|
The kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal
sovereign God over all creatures and things (Psalm
103:19; Daniel 4:3). The kingdom of God is also the
designation for the sphere of salvation entered into at
the new birth (John 3:5-7), and is synonymous with the
“kingdom of heaven.”
Lord,
Teach Us How to Pray?
Luke 11: 1 - 13
Matthew 6: 5 - 14
When Yeshua's disciples asked him to teach them to pray,
this prayer was his response (Luke 11: 1 - 4 and Matthew
6: 5 - 14). Because we have this prayer in Yeshua’s' own
words, it is the basis of our prayer relationship with
God.
The Lord's
Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen
LORD’S PRAYER
This is the pattern for prayer that Yeshua gave His
followers to use. There are two versions of the Lord's
Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). The Matthew prayer
is included in the Sermon on the Mount; Luke's version
is Yeshua’s response to a disciple's request that he
teach them to pray. There are some differences between
the two versions. Yeshua seems to have regarded this
prayer as a pattern, not a formula. In Matthew He
introduces it with the words "Pray then like this." If
the prayer was seriously meant as a model prayer, it is
unlikely that it would be recited only once. Instead,
Yeshua would have used it on a number of occasions. If
He meant people to pray "in this way" (as opposed to
exactly in these words), then variations in the wording
would be natural. Some recent writers regard the whole
prayer as concerned with the end of the world. They take
the petition "Thy Kingdom come" as central to the prayer
and understand all the other petitions to refer in one
way or another to the coming Kingdom. The request for
YHVH to hallow His Name is then seen as a prayer for the
destruction of YHVH's enemies who do not revere His
Holiness; the line about the bread becomes a petition
for the final wedding banquet; and so on. There is a
problem with this interpretation, though. It makes the
words take on a more unnatural sense. It seems much more
probable that we should understand the prayer with
reference to the help we need in our daily lives.
OUR FATHER
The first person singular pronoun is not used anywhere
in the prayer. We say, "Our Father...give us..." This
prayer is meant for a community. It may be used by an
individual, but it is not meant as an aid to private
devotion. It is a prayer to be said by YHVH's people; it
is the prayer of the Christian family. In Matthew the
opening words are "Our Father in heaven," whereas Luke
has simply "Father." Those who pray like this are
members of a family and they look to YHVH as the head of
the family, One who is bound to them by ties of love.
Matthew's "in heaven" brings out something of His
dignity and this is seen also in the petition "Hallowed
[Honoured] be Thy Name" (identical in the two versions
of the prayer). In antiquity "the Name" meant far more
than it does to us. In some way it summed up the whole
person. Thus this petition is more than a prayer that
people will use the Name of YHVH reverently rather than
blasphemously (though that is important and is
included). It looks for people to have a reverent
attitude to all that YHVH stands for. They should have a
proper humility before YHVH, being ready to honour Him
as He is in all His Holiness.
THY KINGDOM COME
Christians have always longed for the day when YHVH will
overthrow the kingdoms of this earth and when all will
become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His HaMashiach
(Revelation 11:15). This is included in the meaning of
the petition. But there is another sense in which the
Kingdom is a present reality, a Kingdom that is now in
human hearts and lives. This aspect of the Kingdom is
brought out in the words added in Matthew's version,
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew
6:10). The servant of YHVH looks for the rule of YHVH to
become real in more and more lives.
DAILY BREAD
In the petition about bread Yeshua is concerned with the
material necessities of daily life. Yeshua's followers
are, it is true, not to be anxious about the things they
need to eat and to wear (Matthew 6:25). But Yeshua also
taught that they should constantly look to YHVH for such
needs to be supplied (Matthew 6:32-33). The big problem
in this petition is the meaning of the word usually
translated "daily." It is an exceedingly rare word and
many scholars think that it was coined by Christians. It
could mean any number of things: "daily," "for today,"
"for the coming day," "for tomorrow," or "necessary."
The traditional understanding, "daily," seems most
probable. But however we translate it, the prayer is for
the simple and present necessities of life. Yeshua was
counselling His followers to pray for necessities, not
luxuries and for what is needed now, not a great store
for many days to come. By confining the petition to
present needs, Yeshua taught a day-by-day dependence on
YHVH.
FORGIVENESS
The petition about forgiveness differs slightly in the
two versions of the prayer. In Matthew it is "Forgive us
our debts," while Luke has "Forgive us our sins."
Without question it is the forgiveness of sins that is
in mind, but Matthew's form sees sin as indebtedness. We
owe it to YHVH to live uprightly. He has provided all we
need to do this. So when we sin, we become debtors. The
sinner has failed to fulfil his obligations, what he
"owes." Matthew goes on to say, "as we also have
forgiven our debtors" and Luke, "for we ourselves
forgive everyone indebted to us." The tense in Matthew
indicates that the person praying is not only ready to
forgive but has already forgiven those who have sinned
against him; in Luke, that he habitually forgives and he
does so in the case of every debtor. In neither form of
the prayer is it implied that human forgiveness earns
YHVH's forgiveness. The New Testament makes it clear
that YHVH forgives on account of His mercy, shown in
HaMashiach's dying for us on the cross. Nothing we do
can merit forgiveness. There is also the thought that
those who seek forgiveness should show a forgiving
spirit. How can we claim the forgiveness of our sins if
we do not forgive others who sin against us?
TEMPTATION
Instead of the traditional rendering "lead us not into
temptation," some versions of the Bible favour a
rendering such as, "do not bring us to the test." The
word usually understood as "temptation" does sometimes
mean a proving or a testing. But it is the kind of
testing that the evil one engages in, testing with a
view to failure. It is thus the normal word to be used
when temptation is in mind. If the whole prayer were to
be understood in terms of the end of the world, then "do
not bring us to the test" is no doubt the way this
petition should be taken. The great testing time that
comes with the upsurge of evil in the last days is
something from which every Christian naturally shrinks
and the prayer would give expression to this. But it is
much more likely that the prayer refers to life here and
now. Christians know their weakness and readiness to
sin, so pray that they may be kept from the temptation
to go astray. It is true that YHVH does not tempt people
(James 1:13). But it is also true that it is important
for the believer to avoid evil. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1
Corinthians 10:14).
DELIVER US
Matthew adds, "but deliver us from evil" (as do some
manuscripts of Luke). There is uncertainty as to whether
the last word means "evil" generally or "the evil one."
Either meaning is possible. Christians pray that they
may not be tempted and this leads naturally to the
thought either that they may not become the victim of
evil or that they may be free from the domination of the
devil. It is the general thrust of Yeshua's teaching
that should decide the point, not the precise language
used here. This is where the prayer ends in Luke and in
the oldest manuscripts of Matthew. Few would doubt that
here is where the prayer ended in the teaching of our
Lord. But many manuscripts, some of them fairly old, add
the familiar words, "For Thine is the Kingdom and the
power and the glory for ever." This is the kind of
doxology that is often found in prayers in antiquity,
both Jewish (1 Chronicles 29:11) and Christian. The
early Christians used the Lord's Prayer in worship
services and doubtless found this a splendid way to end
it. In time, what was so acceptable in worship found its
way into some of the manuscripts. We may well continue
to end the prayer in this way. It is good to remind
ourselves that all ultimate sovereignty, power and glory
belong to YHVH forever.
MY PRAYERS
With this in mind then and as we know what the prayer
means to us, this is how I pray each day:
Adoration: “Hallowed be Thy Name”
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me,
bless Your Holy Name. I adore You and make known to You
my adoration and love this day.
I bless Your Name YHVH-ELOHIM, the Creator of the
heavens and earth, Who was in the beginning. It is You
Who made me and You have crowned me with glory and
honour. You are YHVH, Lord of might and strength.
HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-EL SHADDAI, Lord Almighty of
blessings. You are the Breasty One Who nourishes and
supplies. You are all-bountiful and all-sufficient.
HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-ADONAI, my Lord and my Master.
You are Lord; the Completely Self-Existing One, always
present, revealed in Yeshua, Who is the same yesterday,
today and forever. HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-YIREH, the One Who sees my needs
and provides for them. HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-RAPHA, my Healer and the One Who
makes bitter experiences sweet. You sent Your Word and
healed me. You forgave all my iniquities and You healed
my diseases. HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-M’KADDESH, The Lord my
Sanctifier. You have set me apart for Yourself. HALLOWED
BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-NISSI, You are my Victory, my
Banner and my Standard. Your banner over me is love.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, You lift up a
standard against him. HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Thy Name YHVH-SHALOM, You are my peace; the
peace which transcends all understanding, which
garrisons and mounts guard over my heart and mind in
Yeshua HaMashiach. HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-TSIDKENU, my Righteousness. Thank
You for becoming sin for me that I might become
righteousness of YHVH in Yeshua HaMashiach. HALLOWED BE
THY NAME!
I bless Your Name YHVH-ROHI, You are my Shepherd and I
shall not want for any good or beneficial thing.
HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I bless Thy Name Hallelujah YHVH-SHAMMAH, the One Who
will never leave or forsake me. You are always there. I
take comfort and am encourage and confidently and boldly
say “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with
alarm; I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What
can any man do to me?” HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
I worship and adore You YHVH EL-ELYON, the Most High
God, Who is the first cause of everything, the Possessor
of the heavens and the earth. You are the everlasting
God, the Great God, the living God, the merciful God,
the faithful God and the mighty God. You are Truth,
Justice, Righteousness and Perfection. You are YHVH EL-ELYON;
the Highest Sovereign of the heavens and the earth.
HOLLOWED BE THY NAME!
Father You have exalted above all else Your Name and
Your Word and You have magnified Your Word, and above
all Your Name! The Word was made flesh and dwelt among
us and His Name is Yeshua! HALLOWED BE THY NAME!
Divine Intervention: “Thy Kingdom Come”
Yeshua said: “The Kingdom of YHVH is in you” (Luke
17:21) He was speaking of the Spiritual Kingdom. This
Kingdom is not meat and drink but one of Righteousness,
Peace and Joy in Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) (Romans
14:17) It is easy to get caught up in our present day
circumstances and forget that there is a plan that
exceeds personal goals. In this prayer I have taken the
opportunity to focus on our common goal --- the time
Yeshua returns to establish the visible Kingdom of YHVH
here on earth and the government shall be on His
shoulders (Isaiah 9:6). The Kingdom of YHVH is not in
word but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20). So pray this
prayer with me in spirit:
Father, in the Name of Yeshua, I pray according to
Matthew 6:10: “Thy Kingdom come.” I am looking for the
soon coming of our Lord and Saviour, Yeshua HaMashiach.
We are Your children and we know that when Yeshua comes
and is manifested, we shall as YHVH’s children resemble
and be like Him, for we shall see Him just as He really
is. You said that everyone who has this hope on Him
cleanses himself just as He is; pure, chaste, undefiled
and guiltless. For the grace of YHVH; His unmerited
favour and blessing; has come forward for the
deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all
mankind. It has trained us to reject and renounce all
ungodliness and worldly desires; to live discreet,
upright and devout lives in this present world; awaiting
and looking for the blessed hope; even the glorious
appearing of our great Lord and Saviour Yeshua the
Mashiach and the Anointed One. For the Lord Himself
shall descent from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trump of YHVH: and the
dead in HaMashiach shall rise first. Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. I thank You Father that the
Lord shall come and all the Holy ones with Him and the
Lord shall be King over all the earth; in that day He
shall be One Lord and His Name one. The government shall
then be on His shoulders. Father I thank You that we
shall join the great voices in heaven that say: “The
kingdoms of this worlds are become the kingdoms of our
Lord and of HaMashiach and He shall reign forever and
ever.” Yours O Lord is the greatness, glory, the power,
the victory and the majesty; for all that is in the
heavens and the earth is Yours, Yours is the Kingdom O
Lord my God; and Your it is to be exalted as the Most
High Head over all. Thy Kingdom come! Hallelujah!
Submission: “Thy will be done”
Father, in the Name of Yeshua I pray that the will of
YHVH be done in my life as it is in heaven. For I am
Your handiwork, recreated in Yeshua HaMashiach that I
may those good works that You predestined for me; that
it should walk in them; living the good life that You
pre-arranged and made ready for me to live. Teach me to
do Your will, for you are my God; let Your good Spirit
lead me into a plain country and into the land of
uprightness. Yeshua, You gave Yourself up for my sins in
order to rescue and deliver me from this present, wicket
age and world order, in accordance with the will,
purpose and plan of our YHVH and Father. In the Name of
Yeshua, I am not conformed to this world, but I am
transformed by the renewing of my mind that I may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
YHVH. For this is the will of YHVH that I should be
consecrated; separated and set apart for pure and holy
living; that I should abstain from all sexual vice; that
I should know how to possess my own body in consecration
and honour, not in the passion of lust like the heathen
who are ignorant of the true YHVH and have no knowledge
of His will. Father, thank You that You chose me;
actually picked me out for Yourself as Your own; in
HaMashiach before the foundation of this world; that I
should be holy and blameless in Your sight, even above
reproach, before You in love: having pre-destinated me
unto the adoption of a child by Yeshua HaMashiach to
Yourself, according to the good pleasure of Your will.
Your will be done on earth in my life as it is in
heaven.
Provision: “Give us this day our daily bread”
In the Name of Yeshua, I confess with the Psalmist David
that I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his
seed begging for bread. Father, thank You for food,
clothing and shelter. In the Name of Yeshua I am
learning to stop being perpetually uneasy about my life,
what I shall eat and what I shall drink or about my
body, what I shall put on. My life is greater than food
and the body than clothing. The bread of idleness, I
will not eat. It is You Father, Who will liberally
supply my every need according to Your riches in glory
in Yeshua HaMashiach. In the Name of Yeshua, I shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of YHVH. Your words were found and I did
eat them and Your Word was to me a joy and the rejoicing
of my heart. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Yeshua, You are the bread of life that gives me life,
the living bread. Thank You Father, in the Name of
Yeshua for spiritual bread.
Guidance and Deliverance: “Lead us not into temptation”
There has no temptation taken me but such as is common
to man; but YHVH is faithful, Who will not suffer me to
be tempted above that which I am able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape that I may be able
to bear it. I count it all joy when I fall into various
temptations; knowing this; that the trying of my faith
works patience. I will not say when I am tempted: “I am
tempted from YHVH”; for YHVH is incapable of being
tempted by evil and He Himself tempts no-one. Thank You
Yeshua for giving Yourself for my sins that You might
deliver me from this present evil world, according to
the will of YHVH our Father, to Whom be glory forever
and ever. Father, in the Name of Yeshua and according to
the power that is at work in me, I will keep awake and
watch and pray that I may not come into temptation.
Praise: “For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the
glory”
O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His Name
together. As for YHVH, His way is perfect! The Word of
the Lord is tested and tried; He is the Shield to all
those who refuge and put their trust in Him. Let the
words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
acceptable in Your sight O Lord, my firm, impenetrable
Rock and my Redeemer. Your Word has revived me and given
me life. Forever O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
The sum of Your Word is truth and every one of Your
righteous decrees endures forever. I will worship
towards Your Holy temple and praise Your Name for Your
loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for
You have exalted above all else Your Name and Your Word
and You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name!
Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the
lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a
guard O Lord, before my mouth, keep watch at the door of
my lips. He who brings an offering of praise and
thanksgiving honours and glorifies Me; and he who orders
his way aright; who prepares the way that I may show
him; to him I will demonstrate the Salvation of YHVH. My
mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your
honour all day. Because Your loving-kindness is better
than life, my lips shall praise You. So will I bless You
while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your Name. Your
testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
AMEN.
-
What happens to us when we ask God for things?
God gives them to us, although he sometimes gives
them in ways we don't understand, and often at a
different time from when we expect them.
-
How does God love us?
God loves us like a loving father, who gives his
children what they need.
-
What concerns do we take to God in prayer?
We take everything to God in prayer, from the
smallest parts of daily life to our greatest worries
and concerns.
The idea of kingdom can be difficult for those of us
who live in democracies with elected officials and
presidents to teach to young children.
The old translation of this prayer in the King James
Version of the Bible uses the familiar form of
address that is no longer a part of the English
language. In other words, those translators kept in
mind that this was the prayer of Yeshua, who called
his father in heaven Abba in Aramaic, which doesn't
mean Father , but instead means Daddy.
This is a good day to sing "Seek Ye First the
Kingdom of God" from Rejoice.
The kingdom of God embraces all created
intelligence, both in heaven and earth that are
willingly subject to the Lord and are in fellowship
with Him. The kingdom of God is, therefore,
universal in that it includes created angels and
men. It is eternal, as God is eternal, and it is
spiritual—found within all born-again believers. We
enter the kingdom of God when we are born again, and
we are then part of that kingdom for eternity. It is
a relationship "born of the spirit" (John 3:5), and
we have confident assurance that it is so because
the Spirit bears witness with our spirits (Romans
8:16).
God
defined the day in Gen 18.
Gen 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct
his children and his household after him to keep the way
of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the
LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised
him."
Way of the Lord is doing what is right and just. Then
righteousness is the way to heaven? Yes indeed.
Then the question is what is righteousness? Bible
defines it clearly:
Ezek 18:5 "Suppose there is a righteous man who does
what is just and right.
Ezek 18:6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or
look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not
defile his neighbor's wife or lie with a woman during
her period.
Ezek 18:7 He does not oppress anyone, but returns what
he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing
for the naked.
Ezek 18:8 He does not lend at usury or take excessive
interest. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and
judges fairly between man and man.
Ezek 18:9 He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my
laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel gives 10 tests for righteous man in the above
passage. Paul in his epistle to Corinthians refers to 9
tests:
1 Cor 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither
the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor
male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
1 Cor 6:10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor
slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of
God.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
How do
Yeshua provide the way?
Rom 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the
Prophets testify.
Rom 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Yeshua to all who believe. There is no difference,
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God,
Rom 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Yeshua.
Rom 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,
through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate
his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the
sins committed beforehand unpunished--Rom 3:26 he did it
to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to
be just and the one who justifies those who have faith
in Yeshua.
RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE NAMED
To ascertain the meaning of any Scripture we must check
all related verses and draw our conclusions from all of
these together. When this is done, it becomes apparent
that there are numerous examples of actual named people
who were righteous. Please note the following
Scriptures:
This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time, and he walked
with God. (Gen 6:9)
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did
not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in
mind to divorce her quietly. (Mat 1:19)
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was
righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation
of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (Luke 2:25)
And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that
has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel
to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar. (Mat 23:35)
and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was
distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that
righteous man, living among them day after day, was
tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he
saw and heard) (2 Pet 2:7,8)
Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for
what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
(James 2:21)
According to these Scriptures, Noah, Joseph, Simeon,
Abel, Zechariah, Lot and Abraham are all clearly cited
as being righteous. If we had no other Scriptures except
any one of these we should know something is terribly
wrong with the eternal security idea that there are none
that are righteous and that we are all sinners, even
Christians.
THE UNRIGHTEOUS PERSON
Besides the actual people that are labeled righteous,
there are scores of other Scriptures which refer to the
unnamed righteous. Please ponder just some of these many
Scriptures. The following list is only from the New
Testament:
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain
on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Mat 5:45)
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners. (Mat 9:13)
Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives
a righteous man because he is a righteous man will
receive a righteous man’s reward. (Mat 10:41)
For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous
men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and
to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Mat 13:17)
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
(Mat 13:43)
This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels
will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
(Mat 13:49)
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and
decorate the graves of the righteous. (Mat 23:29)
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we
see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink?” (Mat 25:37)
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the
righteous to eternal life. (Mat 25:46)
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the
healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come
to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to
their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
(Luke 1:17)
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. (Luke 5:32)
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you,
you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.
(Luke 14:14)
I tell you that in the same way there will be more
rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than
over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to
repent. (Luke 15:7)
and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there
will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the
wicked. (Acts 24:15)
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
just as it is written: “The righteous will live by
faith.” (Rom 1:17)
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous
in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who
will be declared righteous. (Rom 2:13)
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight
by observing the law; rather, through the law we become
conscious of sin. (Rom 3:20)
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though
for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. (Rom
5:7)
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the
many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of
the one man the many will be made righteous. (Rom 5:19)
Clearly no one is justified before God by the law,
because, “The righteous will live by faith.” (Gal 3:11)
We also know that law is made not for the righteous but
for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the
unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers
or mothers, for murderers, (1 Tim 1:9)
to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written
in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men,
to the spirits of righteous men made perfect (Heb 12:23)
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
(James 5:16)
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his
ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the
Lord is against those who do evil. (1 Pet 3:12)
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what
will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Pet 4:18)
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who
does what is right is righteous, just as he is
righteous. (1 John 3:7)
THE RIGHTEOUS
One becomes righteous at the point of a
trusting-submitting faith in Jesus, which includes
repentance. Basic characteristics of the righteous
include the following:
(1) they don’t have anything to repent of (Luke. 15:7);
(2) they are not doing evil (1 Peter 3:12);
(3) they do what is right (1 John 3:7).
It is also clear from multiple Scriptures that the
righteous will live because of his faith:
See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but
the righteous will live by his faith (Hab 2:4)
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed,
a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
just as it is written: “The righteous will live by
faith.” (Rom 1:17)
Clearly no one is justified before God by the law,
because, “The righteous will live by faith.” (Gal 3:11)
But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he
shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. (Heb
10:38)
If one is not righteous, then he is in the only other
group possible. Sometimes that group is referred to as
wicked, unrighteous, ungodly, unholy, sinners, evil,
unsaved or the like. In other words, if one is not
righteous he is on the road to hell at this very moment
and is in a desperate need to repent. We must never
forget that only the righteous will go to eternal life:
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the
righteous to eternal life. (Mat 25:46) |
