By John Thiel

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What is righteousness?

Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.

All God’s commandments are righteousness. It is expanded that righteousness is doing and obeying the commandments of God. That is what righteousness is. What else is the law? If you want to understand the Ten Commandments, it is in the life of Christ. This is the foundation of which our character is to be built.  Our character building is to be after the pattern shown thee in the mount. God has given us the pattern; the law is the great standard of righteousness. This is the pattern that we are to build our character from.

Psalm 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

Would you like a friend that lives with you continually, all the time? That’s Jesus. The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, these are able to come into us and make their abode with us, so that wherever I am abiding, they are abiding with me.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

How to portray righteousness by faith practically, this is what we are dying to have because we can read statements from the Spirit of Prophecy which convey the beautiful sense of what righteousness by faith is able to impart to us. It is the gift of Christ’s righteousness. We say that is wonderful! It is a gift! I hear constantly that there is a shortfall of understanding practically how to actually get hold of that gift for my personal self.

Jeremiah 33:14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

This is for our contemplation, to know the truth and by that knowledge, to be set free as Jesus expressed. By sin we are the servants of sin. We are in bondage to it.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

We are to be sanctified

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

What is coming together?  The bible is saying even sanctification is part of the truth that is going to make me free and it’s the sanctification that Jesus sanctified himself with. When you’ve died to self and risen again, your partake of the divine nature. You’re born again of the spirit.  Then the sanctification process is achievable.

I sanctify myself.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

He who knew no sin became sin for us.  That we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

This is the chain of truth spoken of:

Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Justification and sanctification are both connected with Jesus Christ. What is the meaning of justification?

Romans 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Imputed means Ascribed

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness

Accounted/accredited.

Justification is imputed righteousness.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

This justification is what everyone in Christendom wants to highlight. It’s true if we believe in Jesus we are justified.  Which is setting to our account righteousness. By Christ’s death we are justified. Is that all? 

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 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.

Faith of the son of Hod

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

What did apostle Paul say? I live by the faith of the son.  He is made into us sanctification.  Jesus died because of my sins and I’m dying with him

What does apostle Paul say?  I die daily. Living by faith is the issue.  The faith of the son of God. I  am Justified and saved by his life. I sanctify myself that  I might be saved by his life.

Saved by His life I live of His faith

Hebrew’s 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

He was made perfect.  I am by his faith, his sanctification, he did something that he became the author for us.  He was made sanctification to us.  He cried to God. To understand what Jesus was doing

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds

He is the author and finisher of our faith.  I live by the faith of the son. People don’t understand the practicality of it. Following him is to follow his authorship. To live by the faith of Jesus is to follow the program.  

1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus is our example.  Do what he did. Follow him exactly.  The new theology carried from the evangelicals.  We don’t need to follow his example.  Always bearing in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus. So the life of Jesus may be manifested. The death brings justification and life brings sanctification they are similarly. 

What is sanctification?  What are now to do?   

1 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All the things Jesus did are expressions that need to be brought into living reality.