In His Name Devotionals
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
In His Name Devotionals
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS
“Who justify the wicked for a bride, And take away justice from the righteous man!” (Isaiah 5:23)
In what might seem odd to us, the prophet Isaiah listed among the “woes” he pronounced, one that would “take away the righteousness of the righteous” (Isaiah 5:23). Since we have learned that on our own there is none righteous on his own merit. The apostle Paul wrote that he wanted to “be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith (Philippians 3:9).
There is a righteousness that is a part of grace and can be seen in two words that are inseparable: Justification (Romans 5:1) and Sanctification (John 17:17). While they are united in the purpose of man’s salvation they must be considered separately.
Sanctification is a change of state and with it comes our title to Heaven. The description of this blessing is recorded in 1 Peter 1:4.
Justification is the change that must be evident in this disposition, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This change must be guarded daily for Jesus taught you to pray for the forgiveness of sins, just as He did to pray for your daily bread (Luke 11:3,4). You must guard this “righteousness of the righteous!”
