Not having my own righteousness

Not having my own righteousness

Phil.3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Most of the Christian world, and ALL other religions, strive to produce righteousness by their own works, by effort, or by mental discipline. Yet, the word of God goes forth, by clear instruction, that no flesh shall be justified in his sight. God, our Creator, says that we cannot earn our way into heaven, and we cannot be approved in his sight by our own righteousness. Isaiah says the following,

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

God is absolutely just, and he is the justifier of those who believe in Christ. God sets the standard. God is the one who makes the benchmark of what he will approve as righteousness. Rom.3:26 disqualifies every attempt of man to stand righteous before God. The only righteousness approved by God is the righteousness that comes by faith of Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

The righteousness discussed above is a FREE gift of God, imputed to anyone who puts their trust in the cross work of Jesus Christ to save them. God freely gives you this righteousness the moment you respond in faith to the grace gospel of his Son. From that moment, you are righteous before him and sealed into an eternal life with him. You do not work for it, you cannot earn it, but you trust in the word of God that it is given to you freely by the work and effort that his Son has already done for you.

But, what about good works? Surely good works must count for something.

First, no good works will earn your salvation. It is only the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed or freely given to you that saves you from wrath and eternal death. Good works have nothing to do with salvation. Good works is simply an outflow of your love and commitment to God's word, and its outward manifestation brings a witness and glory to Jesus Christ, contributing to our ministry of reconciliation towards mankind. That's it. Good works is an outward measure of your faith and obedience to the word of God.

Men cannot produce good works that are acceptable to God. The heart of man is full of sin and corruption. The motives of the heart are selfish and deceitful. No good work that meets God's standard can come from the heart, or from the flesh.

Rom.8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The more that a man tries to keep the moral law, or even laws he makes up according to his own religious views, the more they fall short of the righteousness that God requires. The righteousness of the law, the good works that God encourages in his word, is not produced, or willed into being by us, but it comes from God himself and is produced in those who walk after his Spirit. 

The next logical question to ask then is, "How do I get his Spirit?" Paul provides the answer if you study the book of Romans, the foundation and standard that God has approved for the true believer in Christ.

Rom.6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Notice the words, "obedience unto righteousness". The good works that God desires from us is not by our effort, but rather, by us getting out of the way and allowing the word of God within us to influence us unto righteousness. We give in to obedience, and the righteousness of Christ is produced in us that leads to good works. You know what this means? You need to get the word of God inside you. You need to study it and make it part of your life so that you can become more and more transformed by the word of God, renewed in your mind, changed in heart, and influenced in its truth. Obedience unto righteousness occurs when the word of God takes over your actions, your speech, and your thoughts. You are naturally influenced by the truth of God, the Spirit of God, operating in your mind. You learn to yield to the Spirit of God, his word, within you, which produces the fruits of righteousness, and kills off the works of the flesh. As you grow in knowledge and obedience to the word in you, you slowly, over time, become the servants of righteousness, and the works you produce are the good works of God as he works in you to will and do according to his good pleasure.

So, in summary, we must note that the righteousness that God requires operates in two ways within us. It saves us from wrath and eternal death when we receive it as a free gift of God by faith in the cross work of Christ, done for us and on our behalf. But then, once we are saved, we need to continue in righteousness. It is not a righteousness we can produce by obeying laws or rules, but it is produced within us by the living Spirit of God, his word, that transforms us, renews our minds, and influences us unto obedience which produces the fruits of righteousness. The righteousness that saves us is for our justification, and the righteousness that produces the good works in us is for our sanctification and reward in the ages to come. Both forms are discussed by Paul in the letter to the Romans. This is a good place to start if you need to learn more about it and have it become part of your service and worship to God. Amen.