RIGHTEOUSNESS VERSES SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
I JOHN 5
1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone
who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2By this we
know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His
commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (UNLESS ON OUR OWN MERIT OR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.)
And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (IN HIS BODY AND BLOOD SACRIFICE THE OLD HUMAN NATURE OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNSESS AND SIN .)
There is nothing I can do to make God love me more. There is nothing I can do to make God love me less. The meaning of self-righteousness: if I believe I will acquire the blessings of The Kingdom by modifying my behavior in terms of an anemic attempt at godliness through my own strength—My self-righteousness is denying the gift and purpose of the agony of The Cross by default-missing the mark of my faith in Jesus as my Savior. Jesus fulfilled the Law replacing my “self-righteousness,” (performance to get God’s favor and blessing) with the righteousness of a loving God. Salvation is overcoming the nature of the world including from the fear of death. Salvation is eternal life hidden in Christ under the shelter of His wings in safety and wholeness in righteousness.
Therefore, to live out my righteousness in God, the new commandment is to love others with the love I have for myself. What does it mean to love myself? It means that I accept the fact that God loves me! If I cannot receive this unconditional and eternal love of God, how can I love others? When God looks at me, He sees His beloved child. When Christ died—I received His righteousness in my new creation life in the eternal love of God. I am in Christ—He is in me—the Holy Spirit bears witness that I am a new creation with a reborn spirit abiding with all of whom Jesus is within me. Does that make me like God? No, it makes me in God and He in me. ! In all loving favor, blessing, and goodness I embrace the foundational gift in choosing to believe that God is within me and I am within Him. In keeping His commandments I know that I know I am loved, accepted, favored, and missing nothing because of His grace; I am fully righteous in His eyes. The blood of Jesus is the reason for my righteous standing with Go.
IT IS CHRIST WHO LIVES IN ME–THANK YOU FATHER THAT I AM ALIVE BECAUSE JESUS RESURRECTED MY HUMAN NATURE INTO HIS NATURE. WHY WOULD I LOOK ANY FURTHER THAT IN MY SPIRIT WOMAN? THEREFORE, I LIVE FROM THE INSIDE OUT WHERE MY LIFE IN CHRIST SINGS A NEW SONG. WHEN I REMAIN IN MY OWN STRENGTH (SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS) IT IS IN FACT IMPOSSIBLE TO BE TRANSFORMED IN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST.
THE IMAGE OF CHRIST:
This is the image of Christ: Jesus sacrificed His life so that I can overcome the dictates of the world, the flesh, and the devil that were initiate by choosing the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil–the beginning of self-righteousness and partnering with the world, the flesh and the devil.. My futile identity in self-righteousness passed away at The Cross. My Abundant Life Identity TRANSFORMING INTO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST is choosing to partner with the Creator of the Universes, the Word, in EVERYTHING. His image is illuminated as I find the missing pieces OF MY DESTINY in/through/by/with Jesus Christ. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is replaced by the Tree of Life. The Tree of life was planted in my heart when I believed! I embrace all of my identity in Christ; I am righteous because of His sacrifice in blood.
Jesus was the firstborn; through Jesus I am a new creation. I overcome the world; I am born of God by choosing to partner with the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. My faith rests in knowing that I am now getting in touch with what I am missing rather than who I am not. Because I am a new creation: loved, sharing in the divinity of God, overcoming my self-righteous habits by partnering with God, I believe in ALL the promised abundance of LIFE! I am righteous.