God’s Righteousness vs Yours

Which is better?

What does each produce?

1. WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS?

It is the state of being right.

Right with God

Right with others

Right with myself

It is the state of being complete or whole

How?

By the standard of righteousness as declared by God and our conscience

2. WHAT IS SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS?

Self-righteousness is using the power of self effort to be:

1. Right with God

2. Right with others

3. Right with myself

3. WHAT DOES SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS PRODUCE?

1. It produces a curse

Galatians 3:10 NIV - Anglicised

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

2. It produces failure Clearly no one is justified

Galatians 3:11 NIV - Anglicised

Clearly no-one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

3. It produces condemnation

Whoever does not believe stands condemned already.

John 3:18 NIV - Anglicised

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Whoever believes will not be condemned

John 5:24 NIV - Anglicised

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

4. WHAT IS GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS?

God’s righteousness is declared by his oneness with the ultimate standards of right and wrong as set forth in the law.

God’s Righteousness Is Love!

5. WHAT DOES GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS PRODUCE?

1. Living righteous in God sight produces blessing on every level

If you fully obey

Deuteronomy 28:1–14 NIV - Anglicised

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands that I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the gentiles

Galatians 3:14 NIV - Anglicised

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

2. Living righteous in God sight produces peace

Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1 NIV - Anglicised

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

Romans 14:17 NIV - Anglicised

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

3. Living as one who is righteous in God’s sight produces perfection

He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy

Hebrews 10:14 NIV - Anglicised

because by one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy.

Present her to himself as a radiant church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.

Ephesians 5:25–27 NIV - Anglicised

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

6. HOW TO LIVE IN GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS?

1. By Faith

The righteous will live by faith

Galatians 3:11 NIV - Anglicised

Clearly no-one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

A righteousness that is by faith from first to last’

Romans 1:17 NIV - Anglicised

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Be found in him NOT having a righteousness of my own

Philippians 3:4–9 NIV - Anglicised

though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

2. Reject Living By The Law

The law is not based faith

Galatians 3:11–12 NIV - Anglicised

Clearly no-one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.”

Kick out the slave woman and her son. (Speaking of the law and all it produces)

Galatians 4:30 NIV - Anglicised

But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”

Not justified by the law

Galatians 2:16 NIV - Anglicised

know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified.