RHAPSODY OF REALITIES MONDAY 6TH JULY.
CHRIST: THE STANDARD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).
1 John 3:9 says, βWhosoever is born of God doth not commit sinβ¦.β Some have misunderstood this and ran off with the wrong idea that whatever they do is right, because as Christians, they canβt sin. Yes, for the Christian, sin isnβt compulsory, but we donβt judge righteousness by what a Christian does; we judge righteousness by the light of Christ and His Word.
The Bible talks about walking in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). How consistent are your actions with the rightness of God? Thatβs how you know whatβs right from whatβs wrong. If you declare that whatever you do is right, that makes you the standard of rightness and of righteousness. But youβre not the standard of righteousness.
For example, we read in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that ββ¦we have the mind of Christβ; this doesnβt mean every thought of your heart, therefore, is always right. Yes, we have the rightness of God, but He tells us in Romans 12:2, βBe not conformed to this world, but be transfigured by the renewing of your mind.β Even though youβre born again, your mind still needs to be renewed.
Letβs look at our theme verse again; it says, βMy little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin notβ¦.β If it werenβt possible for you to sin, He wouldnβt have said βIβm writing this to you so that you donβt sin.β But at the same time, He lets you know sin isnβt compulsory; you donβt have to sin. Thatβs the reason for the very next statement: βIf any man sinβ; instead of βWhen any man sins.β He creates a balance.
Donβt go from one extreme of βSin is compulsory as long as weβre in this fleshβ to the other extreme of βWhatever I do is rightβ; no! Your actions, thoughts, behaviour, responses and reactions must be consistent with the Word of God, with the righteousness of Christ, for He is the standard of righteousness. Hallelujah!
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your grace and the power of your righteousness at work in me! I live free from sin and sin-consciousness, producing fruits of righteousness and good works, manifesting the love of Christ today and always, in Jesusβ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
Romans 6:1-2; 1 John 2:29 AMPC; 2 Corinthians 5:21
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Acts 18:1-23 & Job 9-11
2 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Galatians 1:1-9 & Isaiah 26
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