The Proof of Righteousness

1.  The Gift of Righteousness — [Rom. 3:22-28 TPT]

2.  The Blessing of Righteousness —  [Rom. 4:6 NASB]

3.  The Pursuit of Righteousness — [Mt. 5:1-11 AMP]

Romans 10:9-10 [TPT], For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will experience salvation. 10 The heart that believes in him receives the gift of the righteousness of God—and then the mouth gives thanks to salvation.

Shouldn’t there be proof an individual received God’s righteousness?

”When God imparts His righteousness into our lives it causes a radical alteration to

 occur in a person’s heart, mind and will.”

•   This is God’s way of making us “new.”

Ezekiel 36:26 [NLT], And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

2 Corinthians 5:17 [ESV], Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Ephesians 4:24 [TPT], …be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ-within as your new life and live in union with him!  For God has re-created you all over again in his perfect righteousness, and you now belong to him in the realm of true holiness.

Philippians 1:11 [NASB], …filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ…

“Becoming a follower of Christ is much more than simply repeating a prayer.”

•   The proof of righteousness is a transformed life.

2 Peter 1:3-4 [NLT],  By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.  We have received all of this by coming to know him… 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.  These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 

Since God has made us partakers of His divine nature, “What does He expect from us?”

Romans 6:13 [NLT],  Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Titus 2:11-12 [NLT], For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures.  We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.

“God expects us to live according to the divine nature [His nature] that He has imparted

 on the inside of us.”

Three Proofs of Righteousness

1.  A desire to be holy

1 Corinthians 15:34, …awake to righteousness, and do not sin.

1 John 3:9 [TPT],  Everyone who is truly God’s child will refuse to keep sinning because God’s seed remains within him, and he is unable to continue sinning because he has been fathered by God himself.

“A lifestyle of sin becomes out of character for the person who has a new nature in Christ, because God’s nature is one of holiness.”

 2.  A desire to walk in the truth

Ephesians 4:20-25 [NLT], But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

“A lifestyle of lies becomes out of character for the person who has a new nature in

 Christ, because God’s nature is one of truth.”

 3.  A desire to express love

1 John 3:14 [NLT, If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life.  But a person who has no love is still dead.

1 John 4:7-8 [NLT, Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

“A lifestyle that lacks love becomes out of character for the person who has a new

 nature in Christ, because God’s nature is one of love.”