Forgiveness and Righteousness

There is a line that divides between being righteously able to receive forgiveness easily, and just thinking that forgiveness and grace are basically a license to remain a sinner. That line is very thin, and only those with totally honest hearts are able to easily walk that tightrope. Someone who loves righteousness desires forgiveness if they have failed, because they can't bear to live apart from the "righteousness, and peace, and joy [that is] in the holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). Those who know the love of God very well find it quite easy to accept forgiveness and move forward in the righteousness of God without looking back. They believe the simplicity of the scripture that tells us plainly; "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I Jn. 1:9). Those who understand the enormity of the cross of Christ, and it's cancellation of sin for those who believe, do not waste time wrestling with the conflict of whether they 'deserve' to be forgiven or not; they just repent and move on from there. The truth of that matter is that JESUS DESERVES for us to be forgiven! It's what he hung on that cruel cross for, and that is exactly what he paid that monumental price for. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7). So those who understand the magnitude of the price that Jesus paid for our redemption, and the the totality of it, know that they can go to him whenever or how often needed, to obtain that forgiveness and renewing of spirit and conscience. It is these people who know and relish the reality of the scripture that tells us; "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:15,16).

The point is that those who love the righteousness of God are going to live in that righteousness, and it is only if they fall short that they will look to Christ for forgiveness; and they will do so because they do not want to be apart from the peace of God that only comes by means of a conscience that is clear from sin. On the other side of that fine line are those who also depend fully on the forgiveness that has been made available by what Jesus suffered at Calvary, but for a different reason and with a different motive. Those are the people who glory in the fact that "Jesus did it all, and it's HIS righteousness that we're depending on." Man, that sounds good, doesn't it? In fact it is altogether the truth, IF one understands that genuine faith in Christ makes us literal partakers OF his righteousness, and that we CAN live 'in his righteousness' ourselves. But these would-be believers do NOT believe that we are literal partakers of God's righteousness, and they're passion is NOT to live in that righteousness. They're motivation is rather to NOT live in the righteousness of God, and to USE the cross of Christ and the forgiveness attached to it, as an EXCUSE to continue in sin. So like those who DO love the righteousness of God, and also live in it; these CLAIM the cross and the forgiveness that comes through the blood of Christ, but it is only in pretense. Those who think like that are in overt opposition to the powerful statement that the apostle Paul made on this very matter: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom. 6:1,2) Those two verses are an absolute death sentence to the prevalent mindset about the grace of God that exists in this generation. Those who use the suffering of Christ as an excuse to remain in sin, believing that 'he has their back;' have no understanding of the grace of God, or the price that Jesus paid to bring it to us.

The apostle Paul on the other hand knew a whole lot about God's grace, and that is why he gave us declarations like the following to instruct us in the matter: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Tit. 2:11-14). So the issue of forgiveness, and of the suffering and death of Jesus that made it available, comes down to whether we love the righteousness of God or not. We can talk about the cross, and about the death of the Son of God; and we can talk about his resurrection, and the forgiveness he offers to those "that come unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25). We can claim forgiveness, and we can ask for forgiveness; but when it's all said and done what really makes the difference is WHY we want to be forgiven. If we seek forgiveness because we have missed a step with God's holiness, and we desire only to be found IN his holiness; then forgiveness and grace are real to us, and will save our souls. But if our idea of being forgiven because of what Jesus suffered for our sake, is to simply keep on living in sin, using the grace of God and the cross of Christ as an excuse to do so; then our claims of forgiveness and righteousness with God are as solid as air. I should soberly add that those kinds of claims and ideas will save absolutely no one from the wrath to come. Salvation is a very simple issue my friend, and the scriptures are not a source of confusion on what it takes to be saved: "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid... For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

Remember the passage from Titus, that tells us that Jesus will "purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works?" The beloved apostle put these things together very neatly and profoundly, describing the true salvation of the Lord, and what it takes to obtain it: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (I Jn. 3:2,3). Those who hope to "attain unto the resurrection of the dead," spoken of here by John, cannot bear to live apart from the pureness of heart that is the state of all who truly believe on, and are following Christ in truth (Philip. 3:11; Mat. 5:8). That is why they seek the forgiveness that comes through the blood of Christ, and because they love the righteousness of God that his Spirit imparts and is. These understand that the only true road to salvation is to be literally apart from sin: "In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death" (Prov. 12:28). Those who try in vain to use the cross of Christ and the blood he shed, as a crutch to support them to continue in their sins; know absolutely nothing about the love of God's righteousness, and the true forgiveness that 'cleanses from all unrighteousness.' These will be very sadly and rudely awakened in the end, because they never cared to understand that sin will not enter into the land hereafter where the faithful will dwell. "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure" (Job 8:13-15). The evident conclusion is that if you are alive, you are in a very serious circumstance, and only total honesty of heart and a fervent love for God's righteousness will make you able to safely navigate the sea of this life till the end. Amen.