Dr. Johnson. Org
God blesses
the righteous
For
surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as
with a shield. (Psalm
There
are many great blessings promised by the Almighty God for the righteous. Yet
the Bible also says that there is “No one righteous, no not one” (Romans
The
clue to this is found in the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians
where he writes: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become
for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
(1 Corinthians 1:30)
If one makes Jesus his/her righteousness, we become righteous and
can receive from God the blessings that He has pronounced on the righteous, in
His Word.
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made
known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God
comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans
3:21-24)
If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior, you become righteous not
because of your own righteous acts but because Jesus has become your
righteousness. So the question comes: “Are we allowed to sin and still say that
Jesus is our righteousness and we are righteous?”
Definitely not! Because the Bible also says,
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds
set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the
Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man
is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful
mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are
controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God
lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin,
yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who
raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature,
to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you
will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you
will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
(Romans 8:5-14)
So if you have received Jesus as your Savior and are living in
accordance with the Holy Spirit, you are righteous and can receive all the
blessings that God has pronounced upon the righteous in His Word.
And the blessing that is given in Psalm
E-mail me: j@ourchurch.com