works as a means to a right relationship with Him and that He has made provision through the finished work of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:9)

4. We mean by the “finished work of Jesus Christ” what was accomplished through His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

5. We should place trust in God that through the finished work of Jesus we are now in right standing with Him.

6. This was God’s gift to mankind also called God’s grace. The Bible teaches us that righteousness is now offered to mankind as a gift. A gift is something that we cannot earn but is given to us freely from the giver. (Romans 5:15-17)

7. God has given us the ability, or gift, to stand in His presence forever free from fear, guilt, and condemnation through our faith in Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:19)

III. RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING

1. We not only come into a relationship with God through faith but it is also maintained by our faith.

Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”

2. Romans teach that it is from faith to faith that His righteousness is revealed. We are only accepted by God the Father when we place our trust in His provision through the finished work of Christ.

3. At no time during our life are we righteous before God because of our own works or deeds. (Romans 4:5)

4. Being in a position of acceptance before the Father God is never a matter of how much we prayed that day, or how many chapters we read in the Bible, or how many people we told about Jesus, or how many church services we attended that week. (Philippians 3:3-9)

5. We are only able to approach the throne of grace because of our trust in God’s provision through the finished work of Christ.

IV. Dealing with Sin

1. When we sin or disobey God’s will for our lives, we are able to approach Him to deal with the matter only through our trust in Jesus as our means to a right relationship with God the Father. (1 John 2:1-2)

2. Because of Jesus’ finished work, even we when mess up we can come before God to repent, change our mind about what we did, and receive the forgiveness we have through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

3. We repent and then believe in God’s provision for our sin through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:9- “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

V. Works Mentality

1. A person is righteous before God only because of their initial act of repentance and placing faith in Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for their sin. (Romans 3:26-30)

2. We must constantly remind ourselves by reading the Word of God of this truth. It is the nature of fallen man’s body and soul to live with a works mentality.

3. A “works mentality” is that of a person who through their behavior tries to achieve a sense of being in a right relationship with the Father God.

4. This type of thinking places confidence and trust that through one’s works it is possible for them to approach God the Father.

5. For all eternity we are only able to approach God because of what He has accomplished through Jesus the spotless lamb who was slain for mine and your sins. (Revelation 5:8-10)

VI. Position vs. Behavior

1. We are only able to have a relationship with the God the Father because of our position in Christ not our behavior. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

2. At no time do we earn the right to approach the Father based on our behavior our performance. (Ephesians 2:13-18 )

3. Our ability to stand in the Father’s presence is always because of what Jesus has done for you and me and our trust in those facts.

4. Often the difference of our position before God and the matter of our behavior get confused. (Ephesians 1:3-6/ James 4:1-10)

5. Our behavior is of great importance for followers of Jesus Christ. However, this importance is never connected to being righteous before God. (Galatians 2:16,21)

6. Our behavior is always connected to our personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the precious Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:17-24)

7. Our behavior does not change our position of being righteous before the Father, because this was a gift from God the Father to us through Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:9)

8. However, our behavior does change our fellowship with the Lord and the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 3:7-13/ Ephesians 4:29-32)

9. We will learn more about this in future teachings.

VII. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER

1. Always remember that our relationship with the Father is based on the free gift of righteousness He made available through Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

2. We are never made righteous before God because of something we have accomplished or achieved. (Romans 4:5)

3. Faith in Christ, the Bible instructs us, is what God requires of those who want to be in a right relationship with Him. (Romans 5:1)

VIII. Fulfilling all Righteousness

Matthew 3:13-15 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him.”

[Guest]

C) Paul’s Gospel/ The Gospel of Grace
Lesson - Word of Righteousness 2
I. Introduction

Hebrews 5:12-14
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

1. The fulfillment of the word (doctrine) of righteousness is found in the division of the Word of God called Paul’s Gospel or the Gospel of Grace in the New Testament Scriptures (Romans 16:25/Acts 20:24).
2. God’s plan and the Holy Scriptures were revealed progressively.
3. People who only partake of milk or the first principles of the Word of God found in the Old Testament are inexperienced in the full revelation concerning the word of righteousness.
4. The doctrine or word of righteousness accumulates to an understanding of what God has done for humanity in Jesus Christ.
5. The writer of Hebrews is writing to Jewish people who were familiar with Old Testament revelation but needed to become skilled in God’s current revelation concerning the word of righteousness.

II. God’s Righteousness
Genesis 18:25- “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

1. God’s righteousness is His quality of always doing what is right.
2. He is not only Judge, but He is a righteous Judge who always does what is right.

A. Abraham and Righteousness
Genesis 15:4-11,17-18 = “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. 7 Then He said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." 8 And he said, "Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" 9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,

1. God promised Abraham that from him a King would come who would inherit all the earth.
2. From this “heir” a multitude as numerous as the stars would come forth.
3. Abraham believed what God promised and God accounted it to him for righteousness.
4. So Abraham received righteousness from God through faith.
5. God made a covenant with Abraham that day that all that had been promised would come about. (see also Hebrews 6:13-20)

B. Revealed in the Law of Moses

Romans 3:21- “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed,”
Romans 10:5 – “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
James 2:10- “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

1. The law revealed God’s righteousness.
a. The Ten Commandments
b. 613 commandments in the Mosaic Law

2. If any of the laws were broken a sacrifice for sin was required.
a. The book of Leviticus

Hebrews 13:11- “For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.”
Hebrews 9:22- “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.”

3. God’s righteousness was demonstrated by the fact that for every wrong act God demanded a sacrifice/penalty to be paid.

C. Righteousness Provided by God

Jeremiah 23:5-6 = "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Jeremiah prophesied that a King would come and He would be our righteousness.

Isaiah 54:17- “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.”

1. Righteousness would be possible through the work of God.

Romans 3:21 - “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”

3. God’s righteousness was revealed through the law.
4. The “Law and the Prophets” prophesied that righteousness would be provided through the Messiah.

III. What did the Law bring upon Man?
Romans 3:19-20= “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

1. Knowledge of sin
2. Guilt/ Condemnation

Romans 6:23a – “For the wages of sin is death…”
3. Death

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.”
4. Curses

Romans 4:15 – “because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.”
5. Wrath

IV. Purpose of the Law
Galatians 3:19- “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made;…”

1. God added or gave the law because of mankind’s sins or transgressions.
2. It was added to the promise God gave Abraham.
3. It was added 430 years after God made the promise to Abraham. (Gal. 3:17)
3. Notice it was given “till the Seed should come”.
4. The purpose of the law was to be temporary.

Galatians 3:21-25 = “Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
6. The Law of Moses revealed God’s righteousness through the sacrificial system.
7. However, the law could not provide righteousness for man.
8. The law revealed the knowledge of our sin (Rom. 3:20).
9. Showing our need for a Savior.
10. The law was therefore given to bring us to Christ (Gal. 3:24).
11. The word “tutor” is paidagogos in Greek which was a slave who followed around a young child and would hit them with a switch when they got out of line. The purpose was to train the child to know right and wrong but perform what was right.
12. Now that the Seed or Messiah has come we are to no longer be under the law.

V. The Righteousness of Jesus Christ
Heb. 10:5-7, 10/ John 1:29/ 1 Peter 1:19

Galatians 4:3-5 = “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
1. Jesus came to redeem all who have not fulfilled God’s righteousness revealed by the Law. Which is all people for all have sinned (Rom. 3:19,23).

Matthew 3:13-15= “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.”
2. Jesus fulfilled all righteousness throughout His life.

Matthew 5:17- “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
3. Jesus fulfilled the Law.

Proverbs 11:4- “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”
4. Righteousness delivers from death.

Proverbs 11:19- “As righteousness leads to life, So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.”
5. Righteousness is the way to life.

A. How Jesus Became our Righteousness

1. He fulfilled the righteousness of the law, giving him the ability to die in place of the unrighteous. (1 Peter 3:18)
2. For since Jesus was righteous, He had the right to live forever, that is why He had to lay down His life. (John 10:17)
3. By his death he satisfied the righteousness of God which demanded death for the wages of sin. (Rom. 3:23)
4. Jesus Christ was our substitute.

2 Corinthians 5:21- “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
5. Our debt to God has been paid in full. (John 19:30)
6. Therefore, because of and through Jesus Christ we can receive rightstanding with God.

VI. God’s Evidence

A. What is the evidence that God’s justice/righteousness has been satisfied?

1 Corinthians 15:17-19 = “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

1. If we preach that Christ died for our sins then it is necessary that He was raised from the dead proving God accepted His sacrifice for us.
2. As Christians we have not only hope but we have faith or assurance because our proof is that Jesus was raised from the dead and we shall also likewise be raised by God.

1 Corinthians 15:14 – “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”
3. If Christ has not been raised from the dead then what we preach is false.

Romans 10:9-10 = “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

1 Peter 1:21- “who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
4. Our faith is directed toward the fact that “God has raised Him from the dead”.

2 Timothy 2:8- “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,”
5. Paul’s gospel emphasizes the fact that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.
6. This is because Paul’s gospel pertains to the doctrine of righteousness and how Jesus has made righteousness available with God.

I counted eleven specific times in the book of Acts where men of God were preaching that God had raised Jesus from the dead! The emphasis on believing in Jesus’ resurrection is clearly seen in the Bible. WHY? The answer is within the fact of substitution and our identification with Christ! Remember all that Christ did was for us- this is substitution. Now we look back and identify with what He did for us- this is identification! And if Jesus was our substitute we need evidence from God that He accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

B. The Resurrection is our Receipt

1 Corinthians 15:17 “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”
1. Therefore all the claims of the cross depend on the truth of the Resurrection!

VII. God’s Righteousness Revealed in the Gospel.

Romans 3:21-26 = “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

1. The Law and Prophets gave witness to God’s Righteousness.
2. Now to be righteous one must have faith in Jesus Christ.
3. The sacrifices under the law just covered sin but did not remove them.

Hebrews 10:4- “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”

Romans 1:16-17- “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
4. Jesus’ cross demonstrated God’s righteousness by paying the penalty for sin.
5. God’s righteousness demanded there be a sacrifice for sin.
6. The gospel tells us that Jesus was the sacrifice for sin.

VIII. Righteousness Through Faith in Jesus Christ.
A. The Good News of the Gospel

Romans 5:17-19 = “For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.”
1. Righteousness is now offered as a free gift.
2. Because of Jesus’ obedience all we need to do is receive the free gift.

Romans 3:21-22 = “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”
3. Now that Jesus has made righteousness with God possible repentance and faith is commanded.
4. That we can be righteousness before God through our faith in Jesus Christ is a demonstration of God’s grace.

Romans 3:27-28= “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
5. We are made right with God apart from our works or the “deeds of the law” and only by faith in Christ.

Galatians 2:16- “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”
6. This verse is a great summary of Paul’s gospel as he defended the truth against those who taught that righteousness was achieved by following the law.

B. Christ is our Righteousness
1 Cor. 1:30 - “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
1. Jesus became our righteousness, meaning our way to be in right standing with God.
2. A relationship with God is only possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. We are to respond to Christ through repentance from our dead works and faith in what God has accomplished through Him

[Guest]

Good stuff man. Thanks for the info.

I don't think we will ever fully understand the grace of God. It is beyond my comprehension.

[Guest]

I know of no passage of scripture that teaches "positional righteousness" (Chad's point #1 under "Righteousness),though I know of a few which are interpreted that way. But there are many passages which state the necessity of actual righteousness, in order to be right with God.

The apostle Paul himself taught that it is those who persevere in well-doing who will receive eternal life. Did Paul have the "works mentality of which Chad wrote?

For He will render to everyone according to his works.
To those who by perseverance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, He will give eternal life, but for those who are self-seeking and are not persuaded by the truth, but are persuaded by unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

Affliction and anguish for every person who does evil, but glory and honour and well-being for every one who does good... for God shows no partiality. Romans 2:6-10)

Those skilled in the word of righteousness are those who teach and practise actual righteousness made possible by the enabling grace of Christ which has been made available to us through His death. That is the reason that those so-skilled "by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."