SCRIPTURE TRUTHS

You Need HIS Righteousness!

By David J. Stewart | November 2007 | Updated May 2019

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; and all these things shall be added unto you.” —Matthew 6:33

Please notice carefully that Matthew 6:33 does NOT say, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and OUR righteousness...” Rather, the Bible says ... seek HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. We are to seek Jesus' righteousness. 2nd Corinthians 5:21 states, “For He (God the Father) hath made Him (God the Son) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Amen!

2nd Corinthians 5:21 Scripture speaks of Christ's imputed righteousness (i.e., our sins were placed upon Christ on the cross, and His righteousness is placed upon our record at the moment we trust Christ for salvation). You see my friend, we have no righteousness of our own to offer God. Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES ARE AS FILTHY RAGS; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” No amount of good works on our part can undo, nor make-up for, the sins you've committed throughout our life.

Even one sin can send a person to Hell forever (James 2:10). That's why we all need GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid it all. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” I love that... THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH. You need God's righteousness because you have no self-righteousness to offer God.

We read in Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Amen. We need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, that is, God's righteousness which is by faith in Jesus Christ. If you grasp this fundamental Biblical truth, then you will clearly see what is wrong with every false plan of salvation which includes human effort. Religion is man trying to reach God through human effort, whereas Christianity is God trying to reach man by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.

We are JUSTIFIED in the eyes of God by faith, just-if-I'd never sinned. The precious literal blood of Jesus washes our sins away forever (1st Peter 1:18,19; Revelation 1:5; Hebrews 9:12,24). This is true righteousness, and it is found ONLY in Christ Jesus! We are commanded to seek HIS righteousness if we want to obtain the Kingdom of God. “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and sanctification, and redemption” (1st Corinthians 1:30). Christ is our righteousness, because He has the nail-scared hands, side, brow and feet.

There is no other sacrifice for man's sins than the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Bible means in Hebrews 10:26, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” If you've heard the Gospel (good news) truth of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen; but rejected it, then there is no other way for you to be saved...

Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

The Bible proclaims that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. This is the good news (the gospel)...

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and resurrected three days later. Blessed be the Lord! A cross-less gospel is a false gospel. Any generic gospel which leads a sinner to “trust in Jesus” or “start a relationship with Jesus” is a false gospel if it leaves out the cross that Jesus bled and died upon for our sins. You must accept the Biblical truth that Jesus died for YOUR SINS. Jesus was buried in a tomb, which officiated His death. And then, hallelujah, Jesus Christ arose from the dead triumphant three days later!!! That is the gospel according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. There are many gospels being taught today which leave out the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Such a false gospel (another gospel) is “cursed” according to Galatians 1:7-9.

When asked to give her testimony, I heard a popular religious singer on the radio say, “I was saved as a child when I prayed the Jesus prayer.” Kindly, that woman is as lost as the Devil, still hellbound in her sins. You don't get saved by praying. You get saved by receiving the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for your sins, believing that He resurrected from the dead three days later for your justification.

But you say, “Don't I have to repent?” Yes, certainly. But repentance is not what most people have been misled to think it is. Most people errantly think repentance means to turn away from sins, surrender one's life to Christ, and to reforming one's self. That's not correct. Biblical repentance means, “a change of mind.” Author Michael Patrick Bowen states in his excellent book titled, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” on page 114, “Repent, as Christ meant it to be in terms of salvation, means to change your mind from trusting in what you can do for God to trusting only in what He can do for you.”

Pastor Bob Gray Sr. at the Longview Baptist Temple church in Texas correctly preaches . . .

“Repentance means to change your mind—change your mind—change your mind about how you want to get to Heaven to what God says you've got to do to get to Heaven. If you've got to repent of all your sins, you're still headed for Hell tonight.” —Pastor Bob Gray Sr., a quote from the awesome MP3 sermon, Why You Should Be A Part Of A Growing Church

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