Ensure you have read Made Righteous (Part 1) before proceeding in this post.
Someone might say, “You are only righteous until you commit a sin.” Is this true? Let’s find out by analyzing Romans 4:2, 3, 5, 6 and 8;
Verse 2, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. (KJV)” Please, understand that to be justified means to be declared righteous. So, we can say, “For if Abraham were declared righteous by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” It simply says that God doesn’t get the glory for you being made righteous by your works. He only gets the Glory for you being made righteous by what Jesus has done. Let’s see the Amplified Version of this same verse, “For if Abraham was justified (established as just by acquittal from guilt) by good works [that he did, then] he has grounds for boasting. But not before God!”
Verse 3, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (KJV).” What did Abraham do to be made righteous? ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD. Very simple and straightforward. Let’s see the Amplified Version, “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed in (trusted, relied on) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living, right standing with God). (AMPC).”
Verse 5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (KJV).” Remember that to be justified means to be declared righteous. So, we can say, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that declared righteous the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” You don’t work to become righteous; you just have to believe it. The amplified version reads, “But to the one who does not work [that is, the one who does not try to earn his salvation by doing good], but believes and completely trusts in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). (AMPC).” Let’s continue reading.
Verse 6, “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. (KJV).” Can you see God imputing righteousness without works? Righteousness was imputed without him having to work for it. And the Amplified Version reads, “And in this same way David speaks of the blessing on the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: (AMPC).”
Verse 8, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. (KJV).” God will not impute sin upon you. Let’s think about this; if God were to allow us to sin and not judge that sin, wouldn’t that make God an unjust God? He has already judged the sin on the body of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is difficult to comprehend, especially if you have been raised religiously, but it’s the truth.
But does that mean we can sin? Does that give us all permission to sin? The answer is NO. Sin has consequences. When you sin, there is a consequence. When you sin, you open the door for the devil to come in and wreak havoc upon your life. God doesn’t want us to sin. Many people have said they can sin under the Grace of God, but that’s not true. Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…” The grace of God teaches us to live righteously. When you are really living under the Grace of God, it teaches you to live right; it teaches you to live holy. It will re-arrange everything on the inside of us and take the old sinful desires away. Your life will be totally transformed from the inward to the outward.
A quick summary of what we are made to understand from scriptures;
- We are all born into sin. As long as you are born into this world, you are born into sin.
- By one man’s disobedience (Adam), many were made sinners, and by one man’s obedience (Jesus), we are made righteous. We don’t become righteous; we are made righteous.
- We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
- You are not righteous because your behaviour is right, you are righteous because you are in Christ. You are not holy because your behaviour is holy, you are holy because you are in Christ.
