You can download a PDF of this study. No longer Judged for Sin but for Righteousness!
You can also download and listen to an Audio of this study: No longer Judged for Sin but for Righteousness – Spotify Podcast
Chapters:
- The Law of Sin and Death.
- So what does it mean to be Righteous?
- The Judgment for Righteousness.
- Sin does Matter.
In the previous study titled “A Guarantee for the Living and the Dead,” we addressed how SIN was UTTERLY DONE AWAY with, in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we showed how the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ speaks to ALL of MANKIND, be it the JUST or the UNJUST. Now, in this study we will be addressing what it means to No Longer be judged for Sin but for Righteousness.
“And [the Holy Spirit] having come, He will convict the world concerning SIN, and concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS, and concerning JUDGEMENT: concerning SIN indeed, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS, because I go away to the Father and you behold Me no “And [the Holy Spirit] having come, He will convict the world concerning SIN, and concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS, and concerning JUDGEMENT: concerning SIN indeed, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS, because I go away to the Father and you behold Me no more; and concerning JUDGEMENT, because the RULER of this world has been JUDGED.” John 16:8-11
In this statement the Lord is describing what the NEW dispensation that came through the Sacrifice of Himself is going to be like. Every category in this illustration of the Lord is ADDRESSING the ROOT of the matter and He points out three main features. The First: Sin is boiled down to one factor that is “they do not believe in Me,” another way to say this is, “For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 That is, people are convicted of their sins as the consequences of not believing in Him. The Lord is NOT speaking of any particular SIN of unbelief, since you CANNOT convict a person of the Sin of unbelief precisely because they do not believe. As Paul said of the unbelievers, “In whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so as for not to beam forth the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Cor. 4:4 Therefore, they might not KNOW the Lord or believe in Him, nonetheless they will be convicted for their sins. The word used for SIN in this statement is the Greek word “ἁμαρτίας: Hamartias,” which is in a noun form not an action verb. So, the Lord is not speaking of the ACT of unbelief but the Nature of Sin itself that is found in Adam, that is Sin as a general concept. Now, there is a difference between condemnation and conviction, the Holy Spirit convicts to bring forth Life, but the devil condemns, through which he brings forth Death.
The Second: Righteousness is expressed as being in the SPIRIT, through the Resurrection. That is the Lord being RAISED from the dead by the Spirit to be in the presence of God is the MEANING of righteousness which we find in [Romans 6:10, 10:8-10, 1 Peter 3:18] The Third: address the aspect of Judgement, NOT that mankind is judged for their sins but the kingdom of Satan is judged and by extension everything that belongs to his kingdom. And we will see how this has significance to those who die in their sins being of the FLESH and NOT of the righteousness of the SPIRIT. So the point of this study is to show how God is no longer judging mankind for their SINS but we are measured against the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul writes, “He set a day in which He is about to JUDGE the world in righteousness by a Man whom He appointed, having provided a guarantee to all, having RAISED Him out from the DEAD.” Acts 17:30-31 [Acts 10:42, Romans 2:16] The fact that the Lord being raised is a GUARANTEE that the Law of Sin and Death is DONE away with and a NEW measurement in Righteousness is brought forth in Christ Jesus.
The Main concept we need to grasp in this study is, the FIRST death must BE annulled for EVERYONE in order for the SECOND death to be enforced. In simple terms, that is to say, the judgement of SIN is in respect to the BODY as it pertains to ADAM, but the judgement of RIGHTEOUSNESS is in respect to the SPIRIT as it pertains to CHRIST. Paul said, “But if Christ is in you, the BODY is indeed dead on account of sin [Adam’s], BUT the SPIRIT is life on account of righteousness [Christ’s].” Romans 8:10
The Law of Sin and Death.
So we will begin our study by examining the fall of Adam in order to definitively show the judgement for SIN results ONLY in Death! NOT death of the spirit but plain and simple death of the body. This is portrayed from the first day Adam sinned all the way until the END of the Law was brought through the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for the putting away of SIN. As Paul writes, “He has been revealed ONCE in the consummation of the ages for the PUTTING away of SIN by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26 This has a MAJOR significance for EVERYONE because it speaks directly to the power of DEATH. [Hebrews 2:14-15] Here we would like to state in advance that there is a difference between being redeemed from the grip of DEATH and having the Life of the Son of God. That is, while the world is saved from Death & corruption, ONLY the children of God are given LIFE through the Holy Spirit, being “born Again,” into the kingdom of God.
Now, after God created Adam from the dust of the ground, “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; BUT of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall NOT eat, for in the DAY that you EAT of it you shall SURELY DIE.” Genesis 2:16-17 Here we find the first point of contention in regards to the death of Adam, that is when Adam transgressed the command, he did not immediately fall down dead that very moment. The Second is in respect to the term which is normally translated as “you shall surely die,” which in the original Hebrew, it says, “dying you shall die.” [YLT] Based on these two points we mostly have concluded that Adam must have first died spiritually, before he died physically. BUT this is a VERY wrong assessment, one that has affected our understanding of many spiritual topics, especially in regards to the nature of Mankind because this error is formed at the very beginning of all things.
Now the condition, “the day you eat of it” is associated with the punishment of “dying you shall die.” Therefore, the fact that Adam did not immediately die has NO significance, since the death of Adam was ALREADY deemed to be a SLOW process from the FIRST day the command was given, saying “dying you shall die.” And this is PROVEN by the explanation God Himself gave of the meaning of His judgement on the day Adam transgressed, saying, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In TOIL you shall eat of it ALL the DAYS of your LIFE. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you RETURN to the GROUND, for out of it you were taken; For DUST you are, and to dust you SHALL RETURN.” Genesis 3:17-19 We can see here God said NOTHING about the spiritual state of Adam, but He only spoke in regards to the effect SIN will have on Adam’s NATURAL body. In fact that God said nothing to Satan at that moment but spoke directly to the serpent signifies that the spiritual was not judged but only the natural, which is the SAME concept that applies to Adam himself, meaning not his spirit but his body was judged. The effect of which was, “ALL the DAYS of your LIFE,” from this point forward was to be marked by toil, struggle, weakness, and labour leading to the eventual end of physical death, whereby Adam’s body returns to the DUST. So the point is NOT that Adam did not die that VERY moment, but his whole life from that DAY forward was geared to that EVENTUAL end, even the earth bearing him thorns and thistles.
So dying you shall die, simply means growing OLD you will DIE. Because Sin was now in the world and in Adam’s body, it worked corruption in him resulting in his body beginning to degrade to the eventual day of death. Ageing, sickness and everything else that brings forth death is a product of Sin! Now in the case of Adam and all those up to Noah, this process was very slow, however, because the wickedness of mankind was so great, God said, “My Spirit will not strive with mankind forever, for he is FLESH, his days shall be 120 YEARS.” Genesis 6:3 Here, we see God limited the Life of the FLESH of mankind so it returned back to the ground sooner, so the 120 years is marked with the process of AGEING specifically designed to bring forth the eventual END in death. And the difference in longevity between the people of that age and the generations that came after them is in itself evidence that God’s judgement was not against the spirit but the body. That is, IF death was a product of the spirit then the age difference between us and them does not make sense since their spirit would be just as dead as ours. However if death was a product of the body then the process of ageing has significance.
Paul also explains the Law of Sin and Death in his letter to the Romans saying, “Because of this, just as SIN entered into the WORLD through one man, and DEATH through SIN, so also death passed to all men, because all sinned. For until the Law, SIN was in the world; but sin is not imputed, there being no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those not having sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam.” Romans 5:12-14 Paul makes it clear that even though sin was not imputed since no law was given yet all died. That is death reigned over everyone even though they have not sinned like Adam, meaning DEATH was inherited from Adam’s one SIN. As Paul writes, “Through [Adam’s] ONE trespass, it is unto condemnation [Death] to ALL men.” Romans 5:18 And the reason mankind sinned is attributed to the fact we were born sinners with a corrupted FLESH of ADAM, therefore we naturally lived out our inheritance of SIN in him.
[S.I.O] points out the moment Adam passed his Sin-Nature to his children from Genesis, saying, “When God created mankind, He made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his OWN likeness, in his OWN image; and he named him Seth.” Genesis 5:1-3 She pointed out that Adam was created in the likenesses and image of God, but Seth was born in the image and likeness of Adam. That is Seth took the fallen image of Adam, in which SIN dwelt in the flesh, and as a result forfeited the dominion, and bore the condemnation of DEATH. And Paul labouring to associate the eventual end of the body in Death to the one Sin of Adam and says, “The BODY is indeed DEAD on account of SIN.” Romans 8:10 NOTE: not the concept of FLESH, or some other SPIRITUAL nature but the PHYSICAL body of mankind which is the Greek word “σῶμα: SOMA” is dead because of SIN.
The BODY of SIN.
In order to address what the Body of Sin is we need to know, Holiness is the IMAGE of God, God said, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16 And Paul wrote, quoting Isaiah and Ezekiel saying, “Therefore come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean, and I will receive you.” and “I will be for a father to you, and you will be for sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Cor. 6:17-18 Paul showed being separated to be faultless to be the grounds whereby we are counted His sons and He our Father. A child MUST resemble his father, bear his likeness, exhibit his nature or it is a false child. And, Adam no longer reflected the image of God, on the account of Sin that now dwelt in his flesh. And the image of God will not be restored to mankind until the day the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Adam came to the earth and God proclaimed, “This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I was well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
And it is on the account of sin dwelling in the flesh, that the Lord said, “You are of your father the devil, and you desire to do the desires of your father. ” John 8:44 The Lord said that to point out our fallen sinful flesh bears the image of the one who deceived Adam and Eve. Paul in respect to this says, “You, being dead in your trespasses and sins— in which once you walked according to the age of this world, according to the RULER of the authority of the AIR , the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once lived in the DESIRES of our FLESH, doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts; and we were by NATURE children of WRATH even as the rest.” Ephesians 2:1-3 So to have the body of SIN that came through Adam is to be under the domain of Satan, it is to exhibit his desires and likeness in the works of our flesh. [Gal 5:19-21]
And this nature is NOT caused by “spiritual death,” but an ACTUAL state of the BODY, which is essential for our understanding of Sin and the judgement of Death. We at times try to draw distinction between the Flesh “σαρκός: Sarkos” as in nature and the body “σώμα: Soma” but the fact of the matter is they are one and the same, the NATURE of the FLESH is rooted in the BODY of SIN. This is reflected in the explanation Paul gave of baptism saying, “In whom also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in the removal of the BODY “Soma” of the FLESH “sarkos”, in the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised with Him through the faith of the working of God, the One having raised Him out from the dead.” Colossians 2:11-12 Here we see Paul putting these two terms “Soma” & “Sarkos” side by side to MEAN the exact SAME thing, to be delivered from the power of SIN. [Rom. 6:5-7, 11; 8:9 Gal. 5:24] So Sin working through the BODY is the nature of the Flesh.
Again in Romans 7 Paul sought to convey to us the nature of fallen flesh in describing his struggle against sin saying, “For we know that the Law is spiritual; BUT I am FLESHLY, having been sold under SIN. For what I do, I do not understand. For what I want, this I do not do; but what I hate, this I do. Now if that which I do not want, this I do, I consent to the Law, that it is good. And in that case I am no longer doing it, but the SIN dwelling in me. For I know that there dwells in me nothing good, that is, in my flesh.” Romans 7:14-18 Paul did not say “the law is spiritual but I am spiritually dead,” but he contrasted his NATURAL state as flesh that was subject to SIN to the nature of the Law, which is SPIRITUAL.
Now Paul, describing this struggle, firmly states the presence of SIN to be directly in his BODY and says, “I see another law in my members [body], warring against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin being in my members [body].” Basically meaning my BODY’S desire which is of SIN ruled over me, even against my better judgement. So he finally cries out at the end, “Who will deliver me out of this body “soma” of death?” Meaning, the flesh nature and the body of sin are indistinguishable from one another. The point is SIN is found in the FLESH NOT in the spirit, so affects the flesh NOT the spirit. And the nature of Sin is passed from parent to child, through the physical body, limiting death to the realm of the natural not the spiritual! And this is reflected in the curse God pronounced against the natural world, the very ground from which Adam’s body was formed, saying “Cursed is the ground for your sake… Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” Gen 3:17-18 [Romans 8:19-20]
It is our flesh that deserves death for the things committed in it, Paul in Romans 1:28-32 lists all kinds of mankind’s sins and ends with the judgement of God for ALL that is done in the flesh to be deserving of death. The KEY point being Death is the punishment for Sin which came through Adam, Nothing MORE! As he says in Romans, “The wages of Sin is DEATH.” Romans 6:23 So, EVERY punishment in the Old Testament as it pertains to that dispensation ENDED in DEATH, be it by famine, by sword, by beast, or plague, be it UNDER the Law or outside of the Law ALL were punished in DEATH, because ALL of mankind was bound under the same Law of Sin and Death.
Paul in respect to the Law that was given through Moses says, “Now if the ministry of DEATH, having been engraved in letters on STONES was produced in glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:7 Here, Paul calls the Law a ministry of death, because the Law pronounced death on anyone who is of the mind of the flesh. We need to bear in mind, the Law was given NOT that we may be justified by it, but it might act as a restrain to those in whom SIN dwelt in the flesh. As Paul says, “Knowing this, that law is not enacted for a righteous one, but for the lawless.” 1 Timothy 1:9 And we by nature being under SIN were hostile to the Law of God, as it says in Romans “Because the mind of the flesh is hostility toward God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, for not even can it be. And those being in the flesh are not able to please God.” Romans 8:7 Therefore, we were condemned by the Law and the result of which is that it brought forth death. Now if we examine ALL the CURSE that came through the LAW in Deut. 28 we can see clearly ALL of its judgement ended in the affliction of the body resulting in death, NOTHING more. So we can see whether under the Law or outside of the Law ALL punishment under SIN ends in DEATH, that is the First Death.
The First Death.
Now, when Adam first Sinned, God did NOT say to Adam, you will burn in Hell for this, but that you will die and return to the ground from where you were taken. That is ALL! In FACT under the OLD Testament it WOULD have been UNJUST for God to punish mankind in HELL for the sins they have committed, because the wages of sin is death. So everybody that identifies to have come from the flesh and blood of Adam is subject to this judgement. And it is on the account of the strength of the WORD of God in regards to SIN that Satan exercised his power of death over mankind. And Hebrews makes it clear how the Lord delivered us from the bondage of sin and death, saying, “Therefore, since the children have partaken of blood and of flesh, He also likewise took part in the same things, so that through His DEATH He might destroy the one holding the power of DEATH, that is, the devil, and might set FREE those who all their time to live were subject to slavery through fear of DEATH.” Hebrews 2:14-15 That is the Lord through the Sacrifice of Himself to DEATH in effect put away SIN once and for all through which He abolished DEATH and rendered the devil powerless. [Romans 6:10, Hebrews 9:26]
Now this event is perfectly captured for us in the book of Revelation chapter 12 where John describes to us a WAR breaking out in heaven after the Lord Jesus Christ was received to the throne of God. The astonishing fact is Satan had a right even to heaven on the account of mankind being under SIN. But now BECAUSE Sin was put away through the SACRIFICE of the LORD, John writes, “And he [Satan] did not have strength, NOR was found a PLACE for them any longer in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown out, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, deceiving the whole inhabited world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come, because the ACCUSER of our brothers has been thrown down, the one accusing them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:9-10 Note: Satan entered heaven every night and day in order to bring accusation against mankind. However SINCE sin was put away through the Lord Jesus Christ, there is NO accusation Satan can now bring before God against ANY of us, be it SAVED or UNSAVED.
The CROSS of the Lord Jesus Christ Christ, holds GREAT significance, it brought an END to the Law, an END to the Nature of Adam [flesh], an End to Sin therefore an END to Death whereby it marked a whole NEW beginning. We have to understand, Mankind is the whole being composed of spirit, soul and body and DEATH through SIN brought an END to mankind FROM the realm he was created to be, that is from the Earth NOT Heaven! And the DEATH of the Lord Jesus Christ has to do with the reestablishment of mankind to the Earth. Now in case there is any doubt to what death God was referring to, Hosea says, “I will ransom them from the power of the GRAVE; I will redeem them from DEATH. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” Hosea 13:14 Grave’s power is over the body of mankind, and Paul referenced this verse applying it the moment the physical body is raised incorruptible saying, “[When] the MORTAL, shall have put on IMMORTALITY, then the word having been written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where O death, is your victory? Where O death is your sting?” Now the sting of DEATH is SIN, and the power of sin is the Law.” in 1 Cor. 15:54-56 So we can see here Death is without effect apart from Sin and Sin is without power where the Law of God is fulfilled, which it is in Christ.
Isaiah also makes reference to the redemption of mankind saying, “Behold, I lay in Zion a Stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious Cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make JUSTICE the measuring line, and RIGHTEOUSNESS the plummet; The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place. Your covenant with DEATH will be ANNULLED, and your agreement with SHEOL will NOT STAND.” Isaiah 28:16-18 Here Isaiah points out how through the Lord Jesus Christ ALL of MANKIND is released from the power of Death and Sheol. Now, Sheol is a Hebrew equivalent to the Greek Hades, that is a place where the souls of mankind are kept upon death; it is NOT hell. We can see this in the Psalm of David where he wrote, “For You will not leave my soul in SHEOL, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10 And Peter translated this exact verse in his first sermon saying, “For You will not abandon my soul into HADES, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see decay.” Acts 2:27 So Isaiah clearly states for us the abolishment of the Covenant of Sin and Death that is applicable to EVERYONE and the establishment of a NEW Covenant by which Justice & Righteousness are the NOW the New Measurement. Note: NO longer SIN [wrongdoing] but Righteousness [rightdoing] and we say this on PURPOSE to show a TREE MUST bear fruit according to its NATURE!
And Paul says, “That ONE has died for ALL, therefore ALL have died. And He died for all that those living no longer should live to themselves, but to the One having died for them and having been raised again. Therefore from now, we regard NO ONE according to the flesh.” 2 Cor. 5:14-16 Here Paul applies the Death of Christ to be APPLICABLE to EVERYBODY, that mankind having died with Christ is to no longer be regarded according to the flesh. Because from God’s point of View, the Sin of the world is put away, and Death is abolished on which account EVERYONE will be raised from the dead, GOOD or BAD. Flesh is Sin working through the Body, so the fact that ALL our are SINS are put away in Christ means, no one is to be regarded according to the flesh. However, as we have said in the beginning there is a DIFFERENCE between being redeemed from the Grip of Sin & Death that came from Adam which is applicable to EVERYONE and being the son of God in Christ Jesus through the Spirit.
The point is we have to SEE the FINALITY of the nature of ADAM as for everyone one of us NOT to be judged for sins. Meaning the FIRST DEATH that is the judgement of SIN that came through Adam had to be made NULL and VOID before the judgement of righteousness that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ can be established on which account comes the far greater consequence of the SECOND DEATH. So it does not matter whether you know it or not, accept it or reject it, Adam’s nature is put to rest and the nature of Christ is NOW the standard. So we may say, we are NO Longer judged for Adam but for Christ.
The sting of DEATH is SIN and the fact that SIN is put away by the Lord Jesus Christ means the ENTIRE world is redeemed from the power of DEATH. And Paul states how each will partake of this accordingly saying, “For as indeed in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But EACH in the own ORDER: Christ the firstfruit, THEN those of Christ at His coming, THEN the END.” 1 Cor. 15:22-24 ALL MEANS ALL, not Believers only but also the Unbelievers! Now, just because the UNJUST are raised at the END, this does not change the fact that they are redeemed RIGHT now from SIN and DEATH the SAME as everyone who knows this to be TRUE. It is precisely because we are ALL redeemed from SIN, that DEATH and HADES are forced to give up all the dead that are in them. [Rev. 20:12] That is the ONLY reason GOD is able to raise anyone from the dead is because of the FACT the judgement of the curse of death which God Himself pronounced on the account of ADAM’s SIN was SATISFIED in the Lord Jesus Christ! God CANNOT break His OWN word and this was the ground through which the devil had power over mankind through Sin. That is Sin must equal Death.
Paul in his letter to Timothy said, “For to this we toil and strive, because we have hope on the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL MEN, especially of BELIEVERS.” 1 Timothy 4:10 Note, God is a Saviour of ALL MEN, this is not dependent on anything else [meaning any response on our part] however Paul follows with a second conjunction giving a special attribution to believers. The significance is, God has saved ALL mankind, and He has SAVED them from the power of DEATH, which Paul shows in his Second letter saying, “Now having been made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, having ABOLISHED DEATH and having brought to light LIFE and immortality through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:10 The point being the ABOLISHMENT of DEATH is applicable to EVERYONE be it believer or unbeliever, it is a DIRECT consequence of SIN being put away in Christ Jesus for the ENTIRE world. HOWEVER LIFE and IMMORTALITY is dependent on those who accept the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, through which the Righteousness of God Himself is imputed to us through having His Spirit. [Romans 8:10, Phil 3:9] We are BORN again!
Paul also makes the point in Romans saying, “For if, being enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved in His life!” Romans 5:10 We were RECONCILED to GOD even when we were ungodly, sinners and enemies of God that means when we were UNBELIEVERS we were reconciled to Him by the death of His Son, which applies to the entire WORLD, so those who believe may be saved from the WRATH by His LIFE. We need to understand there is a GULF that exists between these statements that has to do with the Death AND the Life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Death is the judgement for sin but WRATH is against everything that is of the kingdom of darkness, that is why having the LIFE of Jesus Christ is of an IMMENSE Importance. So we can say Christ’s death speaks to Sin while His resurrection speaks to Righteousness. This is to express an END to everything that has to do with the inheritance that came through Adam in order to ESTABLISH the inheritance that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as far as God is concerned His judgement is NOT in regards to our sins but for righteousness. So regardless of the depth and depravity of our sins He reaches out to ALL of us to be reconciled to Him, so Paul says, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, NOT RECKONING their trespasses to them, and having put into us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God is beseeching through us. We implore on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. He made the One not having known SIN to be SIN for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor. 5:19-21 Here Paul makes it VERY CLEAR that GOD is NO LONGER imputing SIN to ANYONE, in fact prior to the Law SIN was NEVER imputed. So the world being reconciled to God in Christ Jesus has to do with the Law of Sin and Death that came through Adam.
And this can be illustrated by considering the Earth. Paul said, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay, into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:20-21 Paul is referring to the Curse God spoke over the Earth saying, “Cursed is the ground for your sake.” And he tells us, THIS very Earth is redeemed from DECAY, when the children of God are manifested that is when Christ comes to rule with His saints. Now Peter also tells us of THIS same Earth that is redeemed from the CURSE, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, and elements will be dissolved, burning with heat, and the earth and the works in it will not be found.” 2 Peter 3:10 That is even though the Earth is redeemed from the Curse it is KEPT for Fire with the destruction of ungodly men. The point being mankind is saved from Sin and Death JUST as the EARTH is delivered from Deacy, because our body is linked to the DUST of the ground. BUT this IS NOT salvation. Salvation is found in righteousness in having the Spirit of God in order to be made godly. So even though our sins are forgiven those who have not learnt to walk by the Spirit will share the SAME fate as the EARTH. That is why Paul says, being reconciled to God through the Death of His Son we might be saved from WRATH by HIS LIFE.
And the FAR REACHING aspect of the Lord’s redemption from the power of Sin and death is expressed in the writing of Peter, where the Lord even descended to the depth of Hades to preach the message of Life to those who were dead, saying, “For to this end the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that they might be judged indeed according to men in the flesh, but they might live in the spirit according to God.” 1 Peter 4:6 Meaning everyone EVEN the DEAD had to be given an equal chance to LIFE whereby the deeds of their sins were put aside in Christ. So we can see how EVERYTHING that has to do with SIN and Death is annulled in order to bring an offer of LIFE in Christ Jesus, EVEN to UNDO the SINFUL deeds of the PAST all the way back to ADAM.
So, the point we want to make CLEAR is that the Death and Life of the Lord Jesus Christ represent two TOTALLY different kingdoms. Jesus Christ was manifested in the likeness of sinful flesh to bring an END to the kingdom of darkness that ruled in SIN through the SACRIFICE of Himself. John writes, “The one practising sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed, so that He might DESTROY the works of the devil. Anyone having been born of God does not practise sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to continue sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:8-9 In this statement John shows the destruction of a kingdom that ruled in SIN to be followed by the BIRTH of a New that is according to God. [Heb. 9:26, 1 Peter 2:23] That is the Lord’s resurrection to Life by the Spirit is to bring forth the Kingdom of God, whose SCEPTRE of rule is Righteousness. As Hebrews says of the Lord, “Your throne, O God, is to the age of the age, and the sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.” Hebrews 1:8
So what does it mean to be Righteous?
Now here is a statement that is HARD to accept, we think knowing our sins are forgiven SAVES us but that is NOT true. Forgiveness of SINS is NOT SALVATION, for as far as God is concerned the WHOLE world is saved from Sin and Death in Christ Jesus. What gives us the Right to Life is the gift of Righteousness that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ ON the ACCOUNT that our sins are forgiven, that is to be “born again.” The MAIN point being the JUDGEMENT to come is NOT based on SIN in regards to Adam, but it is based on the account of the LIFE of Jesus Christ which is of righteousness. That is why belief in the resurrection is an INTEGRAL part of Righteousness and of Salvation. Which Paul defines as, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God RAISED Him out from the DEAD, you will be SAVED. For in the heart is belief unto righteousness, and in the mouth is confession unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 As the Lord said, “Of righteousness because I go to the Father!”
Now, Paul says, “Now you are NOT in FLESH but in SPIRIT, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you; BUT if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. But if Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead on account of sin, but the Spirit is life on account of righteousness.” Romans 8:9-10 In SIMPLE terms, to be righteous is to be IN CHRIST. It is to be taken OUT of the line of Adam that is of the FLESH and to be put IN Christ through the Holy Spirit in order to be spirit. So we may say the Gift of Righteousness IS the Gift of the Holy Spirit. So in this statement Paul expresses the end of one nature through being united in death with Christ to express another nature that has to do with the Life of Christ, as he says in Galatians “Now those of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” and he follows that with, “If we live by the Spirit, we should also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:24-25 [Romans 6:11] And the LIFE of righteousness is to walk by the Spirit. [Romans 8:14]
And in Ephesians he says, “You are to have put off, concerning the former way of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to its desires of deceit, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to have put on the New Man, having been created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth.” Ephesians 4:22-24 And he also makes the exact same statement in Colossians, “Having put off the old man with his practices, and having put on the new, the one being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one having created him.” Col. 3:9-10 To put on the New Man is to put on Christ, that is to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Righteousness means we are expected to grow in the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul wrote, “Until we all may attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13-14
The point we want to make is that Righteousness is NOT associated with SIN; these are two TOTALLY different concepts. Christ dying had to do with SIN but Christ being raised has to do with righteousness. You do not LOOK at GOD and contemplate sin, you look at GOD and contemplate Righteousness & Holiness, this is how FAR the two concepts are separated. And it is the righteousness of GOD Himself that is given to us by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through receiving His Spirit to be in us. God gives us HIMSELF, we love because God who is love dwells in us, [Romans 5:4] We are righteous because we have the righteous Spirit of God in us. [Romans 8:9-10] We become patient, long-suffering, goodness, faithfulness; these are ALL characteristics of God Himself which are manifested in us as we are confirmed to Him. [Gal. 5:22-25] That is the LIFE of Christ is manifested in our body as the deeds of the body are put to death by the Spirit. [2 Cor. 4:11, Rom. 8:13-14] which is an aspect of putting off the old to put on the new by the renewing of the spirit of our mind through the knowledge of God. [Eph. 4:22-23, Col 3:5-10] The point is all these fruits are not apart from God Himself, they are called the fruit of the Spirit, that is of God’s own nature, on which grounds the whole world is NOW judged!
Therefore, the forgiveness of sins is NOT righteousness, that is a person can be forgiven of sins yet still be in the flesh. Sinners sin because they have the nature of sin, and the righteous will learn to do right because they have the nature of Christ. So as Sin is wrongdoing Righteousness is rightdoing on the account of having the righteous nature of God. That is the tree must bear fruit according to its nature. As the Lord says, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad. For the tree is known by the fruit.” Matthew 12:33 And Paul shows the children of God are the ones that have put the body of Sin to death and are being led by the Spirit of God, saying, “For if you live according to flesh, you are about to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14
Righteousness & Sanctification.
Therefore, the GIFT of righteousness that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ is INSEPARABLE from the ACT of Sanctification, because the gift of righteousness IS the Gift of the Holy Spirit. And the inheritance of the kingdom of God BELONGS to those who are sanctified by faith. As, the Lord said, “To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an INHERITANCE among those having been SANCTIFIED by faith in Me.’” Acts 26:18 Paul also said, “And now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, being able to build you up and to give you an INHERITANCE among all those having been SANCTIFIED.” Acts 20:32 [&] “But now, having been set free from sin, and having become slaves to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end is eternal life.” Romans 6:22 Last, we want to point out that to be in Christ is to be in the process of Sanctification, Hebrews says, “For both the One sanctifying and those being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Hebrews 2:11
The point is just as Sin entering the body worked evil to bring forth death, now the Spirit of God entering to be one with us in spirit works to bring forth life. Paul said, “And if the Spirit of the One having raised up Jesus out from the dead dwells in you, the One having raised up Christ Jesus out from the dead also will give LIFE to your mortal bodies, on account of His Spirit dwelling in you.” Romans 8:11 And Paul describes this process as, “And we all having been unveiled in face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:18
That is to say, our sanctification is dependent on our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. [Eph. 4:13, 4:20-23, Col. 3:9-10, 2 Peter 1:3-4] So we can say, we are transformed into the Image of the Lord that we are taught by WORD through the working of the Holy Spirit. As it says in Ephesians, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water by the word, so that He might present to Himself the church in glory, not having spot or wrinkle or any of the such things, but that it would be holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27 Here we can see Christ who gave Himself to death to save her NOW works to cleanse her by the washing of the water of the Word, meaning His objective has always been to make us Holy.
And Paul describes our SALVATION to be an integral work of the Holy Spirit saying, “He SAVED us, not by works in righteousness that we did, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by that grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. TRUSTWORTHY is the saying, and I want you to AFFIRM STRONGLY concerning these things, so that those believing God may take care to be devoted to good works.” Titus 3:5-8 He is making the point that the Holy Spirit who is given to us abundantly through the Lord Jesus Christ works to wash, regenerate and renew us, meaning to sanctify us. The gift of the Spirit is not APART from the work of SANCTIFICATION in fact it is PROOF of His presence. And he ends with, with STRONG AFFIRMATION that a believer must be careful to produce good works.
Consider, Both Adam and Abraham are saved from sin and death, but in Hebrews it says, “For surely He helps not the angels, but He helps the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:16 Note: God helps the seed of Abraham not the children of Adam. The difference is Abraham is counted righteousness through faith therefore Hebrews says He will help in our temptations, meaning in the manner we are expected to live, on the account we are counted righteous in Him. “For in that He Himself has suffered, having been tempted, He is able to help those being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 [1 Cor. 10:12-13] The point is why would the LORD bother to help us overcome temptations, if righteousness is JUST a label without proof of His power working in us.
Now, it is IMPORTANT to note, the process of sanctification may differ from one believer to another but the direction is always the same, its being led by the Spirit to put to DEATH the deeds of the body in order to be made like the Lord. Paul in his letter to the Phillipians gives a clear description of the varying of this process saying, “Not that already I have obtained it or already have been perfected, but I am pursuing, if also I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” then he ends with, “Therefore as many as are mature should be of this mind. And if you are minded in anything differently, even this God will reveal to you. Nevertheless, to that which we have attained, we are to walk by the same.” Phil. 3:12-16 That is we need to walk according to the TRUTH we have learned, and if we have not understood anything God will reveal this to us as we MATURE. So our Sanctification is dependent on the WORD we receive, the Holy Spirit NEEDS the word to work in us. Paul prayed we might know “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us believing.” Eph. 1:18-19 The Spirit works in what we believe and in order to believe we MUST know the word.
Paul said to Timothy, “The sacred writings, being able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, having been fully equipped toward every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:15-17 So it is VERY important to SPEND time in the WORD in the pursuit of the knowledge of God in order to be made more like Jesus. John said, “And everyone having this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:1-2 Meaning we have a part to play in the process of sanctification not by the effort of the flesh but by FAITH in the knowledge of God. Righteousness MUST be practised. [1 John 3:1-10]
Righteousness is NOT Forgiveness.
Now, we come to one of the biggest stumbling blocks of the CHURCH. That is MANY have settled down in the knowledge that their SINS are forgiven and have FORSAKEN the process of Sanctification. That is they have made RIGHTEOUSNESS to be EQUAL to the FORGIVENESS of sins and in that they have DECEIVED themselves. So they live their lives as if SIN does not matter, justifying things which the Lord called to be an abomination to Him. WE NEED TO KNOW that our SINS are forgiven just the SAME as those who are STILL in the world. The knowledge of our sins being forgiven is meant to change us, it makes no difference to God or the JUDGEMENT He is GOING to render. Forgiveness is a wonderful, PRICELESS gift, but do not be mistaken it is meant to be the FOUNDATION for having the Spirit of God resulting in being conformed unto the image of the Son of God. It is a means by which the ground is made level, whereby all are made equal even those who were long dead. It is the supply of Grace of God to everyone without any merit on the part of the one who receives it.
LIKE it or not, John said “And He [Christ] is the propitiation for our sins, and NOT ONLY for ours, but also for those of the whole WORLD.” 1 John 2:2 Meaning GOD is not regarding the sins of the world, but He is eagerly looking to whom HE may give the Life of His Son so we may bear His likeness. So, forgiveness has to do with SIN, however Righteousness is the Nature of God Himself, that is why there is NO Law for it. Paul said, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Gal. 5:18
Paul makes this point distinctly clear saying, “For if by the trespass of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the GIFT in GRACE, which is of the one man Jesus Christ, abound to the many!” Then he says, “For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one, how much more will those RECEIVING the abundance of GRACE [AND] of the GIFT of Righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!” That is to say, Grace is meant to be the COUNTER for the OFFENCE for the PURPOSE of giving the GIFT of Righteousness so he says, “Where SIN abounded, GRACE overabounded, so that, just as SIN reigned in DEATH, so also GRACE might reign through RIGHTEOUSNESS, unto ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:15,17,20-21 That is, the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ in the forgiveness of Sin resulting in the GIFT of the Spirit that is of Righteousness, on which ground we have ETERNAL LIFE. Please note: GRACE MUST reign through RIGHTEOUSNESS!
The parable of the Ten virgins is a very good example of this. These are the ones that know their sins are forgiven since they are ALL called VIRGINS but only half of them have obtained the Oil, that is the Life of Righteousness. And it is on the ground of the LACK of the presence of the Oil that the Lord rejected the other half. So when we SETTLE on the FACT that our SINS are forgiven we do not realise we are ON PAR with the REST of the WORLD. And Paul describes those who practise the works of the flesh as, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, contentions, dissensions, factions, envyings, drunkennesses, carousing, and things like these, as to which I FOREWARNED you, even as I warned before, that those doing such things will NOT INHERIT God’s kingdom.” Gal. 5:19-21 To this we can add those listed in 1 Cor. 6:9-10 and Eph. 5:5 such as covetousness, fornication, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, verbal abusers and swindlers. And in Ephesians he ends with, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the WRATH of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore DO NOT be partakers with them.” Ephesians 5:6-7 That is he warns believers not to be partakers of WRATH.
And in Corinthians he presents our salvation being the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in justification from sins and of the Holy Spirit in the act of Sanctification, saying, “And some of you were such. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” [vs. 11]
And in his letter to the Thessalonians he makes it very plain and says, “For this is the WILL of God, your SANCTIFICATION: You are to abstain from sexual immorality; each of you to know how to win mastery over his own vessel in HOLINESS and honour, not in the passion of lust, as also the Gentiles, not knowing God;” Then he concludes with, “For God has NOT called us to IMPURITY, but into HOLINESS. So then, the one rejecting THIS does not disregard man but God, the One also giving His Holy Spirit to you.” 1 Thess. 4:3-8 Note: Paul is speaking to those who have the Spirit and warns them NOT to disregard this warning. Here Paul uses HOLINESS to be a counter IMPURITY, which we at times reduced to mean not used for common things rather than the true intent, that is being kept from acts of defiling sin. There is no getting around this, God’s will in saving us from SIN has always been to Sanctify us. And in Galatians, Paul said, “Do not be misled: God is not mocked. For whatever a man might sow, that also he will reap. For the one sowing to his own flesh, from the flesh will reap decay. But the one sowing to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8
Now, we might say, “For by GRACE you are SAVED through faith and this not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not as a result of works, so no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 Now, Grace is a word that means so much more but in this context it is used as a counter to works, it is in respect to overall concept, meaning we having done nothing good or bad are freely justified from Sin by the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul says, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood.” Romans 3:24-25 Grace of itself is NOT the gift, BUT it is the grounds on which the gift of righteousness that is the Promised Spirit is given. The Ephesians statement might seem to counter this study, but the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ and He is also called the Spirit of Grace, in Hebrews 10:29. So yes we are saved by grace, but that is not apart from having the Holy Spirit doing the work of sanctification in us. The Love of God, Gave us His Son, the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in abolishing sin Gave us the Holy Spirit and He in Fellowship with us, conformed us to His image.
Righteousness is MORE than knowing that your sins are forgiven, it is the NATURE of RIGHT Living through the SPIRIT of GOD. John said, “If you know that He is righteous, you know also that everyone practising righteousness has been BEGOTTEN of Him.” 1 John 2:29 Righteousness is associated with BEING born again, meaning the SPIRIT makes His dwelling in us. God is NOT judging the WORLD according to SINS which has to do with forgiveness BUT according to Righteousness, which has to do with the Life of Christ.
The ALL sufficiency of Christ’s Sacrifice for Sin.
The next concept we want to address is a CONTRAST to the stumbling block described above, that is the misunderstanding of the depth of the work of Christ in abolishing sin which results in MANY not receiving the GIFT of Righteousness. That is, these groups are preoccupied with SINS, because they have NOT understood the FINALITY of the work of Christ on the Cross so they live their lives from the forgiveness of one sin to another without knowing what it truly means to be RIGHTEOUS. And the ROOT of the problem is, they do NOT believe that the work of Christ in the ABOLISHMENT of Sin to be sufficient; meaning they DOUBT. [Romans 14:23] So ALL manners of process are introduced to make up for Christ’s shortfall in addressing SIN. Be it penance or regular confessions of sins or the purchases of indulgence or the work of good deeds to balance out the mishaps of the past, ALL focused on the nature of SIN to the TOTAL disregard of the nature of Righteousness. That is in being focused on what is ALREADY put aside in the Death of the Lord Jesu Christ they failed to recognise ALL that is OFFERED by His Life. Paul said, “Likewise, my brothers, YOU also have been put to DEATH to the Law through the body of Christ, for you to BELONG to another, to the One having been RAISED out from the DEAD, so that we should bear fruit to God.” Romans 7:4 [Romans. 5:10]
And the consequence of NOT believing Christ sacrifice is sufficient for SIN, is that you CANNOT truly believe in the Merit of the RESURRECTION as it is truly intended therefore cannot receive the GIFT of righteousness which is OF HIS Spirit. [Romans 10:9-10] This is because the Lord Jesus Christ’s Resurrection is BASED on the FACT Sin is TOTALLY put away. Paul teaching on the resurrection said, “For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 2 Cor. 15:16-17 Another way to say this is, BECAUSE Christ is raised you are no longer in your sins. Meaning Christ’s resurrection PROVES that sin is put away. So we can say, if the demand of SIN, which includes EVERY sin that is ever committed by mankind from the beginning of time to the end of time, is not satisfied THEN there CANNOT be ANY resurrection. Because Death will still hold the RIGHT awarded to it BY the WORD of GOD to hold sinners under its GRIP, since the wages of Sin is DEATH, therefore making the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ to be meaningless. The point is if we invalidate the TOTAL satisfaction for sins that came through the Lord Jesus Christ then we invalidate everything else that comes on the account of it.
The GIFT of righteousness is BASED on the knowledge that ALL our sins are satisfied in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul said “Also on account of us, to whom it [Righteousness] is about to be credited, to those believing on the One having raised Jesus our Lord out from the dead, who was delivered over for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.” Romans 4:24-25 Righteousness is based on the belief that Jesus Christ has overcome DEATH by putting SIN away once and for ALL. “For that which He died, He died to sin ONCE for ALL; but that which He lives, He lives to God. [Spirit]” Romans 6:10 [1 Peter 3:18] This is the GROUND, on which the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling in us. [J.p] teaches on the preaching of Peter to Cornelius house points out that the Holy Spirit fell upon them the moment Peter told them their sins are forgiven. [Acts 10:40-45, Acts 2:38]
Finally, Paul said, “And inasmuch as it is apportioned to men to die once, and after this, judgement, so also Christ, having been offered once in order to bear the sins of many, will appear for a second time, APART from SIN, to those awaiting Him for salvation.” Hebrews 9:27-28 Paul is saying when Christ returns the SECOND time, He is NOT coming to deal with Sin, which means we ought to look beyond the concept of the FLESH, SIN or the LAW. If you KNOW Jesus Christ is NOT going to judge the world for sins then it is very IMPORTANT to know what He is going to judge on?
The Judgement for Righteousness.
In order to understand the Judgement that comes on the account of the Lord Jesus Christ being raised from the dead, we have to know what the Lord meant when He said, “concerning JUDGEMENT, because the RULER of this world has been JUDGED.” And in regards to this, Daniel, describes the moment this judgement was passed saying, “But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his [the devil’s] dominion, to consume and DESTROY it forever.” Daniel 7:26 Daniel is describing here the moment Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven as John does in Revelation 12:7-10. And he also associates the judgement of Satan to the moment, when the Son of Man is taken up to the Throne of Heaven saying, “Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. To Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.” Daniel 7:13-14 So WHEN the Son of Man entered heaven in glory, Satan was cast out with his angels, and everything that the devil does from that point forward is described as, “because he knows he has a short time.” Rev. 12:12
In the beginning of this study we showed how when Adam and Eve fell being deceived by the Devil, God passed judgement of death and decay in EDEN that is on EARTH against the serpent, Eve and Adam along with the rest of the world, the significance being the natural was judged but NOT the spiritual. However, here we see when Christ went to heaven, having provided redemption for the sins of mankind, the courts were seated in heaven itself and NOW the spiritual was judged and the result of which was Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven. So God in providing salvation for mankind through the forgiveness of sins in effect stripped Satan of all his power and authority whereby he was NOW made subject to the judgement of Wrath.
And Paul showed how the salvation of mankind proved to be the downfall of the kingdom of darkness saying, “The wisdom of God having been hidden, which God foreordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age has understood. For if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Cor. 2:7-8 And in Colossians he says, “Having forgiven us all our trespasses, having blotted out the handwriting in the decrees against us, which was adverse to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed the rulers and the authorities, He made a show of them in public, having triumphed over them in it.” Col. 2:14-15 The sceptre of the kingdom of darkness through which Satan ruled was SIN, as Isaiah says, “The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers; He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he who ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted and no one hinders.” Isaiah 14:5-6 That is to say the devil himself is now judged, on the account the sceptre of his rule [Sin] was broken.
So we may say, the JUDGEMENT of RIGHTEOUSNESS came into effect when Christ went to His Father in Heaven, NOW everyone will be judged on this Grounds. God is NOT judging for SIN, meaning according to the nature of Satan that works in the sons of disobedience. Sin is ALREADY judged in the natural in DEATH and the spiritual in WRATH. But God in making propitiation for our Sins made a way for a NEW Judgement of Righteousness to be put in place for which Satan and his angels have no recourse. As Hebrews says, “He helps NOT angels but the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:16
The judgement to come is according to CHRIST not ADAM. If you are judged for Christ THEN you are NOT judged for Sin but for righteousness. So to whom we belong has great significance, as John writes, “The one practising sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.” Then he says, “Anyone having been born of God does not practise sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to continue sinning, because he has been born of God. THROUGH THIS, the children of God AND the CHILDREN of the devil are MANIFEST: anyone not practising righteousness is not of God.” 1 John 3:8-10 NOTE: “Through This” that is the manifestation in the practices of Sin or Righteousness our nature is revealed. So the judgement of righteousness is to determine who has obtained life in Christ in having His Spirit IN ORDER to MANIFEST the nature of righteousness.
Paul says, of those of the flesh in whom the spirit of the power of the air works, “Among whom we all also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts; and we were by NATURE children of WRATH even as the rest.” Ephesians 2:3 That is being of the flesh is to be by nature children of wrath. What we want to focus on is to whom that WRATH refers to, in saying children OF and BY nature. Our sin is punished in DEATH, but our nature that is of the Devil is punished in WRATH. And Paul links these two concepts saying, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:6 The sons of disobedience are those in the flesh in whom the spirit of the power of the air is working. That is, those who submit themselves to the flesh and its works are submitting themselves to the kingdom of darkness and they will be partakers of the wrath that comes against the Devil. That is they will share in his judgement because they have chosen to live for the nature of the flesh NOT of the spirit!
The significance being, even though the sins of mankind are forgiven, we have to attain Righteousness in order to escape the WRATH to COME. For the people of our Age this means you have to believe your sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus and receive the free Gift of His SPIRIT in order to pass from death to the Life in Christ. Therefore, the ONLY reason Mankind becomes partakers of the Wrath that is to befall the kingdom of darkness is in the case they have refused the offer of LIFE that came through the Lord Jesus Christ in order to bear fruit to GOD, that is the fruit of righteousness.
Therefore, mankind is judged on the basis of receiving the FREE gift of righteousness that came at the EXPENSE of the LIFE of the Son of God! Paul, comparing the two judgments of God said, “Anyone having set aside the Law of Moses DIES without mercies on the basis of two or three witnesses. How much WORSE punishment is deserved by him, who counted the blood of Christ a common thing and insulted the Spirit of Grace.” Hebrews 10:28-29 Here we see Paul contrast the punishment due under the Law that is of the covenant of Death to the Far Greater punishment of the one who rejected the offer of LIFE that came through the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore rejecting the GIFT of righteousness that is REJECTING CHRIST is punished in HELL and this is the Second DEATH that comes to EFFECT on the FACT that the FIRST is ANNULLED.
So just as death came through Adam now Life comes through Jesus Christ, so the judgement of Righteousness is a judgement of the Right to LIFE! As Paul writes, “For the Law of the Spirit of LIFE has set you free in Christ Jesus from the Law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 That is, in our AGE Righteousness is determined by having the Spirit of God, which in turn produces works befitting. John writes, “And I heard a voice out of heaven, saying “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead dying in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they will rest from their labours; for their works follow with them.” Revelation 14:13
So as the kingdom of God in the authority of Christ Jesus is established we can trace the fall of Satan from realm to realm, along with those who BELONG to him. First from Heaven when Christ was exalted to the throne of His Father, then as Christ brings the kingdom of God to the Earth, Satan and his angels along with those who rose up against God are cast down to the bottomless pit for a 1000 years. [Rev 19:20-21] Which brings us to the people of the Age of the Lord to come. And we will examine how the judgement of Righteousness is expressed for the people of that Age, which ought to give us an idea of the expectations of God towards us. Now, the unique thing about the people of this age is that even though they are in the body of death, they are living under the atmosphere of the Age of Righteousness that comes to effect under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ with His saints, that is spirit-mankind. The people of this AGE do not have any adversary since Satan is bound in the bottomless pit. And the Lord describes the judgement these people will face saying, “For I hungered, and you gave to Me nothing to eat; and I thirsted, and You gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and You did not take Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’” You can find the full version of this judgement in, Matthew 25:31-46
We can clearly see here, the Lord does NOT say to them, you have killed, lied or stolen but rather, you have NOT fed, clothed or visited. In Fact Isaiah 11:6-9 says of this age, NO ONE will rise to do anyone any HARM, not even the cobra against the child nor the lion against the lamb. Nonetheless the people of this AGE are judged, and they are judged for the fruit of righteousness APART from the act of SIN. Isaiah says, “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go BEFORE you;” Isaiah 58:7-8 God is NOT judging them for SIN but for the lack of compassion in the acts of LOVE which is a feature of righteousness. As James says, “the one knowing to do good, and not doing, [to him] it is sin.” James 4:17 So they will be judged on the FRUIT of righteousness they are EXPECTED to bear.
And Isaiah describes this period as, “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.” Isaiah 65:20 Meaning they have a FULL life to produce the fruit of righteousness, UNDER the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, so it takes a determined effort NOT to bear fruit for them or even us to fail. The Only difference between us and them is that in their case the influence of righteousness is from without, in the absence of the adversary so their righteousness goes before them but in ours it is from within by the Holy Spirit in the presence of our enemy therefore our works follow us.
And on the final day, Death and Hades will be required to give up the dead that are in them. And these will face the judgement of Righteousness, according to what is written in the Book of Life. Note: it is not the Lamb’s Book of life which applies only to spirit-mankind that attain to be citizens of heaven but the Book of Life, that is those who are of the flesh [Natural] and are raised to inherit the New Earth BASED on the works of righteousness they have done during the 1000 year reign of the Lord. And the punishment for failing to produce expected fruit is, “Then also He will say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, those being CURSED, into the eternal fire, having been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41 Which is the SAME punishment as the people of our Age who failed to obtain the Spirit of God in order to bear fruit for Him, that is the FRUIT of Righteousness.
So we may say there is NOT a single soul that is in HELL this very day, since none will go there UNTIL the final day of Judgment in Rev 20:11. Isaiah says “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered in prison and after many days they will be punished.” Isaiah 24:22 Here we see both the heavenly hosts and the kings of the earth both awaiting the final day of punishment. Peter says of the angels that fell, “For if God did not spare the angels having sinned, but having cast them down to Tartarus, in chains of gloomy darkness, delivered them, being kept for judgement.” 2 Peter 2:4 Tartarus which is normally is translated as hell is actually the lowest place in Hades. Isaiah says of the casting down of Satan, “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol [Hades], to the lowest depths of the Pit. [Tartarus]” Isaiah 14:15 Which basically refers to the bottomless pit. [Rev. 20:1-2]
Hell is a punishment for the devil and his angels meaning be it mankind or angels both are tormented alike. That is when the final day comes, no one torments another, both mankind and demons, evil spirits and fallen angels and even the devil are ALL alike punished in the everlasting burning flame. And the first to go to hell is the Antichrist and the false prophet, followed by Satan himself 1000 years later, then Death and Hades after they are forced to give up the dead that are in them THEN the rest of mankind that rejected Christ, bringing to a CLOSE the Present Heaven and Earth and the beginning of New! [Rev 19:20; Rev. 20:10,13-14]
So the judgement of Righteousness is NOT some watered down concept, it is the TEST of a True change of nature which bears a FAR greater consequence than the judgement of SIN!!!
SIN Does MATTER!
Now, it is important to clarify this last point, lest you go thinking I am advocating SIN does not matter. No I am not saying that!!! The point is Sin AND Righteousness are a fundamental aspect of NATURE, one is in Adam the other is in Christ. So if a person is INDEED in Christ, the nature of sin and of the flesh is CRUCIFIED, it is dead, such a person NO LONGER lives for the pursuit of fleshy desires but for GOD! [Romans 6:11, 2 Cor. 5:15, Gal. 5:24-25, 1 Peter 4:1-2]
So, if you are seeking to justify the desires of the flesh thinking sin does not matter, you have to face the fact that you think that way, because you are in the flesh and NOT in the Spirit. It is SIN that put Christ on the cross, and you cannot live for righteousness unless the nature of Sin is crucified in you!! It is either in the flesh or the Spirit, it is either in Adam or in Christ. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Gal 2:20 That is to say, the nature of Adam that was subject to sin is dead in me, and the nature of Christ that is of righteousness is now alive in me. We need to recognize that the life that is in us is the incorruptible, righteous life of Jesus Christ. [1 John 3:9] And it is the knowledge of this truth that brings forth a life in keeping with a born again identity in Christ. Paul said, “Sober up righteously and do not sin, for some have ignorance of God.” 1 Cor. 15:34 Paul is exhorting us, it is in the knowledge that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus we overcome SIN.
We end our study with this point, we need to be assured in this truth, sin is done away with, and the forgiveness of sins is meant to be freely received, never earned. John says, “If we should confess our sins, He is faithful and just, that He may FORGIVE us our sins and might CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 Note, forgiveness is coupled with the act of Sanctification, that is the process of cleansing from all unrighteousness. And God will give the Spirit of His Son that is of righteousness to anyone who ASKS Him in the knowledge of this TRUTH, that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised to life by the Spirit. The effect of which is that the HOLY SPIRIT Himself will HELP us to live for Him in Holiness. The Christian walk is of FAITH by the Spirit in the GRACE of God. So we need to Make a daily practice to spend time in the WORD and in PRAYER, through which we participate with the Holy Spirit in Sanctifying us.
Bread Bait. 
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