7-22-2023

 Good Morning All,

    Galatians 3:11; “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

    The righteous shall live by faith.  We have heard or said or even memorized this verse many times.  We often say this verse, but I think most of us are usually a little afraid to think that we are righteous.  We often feel this is a little pretentious.  We feel that others will look at us and see us as “too good” or “above them.”

    Here is where we need to see the definition of and the difference between being “righteous” and being “self-righteous.”  The difference is night and day.  The Pharisees were self-righteous.  They looked at themselves and saw their own piety and greatness.  This is why Jesus spoke of the “log in your eye” when judging others.  Their log was huge.  Yet God calls us to be righteous so what does this mean?

     First, and above all, the relationship that the righteous have with God is not based on the actions of the man but on the grace of God.  Our righteousness is not our own; rather it is given to us by God through Jesus.  We know this, we trust this, we place our life on this.  It is not what we do it is what God has done/ is doing/ and will do for us that gives us our righteousness.

     Since the righteous know that their righteousness comes only from God and not from their own actions; they are humble and meek.  They know who is God and who isn’t.  They know that the LORD is the only source of their sustenance.  So, the righteous are also needy.  They need God’s mercy and grace to survive.

    The righteous know that all is from God, so they praise God for his gifts and his blessings.  They live their life in constant praise to God.  They live their life in the constant communion with God.  They hear God speak to them through His Word and then speak to God through their prayers.  This constant conversation refreshes them and gives them hope.

    Yet all this righteousness from God, this passive righteousness, does not mean a passive life.  The righteous are active in living out their faith.  They are active in living as the disciples that God has called them to be.  For some this is preaching, for some it is teaching.  Yet for most of us, it is sharing God’s love with your family, your neighbors, and your friends.  It is listening as a friend worries and fears about a doctor’s appointment.  It is consoling a crying friend when they mourn the loss of a loved one.  For most of us, it is offering a sympathetic shoulder when the time is needed. 

   This is how you are righteous.  You are righteous because God declares you to be righteous.  This is the righteousness which God redeems us and then calls us to use in his name to bring about the reconciliation of man back to God.  You are righteous if you live by faith, trusting in God’s promise of eternal life.

Dear Father, you give to us your holy righteousness.  Through the blood of Jesus, you declare us holy and righteous in your sight.  Keep us safe and keep us holy.  Lead us in your paths that we may touch those whom you place in our lives with your tender mercy.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret