Fruits of Righteousness

by Jerry Savelle

Contents

1 Understanding Righteousness

2 A Righteousness Consciousness

3 The Fruits of Righteousness

4 The Uncompromisingly Righteous

Chapter I

Understanding Righteousness

In the first chapter of Philippians, the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pray for the born-again, Spirit-filled Believers at Philippi. You should note, that whatever Paul prayed for those Believers applies to us today. The Holy Spirit inspired the prayer and He fully intends for it to be answered. He will back it with His power. As you read these verses of Scripture, receive them for yourself; accept them as yours today.

"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy ... And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."

Philippians 1:2-4, 9-11

The Apostle Paul knew how to pray the perfect will of God and he prayed here for the Church to be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. In other words, we are to be filled with the same fruits which Jesus bore in His earthly ministry. Romans 5 8:29 says that we are predestinated to be conformed to the image of God's Son. God intends for the Believer to act like Jesus, and to produce the fruits of righteousness that Jesus produced.

Someone might argue, "Yes, Brother Jerry, but Jesus said that in the world we would have tribulation.

We can't expect to be victorious in everything." In John 16:33 Jesus said "... In the world ye shall have tribulation . . . " However, you cannot read the first part of that verse without the rest of it. Many Christians today are identifying with the tribulation.

They will actually fight for the right to have trials and tribulations. They will fight for the right to be in bondage. John 16:33 says, "... In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Identify with victory!

You will find no evidence in the New Testament that God intends for the Believer to be in bondage. He does not intend for you to live in poverty, in lack, or want.

His intention is that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing; that you be fruitful in every good work; that you increase in the knowledge of God; that you know the hope of your calling; that you have the eyes of your understanding enlightened; and that you know the exceeding greatness of His power toward you because you are a Believer (Colossians 1:9-10; Ephesians 1:18-19). When you have a working revelation of these things in your heart, there is no way Satan can keep you from being successful in your Christian walk. You will be filled with the fruits of righteousness and enjoy the victory that Jesus enjoyed!

It should become a quest for you as a Believer to obtain the same results Jesus obtained in His earthly ministry. The key to it is being full of God's Word. Jesus said in John 15:7-8 "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." If you are a Believer, then God has made you able to be fruitful. He has made you able to be a winner. He has made you able to be a success. Because of Jesus' work at Calvary, you should not allow sickness and disease to reign in your life. To stand by and let satan run rampant over you and your family would do dishonor to the work of Jesus on the cross.

There was a time in my own life when I allowed sickness, disease, poverty, lack, and want to reign over me. I did not know about the Covenant I had with Jesus. I did not know about my right-standing with God. However, the moment I discovered I had a Covenant with God, it became a quest for me to find out everything that Covenant provided for me. I learned that the New Covenant would work just as well for me as the Old Covenant worked for Abraham and his seed.

The Bible says in Hebrews 8:6 that this New Covenant is a better Covenant, established upon better promises.

Everything Jesus wrought in His earthly ministry was a direct result of standing on His Covenant with God. He operated under the Abrahamic Covenant, but you and I today have a better covenant than that. The New Covenant cannot be broken. It is between God and Jesus. When you made Jesus your Lord, you became a partaker of that better Covenant. You are a joint-heir with Jesus to everything the New Covenant provides.

One of the greatest provisions of the New Covenant is the gift of righteousness.

Before you can fully realize the fruits (or products) of righteousness in your life, you need to become established in righteousness itself. You need an understanding of what righteousness is and how it can be obtained. Until you have a revelation of righteousness, these fruits will not be produced for you.

James 5:16 says, "... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." I once read that verse and wondered what I could do to become righteous. I determined in my heart to find out about righteousness and get it operative in my behalf. Then I read in the Amplified Bible that righteousness simply meant right-standing with God. Second Corinthians 5:21 says that Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. I believed in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus; I knew that He had died for my sins. However, Jesus did more than just die for our sins. He was made to be sin for us. He was made sin with our sinfulness!

Why? So that we could be made righteous with His righteousness.

Let's look at the fifth chapter of Romans and lay the groundwork where righteousness is concerned. Verses 8-19:

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

God created Adam in His own image and after His own likeness. He gave Adam His divine nature and together they enjoyed close fellowship and communion.

Then Adam disobeyed God and bowed his knee to Satan. The twelfth verse above says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ..." Through Adam's disobedience, sin entered the world and death reigned over all men. From that point on, mankind could only enjoy a very limited relationship with God.

The fourteenth verse says, "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression ..." Death reigned from Adam to Moses; then God introduced what we know as the Levitical Law. This enabled man to enjoy a very limited relationship with God. The people were still spiritually dead, but they were given an avenue through the Law whereby they could approach God. Each year the high priest came before the altar of God and offered the blood of bulls and goats and heifers for the sins of the people. That blood could not do away with their sins; it only covered them for one year.

Then God sent Jesus into the earth. The Bible refers to Him as "the second Adam." Just like Adam before his transgression, Jesus did not have a sin nature. He was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit, with the blood of God flowing through His veins. Like Adam, Jesus had the divine nature of the Father God inside Him. He walked the earth and ministered as a prophet under the Abrahamic Covenant.

When Jesus submitted His will to Calvary, He gave up His divine nature and opened Himself to accept the sin nature of mankind. As He hung on the cross, He cried out with a loud voice, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus was the only begotten Son of God. Why then would He make such a statement? Because at that moment Jesus was made to be sin.

Romans 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

During His earthly ministry, Jesus had held satan back with the Word of God. However, through obedience to Calvary Jesus willfully allowed Satan to take Him.

Jesus of Nazareth was the final sacrifice under the Abrahamic Covenant—the Lamb of God offered up on the altar of the cross by the high priest of that day.

I stated earlier that the blood of bulls and goats covered sin for one year. The blood sacrifice of Jesus did more than just cover sin. It completely blotted out our sin. There is actually no record in Heaven that the Believer was ever a sinner. Heaven sees the Believer through the shed blood of Jesus. His blood sanctifies us and makes us pure before God. Praise the Lord! Jesus has made us able to be partakers of His nature. He was the firstborn of many brethren, the first begotten from the dead. (Revelation 1:5, Romans 8:29)

The Free Gift

The nineteenth verse of Romans 5 says, "... so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." According to Romans 5:17, we have received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. Righteousness is a free gift. Jesus Christ provided it for us and we are to reign in life by Him. We have seen that because of one man's offence—Adam's transgression—death reigned on all men; but much more than the ability of death to reign over mankind is the ability we have been given by Jesus to reign in life.

One translation says, " . . . we shall reign in life as kings... . "

Jesus died on the cross and allowed His spirit to be ushered into the bowels of this earth. In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus spent three horrible days and nights in Satan's domain, being tormented by the principalities and powers of hell. They fully intended to annihilate Him. After those three horrible days and nights, the Supreme Court of this universe was satisfied that the blood of Jesus had done away with the sins of mankind.

At that moment, the Holy Spirit went into Satan's domain, kicked open the gates, raised Jesus from the dead, and stripped Satan absolutely naked of his power and authority.

Jesus paid the price so that you and I could be made righteous. To refuse His free gift of righteousness would be an insult. It makes no difference whether or not you look righteous or feel righteous; the WORD SAYS you have been made the righteousness of God in Him. You are righteous!

When I speak of righteousness, I am not referring to my own righteousness. Romans 3:25 tells us to declare His righteousness. No amount of church going, or anything similar will help you obtain His righteousness.

It cannot be purchased by good works. It comes only by accepting the blood sacrifice of Jesus and declaring Him Lord of your life. The free gift of righteousness is being offered and has been offered since Calvary; but lack of knowledge has prevented most Christians from accepting it and walking in it. If someone stood before you with a free gift in his hand, holding it out to you, it  would be foolish of you to beg him for it. Yet that is how we have behaved before God where righteousness is concerned. We have made "righteousness" a religious word and, in doing so, have robbed ourselves of the blessings of God.

It is time for the Christians to understand their right-standing relationship with God. We were so loved by God that He sent Jesus to die in our behalf. In John 17 Jesus prayed, "Father, show them that You love them as much as You love me." Think about it!

Chapter II

A Righteousness Consciousness

When I first began studying the subject of righteousness, I found that the more I learned about it the less I became aware of my previous life as a sinner.

That old sin consciousness was being destroyed in me.

When I made Jesus the Lord of my life, the old man died and a new man was born. I am no longer a sinner.

I don't talk like I did; I don't act like I did; I don't hate like I did. That old man died the death of the cross and a new creation came into existence.

Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness... . " I had to accept my right-standing with God by faith, just as I had accepted the Lordship of Jesus by faith. I didn't feel righteous; I didn't look righteous; but God's Word said that I was righteous, so I took it by faith. As I received it and began to walk in it, the truth of that righteousness became a reality in my spirit. I no longer saw myself through the eyes of the old man—with a sin consciousness. I began to see myself through the eyes of God, through the shed blood of Jesus.

It is important for the Believer to realize that the sin problem has been solved. The Bible says that righteousness has come on all men. The only sin separating mankind from receiving the righteousness of God is their failure to believe on Jesus and make Him their Lord.

Jesus said in John 16:8-9, "And when he (the Spirit of Truth) is come, he will reprove the world of sin ... because they believe not on me." The only sin separating the world from Jesus is the sin of unbelief. Believers are expected to present the Gospel to the world. The Gospel is good news. It isn't good news to a sinner when you tell him he's a sinner! He knows that. You should tell him about Jesus and share about the righteousness available to him. That's good news!

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:34, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not ..." When you awake to righteousness, the sin will depart from your life. If you trace back every spiritual failure in the life of a Believer, you will find that it stems from a sin consciousness. We have highly developed our sin consciousness when we should have been developing a righteousness consciousness.

The ninth and tenth chapters of Hebrews tell us that the law was only a shadow of good things to come.

When the high priest offered up the blood of bulls and goats, it covered the sins of the people; but it could never purge them of their sins. If it could have done away with sin completely, then there would have been no more need to offer it yearly. The people under the Abrahamic Covenant were sin conscious. Hebrews 9:11-12 tells how Jesus Christ entered into the holy of holies and presented His blood once and for all, obtaining an eternal redemption for us. What the blood of bulls and goats could not do, the blood of Jesus did. Hebrews 9:14 says, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

One of the first things you should do in developing a righteousness is to stop holding on to the "sin tags" you have used for so long. Things like "I'm just an old sinner, saved by grace." No, you were an old sinner; but you have been saved by grace. Therefore you are no longer an old sinner. You are now the righteousness of God. You came to God as a sinner; and He took your old sin nature, destroyed it, recreated your spirit, and made you in His likeness. Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ in me."

When you rid yourself of that sin consciousness, you will also rid yourself of defeat and failure. A man who knows he has right-standing with God will not fall.

Jesus walked in His righteousness at all times. You can see from His earthly ministry that Jesus never became upset over any situation; He never hurried; He never hesitated. He always acted with assurance and confidence because He knew His right-standing with the Father. He knew how each situation was going to turn out. A righteousness consciousness will produce in you a victory consciousness. You should develop a righteousness consciousness to the point that you don't have to stop and think about it; you just simply react as Jesus did because of His right-standing with the Father.

In the eleventh chapter of John's Gospel, we see the difference between a righteousness consciousness and a sin consciousness. Jesus received word that Lazarus, His close friend, was sick. I want you to notice Jesus'

reaction when He heard the news. Did He panic and immediately head toward Bethany? No. Verse 6 says that, when He heard it, He abode two days still in the same place where He was. Jesus never operated out of panic or worry. He always walked according to His right-standing with the Father.

Throughout the eleventh chapter of John, you can see the doubt and unbelief demonstrated by those around Jesus. Martha said to Him, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." In effect, she was saying that Jesus was too late; but Jesus was never late. He was always right on time. He knew His right-standing with God and was pushing it to its limits. When He stood before the tomb where Lazarus was laid, the Bible says, "... he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth." Jesus spoke boldly and confidently, knowing that the Father would back His words.

If you were asked the question, "Can satan make Jesus sick?" your answer would probably be "Of course not!" That would be ridiculous to your thinking, wouldn't it? Why? Because Jesus is the Son of God; He is the Righteousness of God. It should be just as ridiculous for you to think that satan has the right to keep sickness and disease on you. You, too, are born of God. You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I know for a certainty that, if it is impossible for satan to make Jesus sick, it is also impossible for him to make me sick because I am declaring His righteousness. I have right-standing with God and sickness cannot remain in my body. It has no right to be there. I push my right-standing with God to its limits and walk in divine health.

Your right-standing with God will put you over. To deny the righteousness provided for you by Jesus would be to deny a vital part of His substitutionary sacrifice.

In God's eyes, you are as righteous as the Lord Jesus Christ. You have been given the ability to stand in the presence of Almighty God. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace

. . . " If we were not righteous, we could not stand in His presence; but He has extended to us an open invitation to visit there whenever we desire. We can come and stand before God as though sin had never existed, without condemnation, without fear, without a sense of inferiority, but rather with a sense of belonging.

The word "grace" in Hebrews 4:16 means "love gifts." The Father desires for us to come before Him as children and receive our needs met. His "love gifts" are offered freely because of Jesus' work at Calvary. We are to come boldly and obtain!

The Apostle Paul reveals his righteousness consciousness in II Corinthians 7:2. He writes,

"Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man."

Not very long before this, Paul had stood in King Agrippa's court and testified how he had stoned Christians, how he had imprisoned them and persecuted them. In fact, he had held the coats of the men as they stoned Stephen. Having done all that, he then had the nerve to write to the Church at Corinth that he had wronged no man. Is he lying? No! The man that persecuted those Christians died the death of the cross on the road to Damascus. A new creation came into existence in Paul's spirit. He had a revelation of his right-standing with God and he understood that the old man in him was dead and gone.

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Paul describes the armour of God and he mentions righteousness as a breastplate.

A breastplate is used to cover and protect the most vital parts of the body. To deny righteousness would be to leave yourself vulnerable to the attack of satan.

Righteousness is a vital part of the armour of God.

When you put on the whole armour of God, you are, in effect, putting on God's clothes. They won't fit very well at first, but you'll grow into them. When I first put on God's armour, I felt unworthy. I thought, "I can't wear God's clothes. I'm so unworthy. I've been such a sinner for so long. I couldn't wear the breastplate of righteousness." As long as I thought those things, I was kept in total defeat by satan. He had me deceived where my right-standing with God was concerned. However, when I learned the truth, I immediately strapped on my breastplate of righteousness. I wear it constantly now. I refuse to take it off; it's part of me.

Dwell on righteousness instead of sin. Develop a righteousness consciousness and get rid of that old sin consciousness. It makes no difference how much sin you committed before you were saved because God is not holding your sin against you. In God's eyes, you are a new creation, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Push righteousness to its limits and failure will be a thing of the past. Once you establish your heart on the fact that you have right-standing with God, you will walk boldly according to the Word of God. You will lay hands on the sick with confidence, knowing that they shall recover. You will dare to act on the Word of God with the confidence that He will back it because you have right-standing.

Chapter III

The Fruits of Righteousness

Our basic Scripture text in this study is Philippians 1:11, Paul's prayer that the Believer be "... filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus

Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." What are the fruits of righteousness? Look at Isaiah 32:17. "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." The fruits, or products, of righteousness are these: peace, quietness, assurance. Let's examine them in the light of God's Word.

Peace

In studying these fruits of righteousness, I found that the word "peace" is used in almost every book of the New Testament. In most cases the Greek word translated "peace" means "a harmonious relationship."

"Harmonious" is defined as "well proportioned, balanced, agreeable." In other words, righteousness in the life of a Believer will produce in his behalf a well-proportioned, balanced, agreeable harmonious relationship with God the Father.

Let's look at Acts 10:34-38.

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

Jesus was anointed of the Holy Spirit and came preaching peace to the children of Israel. He introduced a harmonious relationship between God and man that had not existed since Adam. This new father/son relationship was something the Jews knew nothing about. The religious leaders could not comprehend it.

They became very angry when Jesus would make statements like these: " . . . I am in the Father, and the Father in me" (John 14:11); " . . . but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John 14:10).

Mankind did not know this kind of relationship with God. The Bible says that Abraham's faith was imputed unto him for righteousness. Later, when God introduced the Levitical Law, men were given a way by which they could contact God and have a very limited relationship with Him. When Jesus presented His close fellowship with the Father, the people could not understand it. He walked in His full privileges as a Son of God, with a righteousness consciousness, fully aware of His rights before the Father. That kind of attitude caused the religious people to get violently angry. Jesus was preaching peace to the people of Israel; He was showing them how to live in peace with God—in a well-proportioned, balanced, agreeable, harmonious relationship with God the Father.

In John 16:7 Jesus said, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." In other words, He was saying, "During the past three and one-half years, I have shown you how to live in harmony with the Father. When I go away, I will send the Comforter to you. He will recreate you and cause you to be partakers of the harmonious relationship with God that I now enjoy."

Do you have the kind of relationship with the Father that Jesus had when He walked the earth? Is your relationship with God well-proportioned? Is it balanced and agreeable? Are you as much in the Father as Jesus was? If not, then you can be. Look at the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17, beginning with verse 9:

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.

Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept ...

And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

This prayer is straight from the lips of Jesus. Do you think that Jesus of Nazareth could pray a prayer like this and have it go unanswered by the Father? Jesus knows how to pray the perfect will of God and the things He prayed for are a reality right now.

Jesus was saying, "Father, I am praying that they may be one as we are one, that they may be made one in us as I am in You and You are in me. I pray that they will have a well-proportioned relationship with us."

Jesus and the Father were at peace with one another.

They were in balance, in harmony. There was no discord between them. This relationship is far beyond anything that mankind can ever conceive; but it is available to us. The Believer today should be walking in this very same relationship with God.

I want you to notice Ephesians 2:13-19.

"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for us to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God . . . "

Verse 14 says, "For he (Jesus) is our peace ..."

What did Jesus pray in John 17? That we all be made one with Him as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. Jesus brought the answer to His prayer into manifestation by being obedient to the cross. He gave Himself for us and became our peace. Because of that, we can now enjoy the relationship with God which Jesus enjoys. God sees us no different than He sees Jesus. He does not love Jesus any more than He loves you and me. That's good news!

Jesus gave us peace with the Father. He gave His own blood to provide it for us and I am determined to keep that relationship proportioned, to keep it in balance. I watch what I do, what I say, how I love, how I respond. I do not want to do anything that might destroy my relationship with God the Father. Jesus paid a precious price to bring us into harmony with God; I want to stay in harmony with Him.

Jesus said, "... He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). Once you realize your relationship with the Father, you will stop trying to do the works yourself. The works will be a part of you because you know your right-standing with God.

Righteousness is a spiritual force that will work in you and cause you to think a new and better way. It will motivate you to victory. Romans 5:1-2 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

When you are being motivated by righteousness, you will have peace— a well-proportioned, balanced relationship with the Father. When you are in balance with God and in proportion to Him, there is absolutely nothing He will not do in your behalf.

Now I want to deal with the one element that can cause this harmonious, agreeable relationship to be jarred out of proportion: sin. When there is sin in your life, when you allow the lusts of the flesh to govern you, your relationship with God is tipped out of balance.

However, God has provided an avenue through Jesus whereby we can receive forgiveness and immediately return to full fellowship with the Father. God deals with sin in the life of a Believer according to I 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."

Many Christians believe that if you get off into an area of sin, God will break your leg or make you sick or punish you physically in some way. How does God correct us? Let's read Hebrews 12:6-11.

"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto themwhich are exercised thereby."

God is a Spirit. We are His spiritual children. Sin is a spiritual problem. God does not deal with the flesh; He deals with the spirit. He does not use carnal methods to chastise our spirits. A spirit being will use spiritual methods to correct another spirit being.

What is the spiritual method God uses to correct us?

His Word. Jesus said, "... the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).

Second Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ..." If you sin in some area of your life, God will use His Word to chastise and correct you.

Hebrews 12:11 says, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ..."

There have been times in my spiritual life when God had to correct me through His Word. At those times, I would rather have been hit in the head with a board than have God discipline me with His Word. It hurt me deeply, however, the Word says, "... nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." God always uses His Word to bring correction and discipline to His children. Once you acknowledge His Word, your relationship with Him remains balanced and your fellowship is restored.

We have studied "peace" as "a harmonious relationship." However, another usage of the word "peace" denotes "rest and contentment." Let's examine this aspect of peace for a moment in John 14:23-27.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace (rest and contentment) I leave with you, my peace (my rest and my contentment) I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Jesus has given us His peace, a product of His right-standing with the Father. Therefore, we should not be troubled or afraid.

Regardless of what is happening in the world, we should be at rest and filled with contentment because we have right-standing with God the Father. If God be for us, who can be against us? The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:35-37, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution ... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Peace is a by-product of righteousness and it should be evident in the life of a Believer today just as it was in Jesus' life on earth. If you have been troubled about things happening in the world around you, then I must conclude that the fruits of righteousness are not functioning in your life. Become so established in your relationship with the Father that you will be able to stand untroubled and unafraid in the midst of turmoil and trouble.

There has never been a more opportune time for the Christian to stand and proclaim that there is a way out of trouble. There is a Way and His name is Jesus. He was made to be sin that we might be made the righteousness of God. No matter what comes up before us—whether depression, inflation, or hard times, the Believer can know that he is the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Psalm 37:25 says, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

All of us quote I John 4:4 often: " . . . greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." It sounds good, but I wonder how many actually believe it and have their hearts established in the truth of it.

When your right-standing relationship with the Father becomes a reality in your heart, you will not just quote Scriptures because they are "the thing to say;" you will stand boldly and declare His righteousness. You will know and fully understand your rights and privileges before the Father. You will stand firmly and refuse to be moved for ever. You will be at rest and content. You will be convinced that no weapon formed against you can prosper, no plague can come nigh your dwelling.

You will know that you are the righteousness of God.

Consequently, you will never go begging for bread; you will never be forsaken.

Some time ago, God dealt with me about developing the force of righteousness in my spirit. He pointed out that I had been very diligent to develop the force of faith; but if I would turn my attention toward developing a righteousness consciousness and let the force of righteousness begin to motivate my life, then the force of faith would operate at a higher level than ever before. From that point on, I became diligent about developing righteousness in my life and I no longer had any problem with my faith.

Philippians 4:6-7, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The Amplified Bible reads this way: "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace (be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding, shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." This could also be translated as, "The peace of God shall come into your heart and mind and quiet you like a garrison of soldiers in a turbulent country."

Once you get your head and heart quiet, resting and content, the struggle with your faith is over. The basic law of faith demands confession with your mouth. The first thing I do when I act by faith is put Mark 11:23-24

into motion. I begin the faith act by saying out loud the thing I desire in my life. I say exactly what I believe I receive. From that moment forward, one of two things will occur: either my mind will be completely in agreement and fixed on what my heart is believing, or my mind will begin to doubt and I will become doubleminded.

When I first began operating by faith, my mind gave me problems. It was constantly telling me that there was no way I could receive what I was believing for. The only way I could seem to quiet my mind would be to walk the floors, confessing over and over what God's Word said about my particular situation. Then the Spirit of God began to show me some things about the force of righteousness. After I spent some time in the Word of God concerning righteousness, I became more and more aware of my relationship with the Father. I realized that I could go to Him with any need and know that He would supply that need. I saw that the Word said, "Don't fret. Don't be anxious. Don't worry. Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God WILL mount guard over your mind and your heart."

When the peace of God is mounting guard over your mind and heart, there is a protective barrier around you and Satan can't reach you with his thoughts or doubt and unbelief. Praise God!

Righteousness produces peace, rest, and contentment. Once you have a revelation of righteousness in your spirit, you can sit back in rest, knowing that the promises of God are yours; knowing that when God is for you, no one can successfully be your enemy; knowing that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

If you have trouble quieting your mind, follow the instructions in Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." If you can't think of anything true, honest, pure, lovely, and of good report, then think on Jesus. He is all of these things!

It would be good for me to point out I Peter 5:6-7,

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." The Amplified Bible says, "Casting the whole of your care—all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all—on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully." You are the object of the Father's interest, love, and affection. Don't carry your care around with you. Cast it over on Him and leave it there. He wants you to!

Quietness and Assurance " . . . the effect of righteousness (shall be) quietness and assurance for ever" (Isaiah 32:17).

Another fruit of righteousness is quietness. The word "quietness" in the Greek means "a tranquility that comes from within." Do you know of someone who has taken a tranquilizer? What was it designed to do? To calm them, to quiet them, to relax them. When you establish your heart in righteousness, then quietness—that tranquility from within will spring forth and flood your being. It will cause your mind and heart to become relaxed, resting in the assurance that God and His Word will put you over.

The third fruit of righteousness as mentioned in Isaiah 32:17 is assurance. This means "the engrossing (or absorbing) effect of knowing that God will fulfill His promise." When assurance is at work in your spirit, you will know beyond a doubt that God will do what His Word says. It is inevitable. Hebrews 10:23 states, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) . . . "

When you push righteousness to its limits, it will produce these fruits in your life: a harmonious relationship with God, rest, contentment, quietness, tranquility, and assurance. All these things will work together for you and produce only victory in your life.

Praise the Lord!

Chapter IV

The Uncompromisingly Righteous

The reality of righteousness is definitely a key to victorious living, for the Word of God states in Romans 5:17 (Amplified), "... those who receive God's overflowing grace and the free gift of righteousness reign as kings in life."

We are to reign in this life as kings instead of life reigning over us. We have been made the righteousness of God and because of this we are guaranteed success.

Many people have said, "Well, I know that I am the righteousness of God and I'm not successful." The problem here is that this person has never made a quality decision to win, as the pressures of the enemy come they always give up and quit. You must realize this fact—FAILURES ARE NOT GOD-MADE! If you follow God's instructions you will win.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words in I Corinthians 15:34, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." As you awake to your right-standing with God then sin becomes a thing of the past. The greater the revelation of righteousness the less sin occurs in your life. The word "sin" just simply means "to miss the mark." When you sin you miss the mark for God's best in your life. The major sin that most Christians partake of is not murder, adultery, or stealing, but, compromise. So many miss the mark because they refuse to stand strong on the Word. When pressure comes, they begin to look for an avenue to compromise.

The place where many compromise is when they have done all and are ready to stand; but it appears that nothing is working. You should realize that at this point you have the best opportunity to lean hard on your right-standing with God. This is where you can excel and rise above the problems and difficult circumstances in your life. Ephesians 6:10-16 from the Phillips translation reads:

"In conclusion, be strong—not in your selves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God's complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil's methods of attack.

We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil.

Therefore, you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground.

Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you."

As you read these scriptures you will note that God intends for you to win. How? By taking an uncompromising stand on your rights as a child of God.

God will back you! You will begin to rejoice and praise God as the Psalmist and say, "I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High; When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.

For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right" (Psalms 9:2-4).

Praise God, did you notice this glorious truth—GOD WILL MAINTAIN YOUR RIGHT AND YOUR CAUSE. This is why the righteous do not have to compromise.

In closing, I would like to share with you the following scriptures. I believe it will be most rewarding for you if you'll begin to make them a daily confession.

As you confess them it will build a new awareness of your right-standing with God and the fact that you don't have to be beaten any longer, for you are—THE UNCOMPROMISINGLY RIGHTEOUS.

PROVERBS 10:3—"The Lord will not allow the uncompromisingly righteous to famish."

PSALM 37:25—"I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the uncompromisingly righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread."

PROVERBS 10:6—"Blessings are upon the head of the uncompromisingly righteous."

PSALM 34:19—"Many evils confront the consistently righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

PSALM 37:39—"But the salvation of the consistently righteous is of the Lord; He is their refuge and secure stronghold in the time of trouble."

(All scriptures taken from Amplified Version)

Table of Contents

Understanding Righteousness

A Righteousness Consciousness

The Fruits of Righteousness

The Uncompromisingly Righteous

Table of Contents

Understanding Righteousness

A Righteousness Consciousness

The Fruits of Righteousness

The Uncompromisingly Righteous

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