The more we are aware of the length God had gone to make us righteous, the less we will try to establish our own righteousness. Yielding ourselves to His righteousness would eliminate our hypocrisies. Instead of pretending to be something we are not, we can actually be who the Father called us to be through Christ Jesus. Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (KJV). Since our lives are hid with Christ Jesus, we do not have to establish our own righteousness (see Colossians 3:3); He established it for us. Obedience is belief with the intent to conform to the desires of God out of love. If we believe Him and walk in love, then we are walking in righteousness. That is why it is written, “Faith works by love” (Galatians 5:6), and “Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13, KJV). By surrendering to Jesus, our lives are hidden with Him.
Philemon 1:8-11 Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me (KJV). Like Onesimus, before Jesus, we were all unprofitable to God; but through Him He made us profitable. He made us worthy, which means we can walk worthily of our calling by His grace. He graced us with the ability to be who He desires us to be. Pride says, “I am unworthy,” when the Father declared us worthy through His Son. Before putting our faith in Jesus, we were unworthy. That is who we were, but is not who we are now. Since our Lord Jesus is worthy, we are worthy because our lives are hidden with Him. When the Father looks at us, He is looking at Jesus, and not who we once were.
Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are sanctified and are being sanctified. It is not as if we remain sinners and hide behind a Jesus mask. Rather, the Blood and the Holy Spirit sanctified us. His crucifixion is our crucifixion, which means our old man died. Dead men do not even desire to sin, let alone have the ability to sin. Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (KJV). Our new nature is righteous. The new man is hidden in us, and we are hidden with Christ. Hence, we are in Him and He is in us.
When we agree with God, we walk worthily and victoriously. Some have the concept that we use faith to avoid sin. However, we walk by faith in order to live righteously as a holy people of God. When walking righteously, sin is no longer a consideration. When we are conscious of righteousness, we are not conscious of sin. When you believe you are righteous through Jesus Christ as God declared, your behavior will follow suit. As a man thinks, so is he. Once you believe the Truth, you will no longer feel the need to prove to yourself or anyone else that you are a “good person.” As long as a person dwells on his past failings, it will be very difficult to walk in the present victory. Jesus did it all!
