A SINNER versus THE SINFUL

Religious people normally refers to some among themselves as righteous, some as saints and some as holy. They refer to those outside their group as sinners without showing good understanding of why and how those words were meant to be applied. They apply these words by judging people based on what they do physically. In the other hand, those who are regarded as sinners by the religious people refused to accept and believe with the religious. Those who are called sinners argues that the religious people who claims to be saints, holy and righteous still do the same thing those who are called sinners do or even worst. Misunderstanding and misapplication of certain words in the religious circle is the cause of great confusion that actually fuels resentment against God’s salvation rather than making it appealing to the people of the world. Words such as sinners, sinful, righteous, saints, holy, etc., are some words that are both misunderstood and misapplied. Wrong application of these words is pushing people away from God and His Christ rather than drawing them closer. Every human being sins but not all are sinners. Some are sinful while others are sinners. Being a sinner and being sinful are two different words spiritually. These two different words describes the two states humans can assume while they live on earth. Confusing the two words with each other has caused great misunderstanding of the salvation mission of God established and commissioned through Jesus the Christ of God. The religious people wrongly define sin as what people do or how people live their life. This wrong definition of sin has confused many about God’s salvation and judgment. This same religious people hypocritically call themselves righteous claiming they are sinless and have the authority to morally judge others. This hypocritic postulation is causing great resentment among those who are yet to believe because they do not see any difference between their acts and works with that of those who claim to be saints, holy and righteous. “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:22-23. “Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So, He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”             Matthew 19:16-17. If you do the same thing I do or even worse, why do you call yourself a saint and call me a sinner since we both sins? Or what sense does it make to believe in God and His salvation if those who claim to be saints, holy and righteous are as corrupt and immoral as those who are called sinners? You frequently hear this kind of argument every time you talk about salvation or mention the name of God and the name of Jesus Christ. The undeniable effect this is having on the Gospel has made it an important topic for discussion so that the truth will be stated without religious bias. We have to consider what sin is as the foundation for our discussion which will help us to understand what it means that one is a sinner, a sinful person, a saint, a holy or a righteous person. We shall also understand how to apply these words in line with what God intended and not as a show of self-complacent or judgment. God’s intention has always been to enlightenment humans with the truth and not to condemn them.

SIN

Sin is an act of disobedience committed against God. It manifests in all wrong doings against oneself or against another person or against the creations of God (including the earth the entire universe and their inhabitants). Sin is specifically every disobedience against God. It is the failure to believe what God said which makes one to not do what God want. If you do not believe God, then you cannot obey God. Sin is more about what we believe than what we do because our actions are motivated by what we believe. We speak and do things out of the conviction of our heart. We speak and do things according to what we believe in our hearts. Jesus said sin is one’s rejection of God’s purpose and plans. For instance, it is sin for you not to believe in the one who God sent into the world as the Christ for the salvation of the world and mankind. To accept God’s plan and believe in the agent of His plan comes first before works or actions. “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:27-29. Sin is to refuse to accept God’s plan of salvation and believe in the Christ who He sent for that purpose. It is a work of faith for without no one can please God. Jesus said faith is a work and it is the work of faith that will endure to eternal life. Faith is the food which Jesus will give to them that comes to him. He is the author and the finisher of our faith, so the food he gives is faith in God which no one can have on their own because they do not know who God is. Sin is lacking this faith – not believing in the one on whom God the Father has placed His seal of approval as the captain of salvation. Whatever work that is done without faith is sin. “Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” Romans 14:22-23. Sin is a matter of faith and not works because works are based on faith. We believe it before we do it, so what one believes is more important than what one does. Sin is not just doing bad things. Sin is the basis upon which bad things and even good things are done. We sin first by what we believe or don’t believe even before our actions. “Then he said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not. ²⁴ That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am the Messiah, the Son of God, you will die in your sins.” ²⁵ “Tell us who you are,” they demanded. He replied, “I am the one I have always claimed to be. ²⁶ I could condemn you for much and teach you much, but I won’t, for I say only what I am told to by the one who sent me; and he is Truth.” ²⁷ But they still didn’t understand that he was talking to them about God.” John 8:23-27 TLB. Jesus said they will die in their sin. Jews believed they were doing good things according to the law and was baffled when Jesus said they will die in their sin. Which sin since they were following the laws? Their sin is not bad things they have done but not believing in him as the Messiah Son of God who God the Father have sent for salvation. Sin in the eyes of God is about what we believe and who we believe that made us do what we did. If we do what we did in obedience to God, then God takes the responsibility, but if we do it in disobedience to God, we take responsibility. God was concerned with who told Adam and Eve they were naked. Eating the fruit of the forbidden tree was not their actual sin. Their sin was what made them ate it. It was believing the devil. They ate the fruit based on what the devil convinced them to believe about God in relation to the tree. God said to Adam; “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,” Genesis 3:17. Adam listened to his wife first. He believed his wife who herself believed the devil. God identified ‘listening to his wife’ as Adams sin because he ate the fruit only after believing his wife who believed devil rather than God. They would not have eaten the fruit of that tree if they did not believe the devil. God warned Cain in Genesis 4:7 BBE, that “sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master.” Cain has done nothing wrong at this time but the devil was already posed to speak to him which prompted God to warn him not to listen to the spirit of sin who is the devil. God’s warning was for him not to listen to and believe the spirit of sin. Not to let devil, the spirit of sin be his master or lord – someone he should be listening to in determining his actions. Cain finally listened to the spirit of sin and he believed the spirit of sin who led him to kill his brother Abel. Killing Abel was not his sin. Sin was what made him kill Abel. Sin led him to kill Abel. He sinned at the moment he received sin and believed sin. He only manifested sin by killing his brother Abel. He obeyed the spirit of sin and made himself a slave to sin. “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” John 8:34. “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” Romans 6:16. NLT Doing bad thing is not the sin. Sin is what make us do bad things. We expose ourselves to sin when we listen to sin and we sin once we believe sin. God warned Cain at the time when he exposed himself to sin, he sinned when he believed sin and he manifested sin when he killed Abel. So, sin is not just doing bad things. The actual sin is to not believe God and not to have faith in His plan and purpose. The sin of the world is not the evil they are doing but that they did not believe the one God sent into the world as His Son and Messiah. They do not believe God’s right to judge the world because Satan has convinced them the earth does not belong to God. Jesus said that the sin of the world is that they do not believe in him who God the Father has sent. “And when he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. ⁹ The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.” John 16:8-9 NLT. What we do and what we fail to do are not the actual sin. Our actions are just the manifestation of sin. We are judged to have sinned by what we believe because we manifest what we believe through our actions and omissions. People who committed crime by doing bad thing still pleads not guilty in the human court of law. They hope to prove to the court that their action was motivated by a justified believe. Motive is always what is considered in every action and judgment is mostly based on that. There are three ways sin can be manifested. Sin though is committed in our hearts but it is manifested through our deeds/actions (what we do), through our words (what we say) and through omission (what we failed to do). Generally, manifestation of sin involves acts, words and omissions but the birth of sin is in the heart by what we believe.

Deeds:

Deeds are our visible actions. Things we do which can be seen, heard or felt. Such sins are committed physically or emotionally with any part of our physical body such as the mouth, eyes, ears, tongue, hands, legs, private parts, head, etc. We can commit sin alone by our deed without involving someone else. We can be a partner or an accomplice through our deed. We can by our deed/action cause another person(s) to sin. We have share in whatever sin is committed through our deeds whether directly or indirectly. “Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.” Luke 17:1.

Words & Thoughts:

Words are the things we utter with our mouth or things we write down in a paper while thoughts are things that goes through our heart, things we analyze inside of us which may or may not be fully expressed in our actions. We believe with heart and confesses what we believe with the mouth after analyzing it in our thought. The thought of our heart gives the real picture of what we believe. Our words are clear revelation of our heart. In the absence of word, our thought lays the foundation of our motive and motive is the force that produces our actions. Though some people act before they think, that does not mean their actions were not motivated. The actions of those that act before they think are always motivated by what they already believed which is stored in their heart. For out of the abundance of heart we speak and acts. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45. The ability to think before acting or before speaking is a power of self-control. Such power is possessed by both those who love truth and those who hate truth. They take time to analyze and evaluate issues in relation to the truth or the lies they believe before acting on them especially when it is not an emergency situation. Emergency situations are used to test our strong resolve and our core values.

Omissions:

Omissions are the right things we failed to do knowingly or unknowingly. Knowing what is good and failing to do that is sin. It is simply the failure to do what is right when we have the knowledge of what is the right thing to do. Ignorance is not counted as omission. It cannot be an omission in a situation where one does not know what the right to do is. People can be excused from their sin due to ignorance based on given condition. You cannot condemn people of sin if they do not know that what they are doing is sin. No one who did not hear about Jesus will be condemned for not believing in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God. “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.” John 9:35-38. Jesus said “if I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” John 15:22. To cancel the excuse of ignorance is why people are sent out to preach about the kingdom of God and salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. People have no excuse once they are told. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15. The world will not end except the gospel is preached in all the world so that nobody will claim to not have heard the gospel. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:13-14. Where there is ignorance, omission can be blamed on the part of those who are supposed to teach the people the difference between what is right and what is wrong but omission is blamed on the people if they are the ones that rejected knowledge. (Ezekiel 44:15 & 23 and Hosea 4:6).

Faith Omission:

The second omission is the faith omission. This happens when faith is omitted in our actions. Faith is like the oil in a lamp by which lamp is able to give light and be justified as light giver. We commit the sin of omission when our action or deed is not mixed with faith. Faith expresses how we are convinced by what we believe in heart that motivated our actions. Our wrong action can be justified as righteousness if it is mixed with faith – a demonstration of believe and trust in God. What is considered in this case is not what we did but how we reacted to what we did in relation to what we believed about God. “Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” Romans 14:22-23. All human beings commit sin. The question then is if all human beings are sinners because they all commit sin? The second is if being a sinner is the same thing as being sinful. It is very important we explain this since sin is what shall be judged to separate those who will enter God’s kingdom of heaven from those who shall be cast outside into the world of hellfire. The confusion about being a sinner and being sinful is seriously affecting sincere response to the Gospel. It is fortifying those who claim they do not see any reason to believe in God and Christ. Different people have been taught different things about sin and how it relates to human beings. Many believes that all are sinners and that salvation is a religious hoax since no human being is capable to live without committing sin. They consider everyone including believers based on whether they commit sin or mot. In the other hand, some religious people consider themselves to be righteous and sinless since Jesus has paid for their sin. they believe that only those who do not believe in Jesus shall be condemned. The issue of sin, sinners and the sinful which has really become a hot issue regarding true faith is what we set out to clarify here to encourage those who are in the faith and open the door so that those who have not believed may come into the true faith.

SINNER:

A sinner is someone whose nature is sin. A sinner is not just someone who commits sin but someone whose nature is sin. For instance, Jesus said that Satan does not just tell lies but lie is his nature. “You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.” John 8:44 GNT. Being a sinner is a nature, the natural characteristics of the person’s being. A sinner has a sinful nature and sinning is his or her nature. A sinner is a person who is controlled or ruled by the sinful nature. Whatever a sinner does whether good or bad is judged by his or her nature and not by their deeds. They are not judged by the nature of what they did whether it is good or bad but by the nature of the doer whether he or she is a sinner or not. The good deeds of sinners are not considered as righteous works because they are not done in obedience to God. “Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up. ²¹ But those who do what is true come to the light in order that the light may show that what they did was in obedience to God.” John 3:20-21 GNT. Jesus said a sinner is someone whose deeds are not done in obedience to God. The motive or the motivation behind a sinner’s deeds is neither to obey God nor to reverence God. In other words, a sinner will not agree to do the same thing if it is commanded by God or if it will be considered an act done to obey God’s law or commandment. A sinner’s mind is carnal (worldly or fleshly concerned). A carnal mind is only concerned with things related to the needs of the physical body and physical pleasure rather than the spiritual body. God gave physical body to humans for them to physically fulfill their spiritual purpose. A mind which is only concerned with physical needs or human’s physical needs can never please God. This is the condition of a sinner’s mind. “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” Romans 8:7-8. NLT A sinner does great good works but the works of sinners are judged by the nature of a sinner and not by the nature of the work. A sinner’s good work does not change the fact that the person is a sinner. A sinner is not someone who does only bad things. A sinner does good things but not as an obedience to God because a sinner is controlled by the sinful nature. Anyone under the control of the sinful nature does not obey God, does not have any desire to obey God and is not willing to obey God.  “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” Luke 6:46. “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ Malachi 1:6. “He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4. A sinner can acknowledge the existence of God and the greatness or the powerfulness of God but will not submit to the sovereignty of God and will not be willing to obey God. Some who claim to be believers are truly sinners because they do not obey God and Jesus Christ in their life. Matthew 7:21-23. You cannot claim to believe in God and still do not obey Him. sinners are those who do not obey God and Christ. A sinner is any human being who has not been redeemed from the bondage of the sinful nature by accepting that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ of God and the Lord and who does not believe that Jesus is the one in whom God the Father established salvation for all mankind. Many thinks that to accept who Jesus is and to believe in him as the captain of salvation means they don’t sin anymore. Unbelievers also think the same about believers that they can’t sin since they have believed in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God. All human beings are still very capable to sin and all do sin always, but whoever that accepts Jesus and believes in him has been redeemed from the bondage and captivity of the sinful nature and is no longer under the control of their sinful nature. Those who are not under the control of their sinful nature are no longer sinners but they are still sinful since they are still able to fall in sin through temptation.

SINFUL:

A sinful person is one who is still guilty of sin but is no longer under the control of their sinful nature. A sinful person is a person that falls to the temptation of the sinful nature but is not controlled or ruled by the sinful nature. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10. Being sinful is having a weakness that could make you to sin. It is different from being a sinner which is to be a captive to the sinful nature. A sinful person commits sin but does not live according to the cravings or demands of the sinful nature. A sinful person falls to the temptation of the sinful nature while a sinner lives according to the dictates of the sinful nature. A sinful person still has the sinful nature but is no longer under the control of their sinful nature. The truth is that all of mankind with our current physical nature are clothed with the sinful nature whether you are a believer or not. Any soul that has the physical body has the sinful nature. We can put off the sinful nature only when we die. The spirit of sin dwells in our flesh and this spirit is known as the fleshly spirit. The consideration is if one is led by the fleshly spirit which lives in our body or by the Spirit of Christ which we receive through adoption. Whoever that is not led by this fleshly spirit which lives and operates in our flesh is not a sinner (not under the control of the sinful nature to do its will) but is sinful (still has the capability to sin due to constant temptation from the sinful nature). Those who are led by the spirit of sin are sinners while those who are led by the Spirit of Christ are the children of God. A sinful person is someone who has been redeemed from the dominion of the sinful nature but being physically alive is still capable to sin by falling to temptation due to human weakness. A sinful person has accepted who Jesus is and believes in the name of the Christ but is not perfect yet. A sinful person lives by faith in God through Christ Jesus, walks according to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus but hasn’t yet become perfect in nature because he or she still has the sinful nature. A sinful person is concerned with the things of God but still have weaknesses through which sin manifests in his or her life. When we accept that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ of God and the Lord and we believe in his name as the authority for salvation, our soul is redeemed from the bondage and captivity of the sinful nature and we then begin the journey to renew our mind. Though we keep renewing our mind, no one will attain perfection in this life. Living by faith and walking in Spirit shows our desire and determination to obey God now and re-affirms our hope to be made perfect when the time comes. Those who are called saints, holy and righteous of God are wrongly viewed as being perfect. These are among the sinful who are not sinners because they have been redeemed from the bondage of the sinful nature. Those who are sinful are constantly cleansed from their sin by the word of God through the acknowledgement and the confession of their sin. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 32:5. ^“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.” Proverbs 28:13-14.

SAINTS:

The word saint is used to refer to holy or chosen people of God who through faith in God believes in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God and has devoted their life to seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness as revealed and presented by Jesus. Saints are judged primarily by their faith and commitment to the things of God according to the life, way and truth taught by Jesus Christ. Saints are not sinless people and are not perfect though they are called holy. “As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Psalm 16:3. “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 1:7. Saints are not dead believers. Believers do not become saints when they die. They are saints in life before they died, so people do become saints of God only after they died. Saints of God are living people who are not considered sinless or perfect. They can still sin but are not controlled by their sinful nature like sinners. The word of God cleanses them from their sins while they are alive and the blood of Jesus will cleanse and make them perfect when they die. Dead believers have become perfect by being cleansed with the blood of Jesus. The soul of a believer is cleansed with the blood of Jesus at the moment of death so that the believer will be resurrected a perfect person without fault (spotless and blameless) to inherit the kingdom of God. People are called saints not because they have become sinless. They are saints because they have been chosen by God as His elects who by faith are commitment to God and to the things of God and His kingdom. Calling someone a saint does not mean the person has become sinless. It only shows God chose the person to stand on faith and the person have committed his life and resources to the pursuit and fulfilment of God’s plan and purpose as revealed and presented by Jesus who is the Messiah (the Christ of God). One who is called a saint has no right of judgment as to judge others. No human being on earth has the right of judgment to judge anyone in respect to the inheritance of God’s kingdom of heaven. Only the perfect will judge and no human being will attain perfection while in the flesh. Being a saint is not a guarantee the person must enter the kingdom of God. Any saint who does not persevere to the end shall not be welcomed into God’s kingdom of heaven. It is however expected that saints shall reach the end of their faith because they are the chosen people of God called as the elect endued with faith and commitment, but anyone who shrinks back will definitely be rejected at the end. “For there will come up false Christs, and false prophets, who will do great signs and wonders; so that if possible even the saints might be tricked.” Matthew 24:24 BBE. “For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24 NKJV. “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.” Matthew 24:24 NLT.

HOLY:

Holy is anything which is dedicated to God. Holiness is an attribute of God which means unable to sin, think or do evil. It is important to note that God alone is holy because He is the law giver and the judge of all creation. He is above the law, cannot be judged and cannot judge wrongly. God’s judgment cannot be appealed because He is the supreme judge who cannot err in judgment. Jesus said to Pontus Pilate that no one has the right of judgment unless it is given to him by God the Father. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” John 18:10-11. How come believers are called holy people? Believers are not just called holy people, they are called “God’s holy people” or God’s chosen people. Their holiness is in the eyes of God and not in the eyes of the world. They are not called holy because they are sinless but because they are chosen by God to have connection or relationship with God. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3-4. They are holy in God’s sight and not in the sight of people. They did not become holy or attain holiness but are declared holy due to their calling which is the reason they are called chosen people. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” God takes responsibility for their faults and has established a divine system of forgiveness through which their fault or sin would not be inputted to them once they confessed it. They sin but through confession and forgiveness God picks up the bill for their sin. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 NLT. It is mentioned in the beginning that holy is whatever that is dedicated to God. A house which is dedicated to God is called a holy house. Likewise, any object such as car, etc. which is dedicated to God will be called holy. They are holy not because they are sinless but due to the fact they belong to God and are used for God’s purpose only. People who live their life to serve God’s purpose are called God’s holy people because they have dedicated their lives to God by faith in obedience to His will in Christ Jesus. Their soul is not under the control of their sinful nature to do what pleases the flesh. Their desire is in pleasing God even in their flesh and for that reason God called them His holy people. They are not the world’s holy people nor holy in the eyes of the people of the world. To the world they may be the worst criminals or the most hated, but because they are dedicated to God, they are holy in His eyes. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19. For instance, a house dedicated to God’s purpose does not have to be the most expensive or the most beautiful house. The holiness of the house is in the purpose it serves. It will remain holy to God as long as it is used accordingly to serve God’s purpose. Human holiness does not mean perfection. It only defines our relationship to God and His purpose. To be called God’s holy people does not guarantee that the person shall enter God’s kingdom of heaven. Only those who maintained their holiness to the end shall be admitted into the kingdom of God. People will maintain their holiness by remaining dedicated to the purpose of God and persevering in their dedication to the end without falling away.

RIGHTEOUS:

To be righteous is a moral standing. God is the absolute authority in all moral issues because He is the law-giver and the moral judge. To be morally right or morally justified can only be declared by God the Father. The same chosen people of God are called righteous people not based on their sinless life. Being a righteous person to God does not mean the person is sinless. They are righteous to God because they did what is right in God’s eyes to accept Jesus who God sent as the Christ and the Son of God and to believe in God’s salvation which is in the name of the Lord Jesus. “And so, it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.” James 2:23 NLT. Abraham was called righteous not because he was sinless but for the fact he did what is right which is to believe God. Scripture says that anyone who does what is right is righteous. “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7. The issue is to understand what is right in the eyes of the Lord God. Jesus said that what is right in the eyes of the Lord God is to believe the Messiah who He sent. To believe the Messiah is a commandment from God and not an ordinary suggestion. God did not suggest we should believe the Christ, the Son of God. He attached consequence to the commandment to believe in His only begotten Son which shows it was a commandment and not a mere suggestion. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18. “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5. As righteousness was inputted to Abraham for believing God’s plan and purpose, the same way God calls them righteous all those who believe God’s plan and purpose for mankind through salvation in Christ Jesus. It does not mean these people have become sinless or attained perfection. They have only done what is right to believe God in Christ Jesus. Those who draw close to God by believing in Jesus as Christ and Lord have become righteous and will be empowered through the anointing to pursue moral piety. They are morally justified because of their faith in God and not due to their good behavior. Remember the scripture says “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” This happens after we demonstrate faith in God by accepting His witness that Jesus is the Christ and the Lord of salvation. God declares us righteous when we believe in Christ who He sent and after that He begins to work in us to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. Believers are first declared righteous based on their faith before they could be able to prove their faith by their actions. We become righteous by faith while we grow in faith by renewing our mind through the word of God. Being called the righteous of God does not mean the person has attained perfection. It does not confer on the person the right to judge others with regards to entering the kingdom of God. Those who have not become the righteous of God by not believing in Jesus the Christ who God the Father sent into the world has the opportunity to also become righteous. The righteous of God should not be judged according to the world’s definition of righteousness. What righteousness means to God is different from what it means to the world. The kingdom of heaven is not guaranteed to the righteous of God if they do not maintain their righteousness to the end. Any righteous person who shrinks back from faith and could not remain righteous to the end shall be rejected by God and His Christ. Righteousness is not one’s ability to hide and conceal bad things done in the secret in order to appear sinless in the public. Righteousness is not how one is seen by the people but how one is seen by God because God sets the standard for life and for judgment. You too can become righteous if you will do the right thing in the eyes of God which is to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Lord in whom salvation is established for all creation.

CONCLUSION:

God is the absolute moral authority who sets the standard for life and judgment. Whatever we are is by His mercy except those who have refused to accept His mercy. You should not be discouraged because you think that coming to God is a demand upon you to become perfect. All God requires from you is the serious desire backed with sincere effort to attain perfection. We can aspire to be perfect but none of us can attain perfection on our own. God is the one that will make you perfect. We shall be perfect only by being in God through Jesus Christ just as one is considered clean just by wearing a clean cloth. Everyone living in the world as humans have weakness in our flesh and do commit sin. Weakness is what actually motivates us to come to God who through Christ Jesus have established for us victory over our weakness. Believers should not be afraid to claim they are holy and righteous because that is what you are as a believer but you should understand it comes with a responsibility. You should not use your claim as a tool to judge or condemn others. What you are is between you and God and not between you and others. You are righteous in the eyes of God and you are holy to God. The world will always look at you from the world’s point of view and will use your claim to profane the name of God if you misapply it.

Always be humble under the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5-9.