Spirit Food - October 2017

Once you are presented with what the Word of God has to say about an issue, you are responsible for receiving His love, grace, & favor; and the gift of His righteousness. Remember, you are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by your Heavenly Father.

This month, let’s focus on righteousness.

The Bible talks about two types of righteousness … the righteousness according to the law, and righteousness by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - “For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Righteousness is defined as being morally right and good, in the eyes of God.

Due to the fall of man to sin, no descendant of Adam is truly righteous, apart from God’s grace. It is being in “good standing” with our Creator … Our Heavenly Father, that enables salvation.

Throughout the Old Testament, the classification of righteousness was given unto man because of his believing that what God had to say was true … in other words, they had a good opinion of God.

In Genesis 15:6 – Abram believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. In the Old Testament, God's people were deemed to be righteous when they believed what He (God) said, was true.

Because God deemed Abram to be righteous, God cut a covenant with Abram.

In the book of Genesis God spells out specific promises to Abraham and his descendants. These promises include:

• Becoming a populous nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:5; 17:2-7; 35:11).

• Specific real estate—the Promised Land (Genesis 13:15; 15:18-21; 17:7-8).

• National greatness (Genesis 22:17; 27:28-29; 28:13-14).

Genesis 12:4 – Indicates that Lot was so influenced by Abram’s actions and beliefs, that he chose to go with him when God instructed Abram to leave his father’s house and go to parts unknown to him at the time; (and Abram was 75 years old).

In Genesis 6:8 – “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”

Keep in mind that this righteousness each of these men received, was before the 10 Commandments were given … as Moses wasn’t born yet.

John 1:17 says – “For the law (10 Commandments) was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

The 10 Commandments (considered to be part of the Old Covenant), were given to the Israelites to get them to understand they needed a Saviour.

Exodus 19:8 – Indicates the Israelites believed they could do whatever God tasked them to do, without His help. They had really come to think very highly of themselves, and prideful, living under God’s grace while they were in wilderness. Therefore, the 10 Commandments in (Exodus 20) were given to bring them to the realization that they needed Him … enabling them to see they could not redeem themselves from sin, as they could not keep the law.

Man could not keep the law because during the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man forfeited his glory to Satan. As you recall, Adam was created in the image of God. Adam and Eve were covered in the God’s glory. When they partook of the tree of good and evil, their glory covering went away and they viewed themselves as naked. Mankinds’ blood has been tainted ever since.

With mankinds’ blood being tainted, God sent Jesus through Mary (the Christmas story) to fulfill the law, and redeem mankind. Understand that the seed for Jesus came from the Holy Spirit, so it was pure. Therefore Jesus had untainted blood.

John 3:16-17 - 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Until Jesus died on the cross, God set up a plan for mankinds’ sin to be covered once a year, by the sacrifice of animals. This sacrifice was made by the High Priest. If the nation of Israel had a “good” high priest, the nation was blessed for another year, if they didn’t have a good high priest, it didn’t go well for the people.

When Jesus fulfilled the law and paid the price for all of mankinds’ sin … past, present and future, a new covenant was created for mankind.

Where the old covenant was between God and man, the new covenant is between God and Jesus. God saw that man could not keep the 10 Commandants. Therefore, God made a New Covenant, taking man out of the equation, except for mankinds need to believe and receive.

The new covenant is found in Hebrews 8:10-13:

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

In the New Testament, Paul writes in Philippians 3:9 – “And be found in Him (Jesus), not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

Romans 10:4-10 – (Message Translation) - The earlier revelation (the law) was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying?

The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest.

It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

(KJV)

4 For Christ (our Redeemer) is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believeth.

5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law (the 10 Commandments), that the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

You need to understand that this passage indicates there are two kinds of righteousness …

In verse 5, Moses described the righteousness which is of the law, and stated the person that doeth those things shall live by them. In other words, it’s based on doing.

However, verse 6 – says “But the righteousness of faith speaketh …”

Verse 8 – says – “… The Word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith …”

When you accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit came to reside within you, to comfort, and instruct you in your daily activities. To lead and guide you to make wise choices in life, enabling you to live a healthy, prosperous, and a quiet and peaceful life.

Christianity is based on establishing and growing a relationship with Jesus. It is about the understanding of how much the Creator of this world loves mankind.

Our Heavenly Father is seeking a deeper relationship which each and every one of us. As with any relationship, to get to know and understand a person, it is needful to invest quality time with the person. God has provided us with the Holy Scriptures, His love letters to us, for us to learn more about Himself!

Make the quality decision to make Our Heavenly Father’s Word the final authority in your life, and then find out what His Word has to say about an issue and believe it. Have a good opinion of God … He is looking for ways to bless you!

Have faith in Him … have a good opinion of Him!

Galatians 3:12 – Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

Doing the law is not of faith … that’s a life of performance. Performance based activity is not the righteousness God desires … He desires the speaking righteousness according to His Word. He desires us to believe in His love, grace, mercy and favor … and to speak it over our daily lives.

Just speak what you believe in your heart. When fear comes, remember and speak 2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

When the world says you can’t do it, speak Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

When you find you are lacking in an area, speak Philippians 4:19: But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Research the scriptures and find out what your rights and privileges’ are as a believer! These are promises to live by!

As long as you are doing or performing according to the law, the devil is winning, because he knows that you cannot keep the law, and the penalties of breaking the law are sin and death; but as long as you are keeping your focus on Jesus and speaking by faith, the devil is losing.

Consider Romans 4:10 again - 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Thayer is a well respected Greek scholar.

Look at Thayer’s definition of salvation:

Salvation means:

1. The act of preserving or the state of being preserved from harm.

2. A person or thing that is the means of preserving from harm.

3. (Theology) Christianity – deliverance by redemption from the power of sin and from the penalties ensuing from it.

As you can see by the definition, salvation means more than just being saved from going to hell … it means that once a person has accepted Jesus as the Lord of their life, a person can grow in their relationship with Him, and He will meet their every need and desire (according to His Will for their life)!

Romans 4:13 – “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Again, it’s time for Christians to be informed about what their rights and privileges are, being believers!

Do you know who you are in Christ? (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6) You were raised with Him and are sitting with Him. You are a chosen people, a king and a priest, because you are in Him!

Just as your physical body needs food for nourishment to grow and function, so too, does your spirit need spiritual food. Why? To grow in faith and build your relationship with Our Heavenly Father. This enables us to receive His wisdom on our issues in this life, and take our place as a joint heir of the world with Jesus!

I encourage you to look through the Bible using your concordance and find all the passages revealing the benefits of being righteous. The JUST is another term for righteousness … as we were justified by Him! Enjoy your study and be blessed!

If you’re reading this, but you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life, and would like to, pray this prayer out loud in an audible voice:

Heavenly Father, your Word says in Romans 10:9-10- “that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, that I would be saved. For with the heart one believes unto salvation.” I believe your Word, Heavenly Father, and confess Jesus Christ (the anointed one and His anointing) as Lord of my life now. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess that I was a sinner, but now I’ve been saved by Your grace, and in Your thoughts, I am now in right standing with You. I denounce Satan and all he stands for. Write my name in the Lamb’s book of Life. In Jesus Name. Amen (so be it).

Congratulations! If this is your first time praying this prayer, please write and let us know!

Should you decide to give and financially support this ministry with gifts given in faith, I join my faith with yours to see the devourer rebuked (Malachi 3:11) and for you to receive a harvest; pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). Please remember to name your seed!

Dr. Mark Krom, Ph.D., D.Psy

Minister/Clinical Pastoral Psychologist