Romans 1-3

What righteousness is not, and what it is.

If you read Romans 1-3 before you read this, it will be helpful to you.

Romans 1:4-7 TLV  He was appointed Ben-Elohim in power according to the Ruach of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. He is Messiah Yeshua our Lord.  (5)  Through Him we have received grace and the office of emissary, to bring about obedience of faith among all the nations on behalf of His name.  (6)  And you also are called to Yeshua the Messiah.  (7)  To all those in Rome, loved by God, called to be kedoshim: Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah!

We find that the above verses introduce Who we serve, why we serve Him, and the audience of this message. Those called to be saints of the highest, the creator of all the Earth and everything in the seen realm are the audience, not unbelievers. Messiah Yeshua was appointed Son of Yahweh by the Holy Spirit by His resurrection from the dead, made alive by the grace of Yahweh so that His righteousness can be imputed to us.

Paul is about to prove that through the grace of Yahweh, with no input from us yesterday, today, or tomorrow, Messiah Yeshua will transform us from slaves to sin to slaves to righteousness. We have been justified and all the debts we have incurred by our sin against Yahweh (as part of our inheritance from Adam) have once for all time been erased from the memory of Yahweh and our names have been written in the Book of Life.

If this transformation of our sinful nature to righteous nature is manifested in our daily lives (sanctification), then the power of death over our lives is truly and completely erased from our minds. The only thought of physical death comes in the ultimate glorification of Yahweh, as our transitionary state while in our natural body of sin is replaced by the hope of glory.

If you are fearful of dying, you are probably not born-again.

Romans 1:16-17 ESV  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  (17)  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Paul commences this elaborately executed explanation that is Romans by telling us what righteousness is not. I will summarize Paul’s points in Chapters 1, 2, and part of 3:

1. Paganism - We learn that righteousness cannot be earned through idolatry, as it leads you to ignore Yahweh’s invisible attributes that have been obvious from the creation and replace them with physical images appealing to our sinful senses.

2. Moralism - you cannot earn your way to righteousness by an attitude of moral completeness. This is a big one in our current brand of Churchianity. Our churches are filled with people ready to serve out of an overwhelming desire to show goodness through works. Becoming indwelt by the living Messiah Yeshua means your works are FROM Him by faith, not for Him by moral relativism. James talks about this in more detail in James 2:14-26.

3. Nomism - refers to the attainment of righteousness by performing the rules or laws laid down by men with religious observance. The Roman Catholics, the Muslims, the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and many others are all examples of this type of religion. These rules are generally very weak as these religions provide ways of attaining righteousness through another set of man-made adherence rules for transgressors of the easy set of rules.

4. Religious Identity - if you think you are righteous because of your inherited religious identity, you will never be righteous. The Jews are the best example of this fallacy.

Who is Righteous?

Romans 3:10-19 ESV  as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  (11)  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  (12)  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  (13)  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  (14)  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  (15)  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  (16)  in their paths are ruin and misery,  (17)  and the way of peace they have not known.”  (18)  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  (19)  Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Executing any or combinations of the above four man-made ways to righteousness leads Paul to the conclusion through careful selection of Old Testament scriptures that there is not one human alive that can be made righteous by his efforts. Submission to His will by becoming indwelt by the Spirit of Messiah Yeshua is the only way one can achieve righteousness before Yahweh.

Yeshua said in John 14:6:

John 14:6 ESV  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

What is Righteousness?

Romans 3:21-30 ESV  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—  (22)  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:  (23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  (24)  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  (25)  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  (26)  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  (27)  Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.  (28)  For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.  (29)  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,  (30)  since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Righteousness is the existential reality that we are who Yahweh says we are.

We are Sons of Yahweh, those sanctified by the Holy Spirit for holiness in the now, with life everlasting as our crown (our reward for faith). This identity in Christ is what drives us to bring others into righteousness, not the following of programs or the handing out of tracts designed by men.

This holiness is evident to all who meet us. It is a fragrance, like a mesmerizing perfume, that permeates the air around us. It is a restful peace that presents a sanctified soul, not the argumentative adherence to a set of man-made doctrines.

This holiness presents a holy love to all, not an emotional humanistic form of love, but a deep spiritual love of our Father that becomes magnetic to those in holy discontent, and a repulsion to those in delusion. It is Yahweh who chooses holy discontent for the children of the promise.

My burden is for the lost that sit in our churches week after week, thinking they are meeting Yahweh’s requirements, yet under a holy discontent leading to spiritual unrest. I am here for you one and all.

If you know there is more for you, but are unable to find it within your current sphere of physical existence, rest easy for spiritual help is at hand. I have been prepared for this task, and Yahweh will not fail you.

If the Holy Spirit is prompting you, email me at thegoodsoil@substack.com. Do not second guess yourself or wait, respond as the Spirit is leading.

Let me know where you are at now in your spiritual walk, and I will marshall the armies of The Kingdom by prayer and personal dedication to you, to help you get where Yahweh wants you to be.

This journey to sanctification may be painful and I can guarantee it will be difficult. Do not attempt this journey without faith that Yahweh will bring it about. If you can touch it, taste it, see it, smell it, or hear it, it is not faith.

Your indwelt spiritual slave to Yeshua (Gal 2:20 KJV)