Welcome To The Arena Of Indubitable Truth! Topic: Elucidating The Testaments (H)

Welcome To The Arena Of Indubitable Truth!

Topic:  Elucidating The Testaments (H) 

Helping You To Increase Your Revelation Knowledge Of Christ! 

Continued from the last episode…

Text Of Interest: 

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”Jn 16:12-13

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 

1Cor 2:13

Case Study Text:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 

2Tim 3:16-17 (KJV)

Righteousness under the New Testament is a gift, what is required of man is to believe in Him that came to fulfill the demands of the Law and it is given to him. That was how it is from the beginning, the men who lived in Genesis received righteousness by believing the gospel. God preached Christ to them and they believed (Gen 22:7 – 13, Jn 8:56, Gal 3:6, 8), the gift of righteousness was imputed on them. This is the Grace of God at work in humanity, righteousness is no longer a product of man’s ability rather a thing of believe in Jesus Christ and by this salvation is received (Rom 4:5, 10:5 – 6, Eph 2:8 – 9). This kind of righteousness is called the righteousness of God and the vehicle or the ‘purveyor’ to convey it to people is the gospel of Christ (Rom 1:16 – 17). The legal standing is that since Christ was able to keep and fulfill the demands of the Law, once one believes in Christ by right the righteousness of Christ is imputed unto him or her and as a result he or she start having the right standing before God (Phil 3:9).

This however, implies a transition from the arena controlled by the Law to the arena controlled by Grace (Rom 6:14, 8:2). It also implies that a movement from death to life and not just life but eternal life has taken place in that individual. The righteousness is given because of the act of believe which signifies an identification with the death and suffering of Christ for mankind. The acknowledgement of this reality gives one the leverage to benefit in the substitutionary death of Christ and begin to live the life of Christ (Gal 2:19 – 21). At this point in time, the life of the individual that has the life of Christ is immerse or imbedded in Christ and who he or she is no longer becomes visible to God, rather God sees him or her in Christ and through Christ.

It is very important to note that before the arrival of Christ the righteousness of God was absent and elusive in the world. But as Jesus came and took the necessary step in obedient and suffering fulfilling the Laws and went to the cross to nail the process. In this process is the establishment of God’s righteousness on earth. This process establishes the fact that God has annulled the process of “if you do, I will do” and put in place the process of “receive what I have done for you”. Which in effect means that man’s contribution and effort to receive this righteousness is not a factor. God is not waiting for man to do anything in order to receive this righteousness, the only obligation man has is to stretch out his hand to receive what God has done for him freely.

The impartation of righteousness by this process means the gracious way and manner God has applied in order to freely redeem man from sin and ultimately grant him forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness of sin therefore, is a thing man could not be able to achieve on the bases of the law but has been obtained on the platter of the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness of sin is not a reward because no man was able to meet the standard of God for righteousness and couldn’t earn it but God gave it as gift to as many that receives Christ (Col 1:14, Eph 1:7). For one to receive the gift of righteousness it means the wages of his or her sin should be overruled and the way to do that is to pay for the penalty which requires someone’s death.

In order words, sin equals death and vice visa, there is nothing one can do to undo this fact because sin is a legal issue and the requirement for the legal demand is death. It is not proper for one to think that he or she can pray his or her sin(s) away by praying and confessing the sins. Once one has committed sin, the response to it is death, and it doesn’t matter if one confesses of pray for forgiveness or not, the only way to get rid of sin out of someone’s life is by believing in Christ who paid for its price. In the Old Testament no sin was forgiven, all were covered hence the renewal of sacrifice yearly, this implies that no one received total forgiveness of sin until Christ came and died.

Righteousness is received in believing and anchoring one’s faith on the finished work of Christ through His death, burial and resurrection, (Rom 5:21, 2Cor 5:21).

To be continued….

Till I come your way again, keep on basking in the Arena of Indubitable Truth!

Chukwuemeka C. Asiegbu