Читать книгу The Gospel Day; Or, the Light of Christianity - Charles Ebert Orr - Страница 31

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This is one of the terms used in the Scriptures describing the character of God and his people. “The [pg 092] Lord is righteous,” and the source of all righteousness. Man can not possess righteousness independent of God. It is beautiful to contemplate the righteous character of the Almighty as revealed in the holy Scriptures. It enables us to better understand our own nature when we are “filled with all the fulness of God.” The Savior in his prayer addresses God as “righteous Father.” John 17:25. The Revelator in his vision heard an angel proclaiming, “Thou art righteous, O Lord.” Rev. 16:5. The Psalmist in exalting the righteousness of the Lord said: “Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high.” Psa. 71:19. It is far above the ways and life of natural man: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa. 55:9. All of God's ways are in righteousness: “The Lord is righteous in all his ways.” Psa. 145:17. God's acts are done in righteousness: “Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord which he did to you and your fathers.”

Oh, the sublimity of the righteous character of God! How lofty and high. How far above the ways and acts of natural man. Man in his natural state does not possess any of the righteous principles of God: “There is none righteous, no not one.” But God in the incarnation of his Son is both God and man, and through this means the righteousness of God [pg 093] is delegated unto man. In Jesus Christ we have the combining of man and God—the righteousness of God and humanity of man. Through the death of the man Christ Jesus and his resurrection the way was prepared for mankind to receive the righteousness of God. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Cor. 5:21. Jesus in his innocency and righteousness bore the sins of the guilty, so that in him we can experience a cleansing “from all unrighteousness” and receive instead “the righteousness of God.”

Jesus likens himself and his people to a vine and its branches. He says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” It is through the vine that the branches receive substance and strength and life from the soil. It is through Jesus that we receive righteousness, grace, and strength from God. It is only in Jesus' name that we receive anything from the Father. The branches bear the fruit. Receiving the righteousness of God through Jesus we bear the fruit of righteousness. The more of this fruit we bear the more we show forth the praise of God. When there is a large yield of grain we conclude it was sown in good soil, and thus the soil gets the praise. We “being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ” do show forth “the glory and praise of God.” Phil. 1:11. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” John 15:8. Though the [pg 094] grain be planted in good soil, cultivation is necessary to a bountiful harvest. Though we be planted in Christ cultivation is necessary to the production of rich fruit. “And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15:2. Sin—all sin must be purged or cleansed away in order to bear fruits of righteousness.

“A tree is known by its fruits.” Should there be a tree bearing promiscuously throughout apples, pears, peaches, plums, grapes, etc., who could tell what kind of a tree it was? Should it bear apples alone we at once know the kind of tree. All sin is therefore purged away from the heart of a Christian that he may be “filled with the fruits of righteousness,” and be known as a light in the world. Sin and righteousness do not grow upon the same tree. How clearly and plainly this is taught in the sixth chapter of Romans. Except they be blinded by prejudice and false teaching all the world must understand this. Verse eighteen says, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” There are two things plainly taught in this text that we wish to call your attention to. First, to become a servant of righteousness necessitates a freedom from sin. “Ye can not serve two masters.” Second, this experience of being made free from sin and becoming servants of righteousness the Roman brethren had received some time in the past. “Ye became the servants of righteousness.” Ver. 20. “For when [pg 095] some time in their past life ye were the servants of sin ye were free from righteousness.”

In the face of these two texts how can man be so daring and proud and self-conceited as to teach the impossibility of Christians living a pure and sinless life in this world? Surely, there is no fear of God before their eyes. Verse eighteen declares that to become servants of righteousness necessitates freedom from sin; and verse twenty declares that to be a “servant of sin” necessitates freedom from righteousness. “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?” Ver. 21. Of the things of sin they once engaged in they are now ashamed. “What fruit had they then?” Ans.—“No fruit of righteousness.” “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness.” Ver. 22. Praise God! You must be made free from sin to be capable of bearing fruit unto holiness or righteousness. The fruit of the righteous is to the praise and glory of God. The Lord makes use of the fruit of the righteous to induce sinners to seek him. In this way the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. How blessed and noble to be a tree planted by the river of waters richly laden with righteous fruit. Amen.