Righteous is the Man whose God is the Lord

Righteous is the man whose God is the Lord

Genesis 15:6

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

               Man can not truly know righteousness, apart from or outside of God.  He can perform good deeds and may even exceed many of the people of God in good works, but no matter how good, he can not be righteous outside of God.  Righteousness is the byproduct of faith in God.  Genesis 15:6 is the first place that righteousness is used in the Word.  It is used in regards to God speaking to Abraham about giving him a promised son and it says, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”  Righteousness is embracing God and His Word in faith.  It is believing and acting upon His Word and that which He quickens to us through the Holy Spirit.  Faith acts in obedience to that which it believes in.  Obedience is the other attribute of righteousness.  Deuteronomy 6:25 says, “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.”  You might say then that the formula for righteousness is faith in God plus obedience to God equals the righteousness of God.  We see such a picture of righteousness in the life of Abraham who is like the father of faith.   Abraham knew a closeness and fellowship with God that is rarely paralleled even among the other great men of the bible.  Why was Abraham such a friend of God?  What made him so special?  He was a righteous man.  He was righteous because he believed what God told him and he obeyed whatever God told him to do.  Even when he had Isaac the most precious and beloved gift that God had ever given him, one in which he had believed in faith for, many years; God said I want you to sacrifice him to me.  Abraham didn’t argue, he didn’t bow his neck in rebellion or resentment, he obeyed God. God led him to a place three days from where he was so he had plenty of time to think it over and change his mind.  We see here a picture of full and unconditional surrender of his will to God, a willingness to obey God no matter what the cost and a faith in God that he knew God would fulfill His Word to him regardless of what circumstances told him.  That is the picture of righteousness. 

               The first time the word worship is used in the Word of God is in Genesis 22:5 when Abraham says, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”  Even in the words Abraham speaks is the evidence of his faith when he says, “and come again to you.”  The very act of obedience, of faith and the willingness to sacrifice the love of his life was an act of worship.  

               John Bevier brings out in his teaching on “Drawing Near” that God spoke to him one time and said, “Worship is not a slow song”.  Worship is not just singing songs, or going to church or praying.  “Worship is a life!”  It is a life of righteousness lived out in faith and obedience to God in everything.  That is why Jesus says in John 14:12-15, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].  If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  Many of us pray “in Jesus name” today, but we see limited results, why?  Could it be that we are not fully keeping the conditions of the promise?  Like most kids, we want all of the benefits without all of the responsibility, but they go together.  

               Finally, in John 15:10-14 Jesus tells his disciples, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”  If we want to move from the status of a servant to a friend it requires faith and obedience, these are the righteous ones that commune with God, who know the Son and have intimacy with the Holy Spirit.  These are the friends of God.  This is the righteousness of God by faith, wherein Christ is our righteousness, not by works of the law, but by a life fully surrendered in a continual living act of worship to Him.

Blessings,

#kent

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