2 Corinthians 5:21 | NKJV (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
“For He hath made Him to be sin for us…” – means it was the choice or will of God for Jesus to do this
He became sin with our sin. He did not sin and was spotless but He took upon Himself our sin past, present, and future.
To be righteous means you are right with God, made right to God’s standard, innocent, justified
This is what will happen when you seek after walking uprightly – fulfilling what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33.
Matthew 6:33 | NKJV (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 | AMPC (33) But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
We need to learn God’s ways, more than we need to learn God’s rules.
Psalms 81:13 | NKJV (13) “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!
Ways – a road, a course of life, mode of action, method of operation.
An ignorance of God’s ways will keep us out of God’s highest and best for our lives.
There is a blessing on giving the ways of God your attention.
Proverbs 8:32 | NKJV
(32) “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep (attend to) my ways.
Isaiah 55:8-9 | NKJV (8) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Righteousness – God’s character, consistent in character
A proper foundation of uprightness is necessary for these things to come to pass in our lives.
What does a foundation or uprightness look like?
Psalms 15:1-5 | NKJV (1) LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? (2) He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; (3) He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; (4) In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; (5) He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
This is not a salvation Psalm. This Psalm is God’s plan for how to succeed, His blessing, prosperity and advancement in life as a believer.
Walking in holiness is not difficult. Walking in un-holiness is difficult.
The Bible says the way of the sinner is hard.
Psalms 15:2 | NKJV (2) He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;
- Walk uprightly
- Do works of righteousness
- Speak the truth from our heart
The three things that we are TO DO can be said very simply: your walk, your work, and your words.
When we are speaking about our walk, our works and our words, that is pretty much the sum total of our lives. God wants us to walk uprightly in all of these areas.
God not only saved us from our sins (past) but He saved us from our sins (present).
- Walking upright means simply to stop sinning.
The Bible teaches us to flee sin.
1 Corinthians 15:34 | NKJV (34) Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Jesus did not die just to save us from sins but to also to save us from sinning.
It is not trying to live separately from the world (people) that keeps you from sinning because you can live in a commune by yourself somewhere and still sin.
Romans 6:10-12 NKJV (10) For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (11) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
- Do works of righteousness.
Ephesians 2:10 | NKJV (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Remember, our goal as Christians is not just to go to heaven. It should be to do those good (God) works which further God’s plans here, now.
Matthew 5:16 | NKJV (16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Good works are corresponding actions to righteousness.
- He speaks the truth in his heart.
You are speaking from a heart that is filled with the Word of God.
There are two kinds of truth that we speak from:
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- Truth from the Word of God
- Truth that is not a lie.
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Psalms 34:12-13 | NLT (12) Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? (13) Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!
Ephesians 4:25 | TPT (25) So discard every form of dishonesty and lying so that you will be known as one who always speaks the truth, for we all belong to one another.
The moment that your words leave the truth, they become a lie. Don’t stretch or shade the truth.