The Righteousness of God

  • But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
    We are the clay, and You are our potter;
    And all of us are the work of Your hand.
    Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord,
    Nor remember iniquity forever;
    Isaiah 64:8

Preface

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

No human being has the ability to decide when they are to be born into the earth, or when they will die. Yet if there is any so-called control in our lives, it is the choices that we make in “how are we are to live our lives between these two uncontrollable extremes!”

Today’s blog post is an analysis of the prototype of the evil of a spiritless ruin soul and the goodness of a spiritually Restored Soul.

Grace and Peace

The Evil of a Ruin Soul

Prototype

  1. The lack of respect and knowledge for God’s spiritual design of human nature. By human nature, I am referring to the spiritual manner in which our Loving Creator according to His divine design, purposed before sin, created a living soul. It is God who created humanity, male/female in His image and likeness. The chief component of human nature is a merger of the Soul, Spirit, Flesh.

A further breakdown of the human-nature consists of our

  • thoughts
  • feelings
  • choices
  • body
  • the social context
  • Soul
  • Humans are inferior to God
  • Human nature is given life by the Spirit of God
  • Humans are dependent upon God
  • Humans have freedom to choose between good and evil

2.   Lack of the illumination of the severity of how lost the human soul is without divine intervention.

3.   Unaware of the deceitful ways and treacherous nature of the heart.

4.   The sinful power of self-life without God rules often in an unhealthy way, leading to selfishness, self-worship, or a false self-analysis or elevated self-esteem to hide personal shortcomings and falsehoods.

5.   Denial or rationalization is used as a primary defense mechanism toward denying the existence of God and sin within their lives.

6.   There is no fear of God before their eyes or within any part of their lives.

  • For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” 
    made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
    But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
    2Corinthians 4:5-7

The Goodness of a Restored Soul

Prototype

  • Washed with the Water of Baptism [immersion, into the death of Jesus]
  • Washed with the Word of God, Eph. 5:26, That He might sanctify and cleanse it, [the Beloved Community] with the washing of the water by the Word.
  • And the Holy Spirit 

Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:20

Rebirth/Reborn/Spiritual Transformation

And by this phrase our Lord signifies, that no human, can have any true knowledge of the enjoyment of the kingdom of God unless they are born again; or regenerated.

This miracle is possible by the quickening of the Spirit of God; renewed in the spirit of his mind; has Christ formed in his/her heart. Only then do they become a partaker of the divine nature; and in all respects a new creature.

Spiritual regeneration of the heart impacts the entire human nature of the reborn individual is demonstrated in principle, in practice, and in conversation.

Being “born from above”, as the word is rendered in John 3:31;  by a supernatural power, having the heavenly image stamped on him/her; and being called with a heavenly calling, even with the high calling of God in Christ Jesus and the knowledge of the Kingdom of God.

The Master as the Last Adam

The Lord Jesus is the Last Adam and the Second Man. He is the last man to be without a sinful nature. His nature was both human and divine. He was the second man-the man from Heaven who now represents all of humanity. As the God-man He could be the suitable sacrifice for the sins of the world. Scripture states that Jesus offered Himself as the only and last acceptable sacrifice of sin. [Last Adam Scripture references: 1 Corinthians 15:45-49;21-22, and Romans 5:12-19].

We now due to the final works of Christ, are fearfully and wonderfully “Remade” [Psalms 139:14], because if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God, was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were appealing to us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

The biblical interpretation of the commissioning of “ambassador for Christ implies, all spiritual reborn ministers of the gospel, on behalf of Christ,” who are commissioned by Him as their sovereign Lord, with the ministry of reconciling the world to God.

The Bible contains no finer characterization of the exalted and spiritual nature of the minister’s vocation as the representative of Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Saviour of the world. Amen.

Before drawing to the conclusion, it is impossible to not briefly discuss or define the significance of the repeated word reconcile in the above verse. Perhaps the most effective way is to define the antonym of reconciliation:

  • Estrangement: the fact of no longer being on friendly terms.
  • Alienation:  the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved.
  • Feud: a prolonged and bitter quarrel or dispute.
  • Incompatibility: the condition of two things being so different in nature as to be incapable of coexisting.

Reconciliation:

To re-establish friendship between. To settle, as a dispute. To make compatible.

ajpokatallavssw, transliteration: Apokatallasso

  1. to reconcile completely
  2. to reconcile back again
  3. bring back a former state of harmony

Final Sentiments

Each human being is like earthen vessel-plain old clay pots. We may drape our human frame with fancy clothes, and surround ourselves with various glittering possessions, cars, houses, or we might rest in seats of power. But at the end of this life, our worth or importance is not what we possess, but who Possesses us!

We all have dignity and value in God’s sight, but as believers who were at one time, sinners with ruin souls, we now are called into a dying world to be possess within our souls, the greatest treasure of Christ’s grace and light!

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2Corinthians 4:5-7

    • Grace and Peace
      Brother Alonzo

    The study material used in this blog post was my personal study notes for the #walkingintheMessiahdisciplegroup. Primary book of study: Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, Dallas Willard, Content concerning Jesus as the Last Adam and Second Man, blog post written by Don Stewart, https://www.blueletterbible.org. Dictionary meanings: taken from the Bible Dictionary: Bible Study Tools.