Christian Author and Pastor Ron Craig
How about piling up passages that reveal how God sees us, and not how the world, or religion, evaluates us? Using 2 Corinthians 5:21 as the foundation of that positive pile, “God made Jesus Who knew no sin to BE sin for us, that we might be MADE the righteousness of God in Him.” Tell me how Christians may at the same time be sinners and God’s very righteousness! Does God want us to be unrighteous? Of course not! Does He just want us to be blanks, without any righteousness? Surely not! Does God want us to endeavor to establish our own righteousness? Romans 10:3 answers that: “The Jews, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and trying to establish their own righteousness, did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
So, what kind of righteousness is left that God would want us to have? HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! And Paul said that in Christ we are the very righteousness of God. How can Christians look down on themselves in light of that biblical truth? However, that truth must be found in the mouth of two or three witnesses. Second one: “The one who practices righteousness IS RIGHTEOUS JUST AS HE [GOD] IS RIGHTEOUS (1 John 3:7).” The very same righteousness! Third witness: “If you know that He [God] is righteous, then you know that those who practice righteousness are born of Him (1 John 2:29).” That is how we get righteous—being born of Him—born again. Also look at Ephesians 4:24, Philippians 3:9 and a few dozen more Scriptures in Strong’s Concordance under the words righteous and righteousness. Reject all that negative stuff!
When Paul said “there is none righteous” in Romans 3:10, he was addressing the lost, both Jews and Gentiles. He was not referring to Christians. Yet that is one of those passages preachers use to make Christians think they are sinners and therefore look down on themselves. A disservice to the Body of Christ!
(If you are not a committed member of some other Christian fellowship, you are invited to visit Living Way Fellowship at 2041 County Road 73, in Killen area. From Killen, going north on US 43, turn right on County Road 73 and go 2 and 1/2 miles. We are on the right. You can’t miss the sign out front—Living Way Fellowship. Sunday 10:00 A.M., Wednesday 7:00 P.M. Ron Craig is the pastor, teacher, and Christian book author. Contact us at ronwritercraig@gmail.com, or log onto our church website at www.livingwayfellowshiponline.org. While logged on our website, check out my books and audio podcasts. Wouldn’t hurt!)
