11th April, 2022.

THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

1Tim6:11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. NLT

The justification of the believer is settled and complete. It is not something we should doubt or probe into. It is a done deal. The believer is justified and made righteous. Now we are the righteousness of God in Christ because the very righteousness of God is imputed to us. However, the teaching about the subject of righteousness needs proper explanation. There is 'the gift of righteousness' given to every believer at salvation. We didn't do anything to deserve it neither did we work for it because it is the gift of God given to us in Christ so that we can stand boldly in God's presence without feeling guilty or unworthy of God: "For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ"( Romans 5:17 NLT).

On the other hand, there is also 'the fruit of righteousness' which refers to the outward Christ-like character that is expected of the believer: "May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God"(Philippians 1:11 NLT). This is also known as the fruit of the Spirit. When a believer manifest the fruit of the spirit, he is more like Christ in his dealings with people. Paul advised Timothy to run from things that can spoil his Christian testimony and pursue righteousness. It is not enough to confess being the righteousness of God in Christ. The fruit of righteousness must be seen in our lives.

The gift of righteousness or we say righteousness was imputed to us at salvation so that we can live righteously: "For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, FOR ALL WHO RECEIVE IT WILL LIVE IN TRIUMPH OVER SIN AND DEATH through this one man, Jesus Christ'(Romans 5:17 NLT). It is evident that the 'gift of righteousness' was given so that we can manifest or walk in the 'fruit of righteousness'. The pursuit of righteousness is an unending pursuit till Christ comes. The forces of unrighteousness are everywhere trying to drag believers into destruction but our focus must be single and we must be steadfast in our pursuit of righteousness. We were advised to seek first God's kingdom and its righteousness( referring to walking worthy of the Lord). What is your pursuit? Refrain from pursuing other things.