“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

Do we receive Righteousness or the seeds of Righteousness when we ask Jesus to be Lord of our lives?

We have heard it taught that it is the righteousness of Christ that saves us; that there is nothing we can do to earn that righteousness or that salvation or that reconciliation as Paul calls it in Romans 5:10 NASB. That is true. So how do we then maintain this free gift until we go or Jesus comes? Answer, the righteousness of Christ, His life, The Way, is how. Or didn’t you know you had too?

Are we responsible to bear fruit? Do we have a responsibility, in being bought with a price, forgiven totally, made righteous freely? Was Christ called the first born of many brethren? Are we not to be like Him?  How is this possible? Is it accomplished because He died for us? It only begins there and Paul knew.

Paul wrote Romans 5:10 (NASB77)
”For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, …” Yes we are reconciled to God, but what about after, as we live life? How do we stay “saved” or reconciled as Paul calls it? As Paul said, there is “much more” to understand.

Jesus died for our sins previously committed, before we met Him. (Romans 3:25) Why would He need die for sins not yet committed? Would they be committed? Sure they would. Is He there to help? Sure by the Holy Spirit! We are expected to rely on, to follow, the wisdom and instruction He taught and lived, in order to avoid sin and instead bear the peaceful fruit of righteousness! YES, THEN His righteousness becomes ours in life! He gets the glory!

Jesus died once and for all but not for all sin forever! He died for all those who would come to Him, forgiving their sins to date. Jesus did however teach us how to flee from sin in life, to avoid it, recognizing it, and to live righteously by grace toward our fellow man and to God righteously to eternal life! (Romans 5:21) In doing so, we die a divine death to His glory! He lives in us!

We can be dead to sin, if we learn how! We will sin but our remedy, the antidote for life’s sin, is in the teachings of Christ our “Lord?” THEN we maintain our free gift!

There is an expectation on God’s part that we, after reconciliation, as we live on, that we will bear the fruit of righteousness. He plants we bear! He is the vine we are the branches! Does any of this sound familiar?

We understand correctly that when we ask Jesus to be Lord, God forgives us, cleanses us of all unrighteousness,(1^st John 1:9) we are regenerated and then renewed by the Holy Spirit.

Titus 3:5 (NASB)
^”He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit…”

Regeneration : palingenesia, the state or the act of rebirth. Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. # 3824.

Ephesians 2:5 (NASB)
”…even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),…”

Renewing: (of or by the Holy Spirit) anakainōsis , from <G341> (anakainoo); renovation :- renewing. Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.# 342, #341.

Do we not know that renovation is a process? We buy the house, then we renovate it to renew it, making it like we want it, elevating its condition to our standards. This is our process via the teachings of Christ with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Any Christian knows our maturing in Christ is a process. Our mind had to be renewed to new thinking. THIS is why Jesus came and spent time teaching us. Not just to die for us but to show us a new and living Way. (Hebrews 10:19-20 NASB) If there is a Way are we not to walk in it?

The kindness of God led us to repent and ask Jesus to be Lord by the Holy Spirit. Every mercy, forgiveness, cleansing, love, every aspect He freely gave, was a seed planted in the garden of our hearts with the absolute expectation that it would grow and multiply. It would be meaningful fruit for others to observe and receive freely when needed, from us to the glory of God and Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit!

James 3:18 (NASB77)
And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

All this sowing takes place in life after our initial reconciliation to God.

I wrote earlier but excluded, Paul said, in Romans 5:10 (NASB77)
”For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Christ’s death was critical to us. His life teachings and example actually save us; as in when we die or He returns. Until then we have a glorious Way to walk in. The question is, will we?

Romans 11:22 (NASB77)
” Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”

Whoa, did Paul say that??? He knew. We must bear fruit and more as we mature, just as one would expect.

Proverbs 11:30 (NASB77)
”The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.”

We have a great hope and all the more as the time draws near for Christ’s return.

Isaiah 3:10 (NASB77)
”Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions.”

Do rightly , love mercy, walk humbly, and it will go well with you! Let grace reign! Romans 5:21, to eternal life!

Philippians 1:9-11 (NASB77)
”And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
¹⁰  so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
¹¹  having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

“We are to be “Gracefruit” trees. Never withdrawing our limb from the scraggly hand of need that reaches for the same fruit we needed.”

“If we remain in His grip, how far from His heart can we be!”

A guardian in Christ,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

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