Righteousness
Simple Enough for a Child to Understand

by Pastor John Hamel


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

 

"Once you discover what God has done for you on the inside, you'll spend the rest of your life being successful at prayer on the outside." - Pastor John Hamel

 

Righteousness.  Some people look at that word and think, “What’s up with that?”  Others think it’s just some mysterious, religious word that can’t really ever be fully understood.  

 

Actually “Righteousness” is one of the simplest teachings in the Bible.  So simple, in fact, that a child can understand it.  

 

Righteousness simply means to have “right standing” with God. 

 

It’s just that simple.  The Bible says that Jesus Christ has made it possible for all who believe to come back into the place of “right standing” with God. 

 

When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He placed man in the center of the Earth as its Caretaker.  Man was created in God’s image and was to keep out all intruders and exercise dominion over all creation.  

 

God placed two trees in the Garden.  One was called “The Tree of Life.”  The other was called “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” 

 

Man was to freely eat of “The Tree of Life” and was to avoid at all costs “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Man had free will, just like God, and could choose to obey or rebel.  

 

God made him this way because He wanted man to choose to love Him as a conscious act of his God-given free will.  

 

Unfortunately, with the right to choose came the potential for making wrong choices.  God’s man made a wrong choice and partook of “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.”  By doing so he lost his “righteousness,” his “right standing” with God. (Genesis 1:26; 3:1-24)   

 

God was now faced with the Crisis of the Ages.  

 

God’s Justice said, “I must punish his disobedience or he’ll continue to disobey Me.”  

 

God’s Mercy said, “I want to forgive his disobedience or the next time he gets into trouble, he’ll run from Me and not to Me!”  What a dilemma!  

 

However, God’s Love said, “I’ll become a man and pay the penalty of death for them Myself. (Romans 6:23)  That way My Justice will be satisfied because a perfect man will have paid the penalty for fallen man’s sin.  My Mercy will also be satisfied because I can simply forgive all who accept My sacrifice as their own.” 

 

Can you see it?  The Justice of God and the Mercy of God were equally satisfied by the Love of God.  

 

Man was now restored to his original position of right standing with his Creator. 

 

No one can “earn” this place of right standing with God, either. (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 4:5)  However, anyone can receive the free “gift” of right standing with God by faith

 

“For if by one man's [Adam] offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

 

It’s clear from the above verse that righteousness is not something we must do.  Righteousness is something we must receive by faith at the time of the New Birth.   

 

Jesus’ substitutionary work at Calvary far outweighs Satan’s attempt to steal man’s righteousness in the Garden.  

 

The Bible says, “Whoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)  This means you can be saved from the penalty of your inherited sin by accepting the righteousness God is offering you through Jesus. 

 

By simply saying, “Jesus, You’re my choice” you’ll be supernaturally restored to a position of “right standing” with God. 

 

This is the same position of dominion and authority originally held by Adam and Eve, a position of power, provision and protection. (Psalm 91; 103:1-5; Mark 16:15-20; Ephesians 2:4-6) 

 

This is why the Bible boldly states, “… our standing in the world is identical to Christ’s.”  (1John 4:17 Message Bible)   

 

Because of Jesus, we can stand before our Heavenly Father without a sense of guilt or inferiority.  We can stand before Him in the righteousness of Jesus.  

 

What a wonderful gift!  Once we understand that righteousness is a gift and not something we do, we’ll begin to pray with the type of confidence that brings results.

 

Once you discover what God has done for you on the inside, you'll spend the rest of your life being successful at prayer on the outside.

 

Hallelujah! 

 

Be Blessed ... John and Barbara Hamel

 

 

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