.
THE POWER IN THE WORD OF GOD WHICH CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH IS THE SAME POWER AVAILABLE TODAY TO MAKE US RIGHTEOUS - BUT DO WE BELIEVE? - RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH
Hebrews 11:3 ...'Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen
were not made of things which do appear.'
Do you BELIEVE there is POWER in the Word of God? I hope your answer is yes. We are told above in Hebrews 11:3 that the 'worlds were framed BY THE WORD OF GOD.' Just think about that for a moment. God didn't gather a load of materials and spend years putting the earth together with His hands. He SPOKE through His Son Jesus and the heaven and earth were formed by that Word. Just think of all the components of the earth that make up all of nature, and yet by that WORD they all came together and are held together by the word of God.
Hebrews 1:3 ...'Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.'
Colossians 1:17 ...'And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.'
By whom do all things 'consist' and 'hold together'? By Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Word of God. Is Jesus literally wrapping His arms around the world holding all things together? No. All things are being upheld 'BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER.' Wow! By HIS WORD all things were created and are held together!
Do you see how much power there is in the WORD of God?
Hebrews 4:12 ...'For the Word of God is quick, and POWERFUL, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.'
There is MIGHTY power in the Word of Jehovah! So much power that it can bring life into existence and uphold the heavens and the earth by that mighty power. Now did you remember what Paul said in Hebrews 11:3 above? That it is through FAITH we understand the worlds were framed by the Word of God. We believe it because God said it happened that way. Right? Well friends, that Word which created and upholds the world and keeps all things together is the same Word which said the following:
Hebrews 10:16-17 ...'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.'
Ezekiel 36:26-27 ...'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.'
Friends, this is the Word of Jehovah. The SAME WORD which created the heaven and earth said He will CREATE in us a new heart and CAUSE US to walk in His ways and keep His commandments. This is the righteousness by faith message. God didn't say He would just 'impute' the righteousness of Christ to our record. He promised He would also IMPART the righteousness of Christ into our very lives, MAKING us a righteous, holy, obedient, commandment keeping people.
Isaiah 51:7 ...'Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.'
We believe that the Word of God created the heaven and earth, but many do not believe that SAME WORD can create a new heart in us, turn us away from all sin and cause us to live holy, righteous lives. That is not faith friends. Faith is BELIEVING in God's Word and the POWER of His Word. So the question is, do you BELIEVE? Let us not be deceived by the false righteousness by faith message in the churches today, which only goes as far as 'imputing' the righteousness of Christ to our record but leaves us continuing to sin. This is NOT true righteousness by faith. Look at what the Word of God says:
1 Corinthians 15:34 ...'Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.'
"So we see that justification by faith is nothing else but bringing a person into perfect conformity to the law. Justification by faith does not make any provision for transgression of the law." (E.J.Waggoner, Daily Bulletin of the General Conference, 1891, p.172)
Let us BELIEVE in God's Word which also says He would cleanse our very lives of sin.
Ephesians 4:23-24 ...'And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after god is created in righteousness and true holiness.'
Psalm 51:2 ...'Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.'
1 John 1:9 ...'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'
1 Peter 1:22-23 ...'Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD OF GOD, which liveth and abideth for ever.'
Do you see? Christ doesn't just cover our sins with His blood allowing us to continue living in sin. He 'CLEANSES us from ALL unrighteousness' (1 John 1:9). But what is the key to achieving this through Christ? Do we just sit back and 'believe' that He will force us to be righteous? No, God will never force anyone to be righteous. Take a look at the following quote regarding this:
"Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet to appear in God's presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. 'I counsel thee,' He says, 'to buy of Me ... white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to IMPART to us ... By His perfect obedience, He has made it possible for every human being to obey God's commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ the heart is united with His heart; the will is merged in His will; the mind becomes one with His mind; the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then, as the Lord looks upon us, He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah." (E.White, Signs of the Times, Nov. 22, 1905, par. 4-5)
Do you see? Belief, submission and abiding in Jesus Christ is the key to being clothed with His righteousness and living His perfect, obedient life, in obedience to all of Jehovah's commandments. If we repent of our sins, believe in the Word of His power, submit our lives to His keeping and abide in Christ each and every day, each and every hour, He will perform this work in us of cleansing us of all sin and we end up LIVING HIS LIFE, just as the apostle Paul said:
Galatians 2:20 ...'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.'
This is the NEW LIFE that God has promised us. Christ formed within and living within, dead to the world, dead to self and sin. But this can only be achieved by abiding in Christ, as Jesus said Himself in John 15:4-5 ...'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.'
But WITH Christ we can do ALL things ... "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13) - HALLELUJAH!!
Dear friends, it is startling to see the faithlessness in the churches today! Most professed Christians do not believe they can overcome sin. They believe that by the Word of God the heaven and earth were created. But they do not believe the same Word which says we CAN overcome all sin now through Christ. Why? Because they are focused on SELF, the very thing that is to DIE in the new birth experience. This is what being 'born again' is all about. Our old lives must die, in order to live the new life in Christ. Many in the churches today make a mere profession of faith, but deny the POWER of God, which the apostle Paul warned about:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 ...'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves ... lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.'
We are in the last days and this is a perfect description of the world AND the churches. Dare I say that many in the churches cannot overcome sin because they don't want to overcome sin. They are too happy in their own 'pleasures.' Sadly, they will find out one day soon that the robe of Christ's righteousness will NEVER cover a life of unrepentant sin and will see the nakedness of their shame when Jesus returns. And what will the Father say to all those without the 'wedding garment' of Christ on? "Take him away and cast him into outer darkness" (Matthew 22:13).
Let us not find ourselves in that position when the King comes to inspect our clothing. Let us make sure we are clothed with the righteous garment of Christ by BELIEVING in the POWER of His Word when He said He would cause us to walk in His ways and keep His commandments. Let us truly repent, submit, abide in Christ every day and BELIEVE in His power to transform. There is mighty power in the Word of God. The very Word which spoke the worlds into existence and upholds them is the same Word which said He will MAKE us righteous! Let us BELIEVE!
Psalm 37:5-6 ...'Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.'
1 John 3:5-6 ...'And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.'
Revelation 14:12 ...'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.'
For more important studies on this topic, please see our following pages:
PRESERVED BLAMELESS - TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH
TRUE LIBERTY IS ONLY OBTAINED BY OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S LAW THROUGH CHRIST