WBS.291
THE
WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – Part 2
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve IAUE, choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house, we will serve IAUE.
Shunning evil and choosing good is a natural by-product of the
word of righteousness. If we are still “choosing
evil,” we are lacking experience in the word of righteousness.
Centuries of what I
refer to as “pagan Christianity” has robbed the true church of its vitality and
its intended influence in the world. The
introduction of the worship of pagan gods, the willful infiltration of pagan
leadership and the resulting iniquity-creep into Christianity has all but
destroyed the truth of the gospel. I know this is a powerful statement; but
only spiritual blindness would allow for any defense against it. Churches today that pride themselves of being
superior fellowships use language straight out of Revelation 3 that describes
the church of Laodicea.
Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest,
I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;
and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
The Master warned his
disciples, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees,” and the apostle Paul twice
explained that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump;” and, “Bad company corrupts good morals;” and,
in an amazing close to the epistle of 1 John, a letter that is largely about
the love of IAUE, John says, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
The Scripture tells us
to be holy as IAUE is holy more times
than possibly any other single instruction in all of the Scripture. Now, being holy does not mean something
esoteric or super-spiritual. It does not require that we glow with the shekinah
glory of IAUE. It simply means that we
are to be set apart. We are not to be like the rest. We are to be the possession of IAUE for His
purposes, for His use; and we are not to be available for use by others. That is what “set apart” means. By illustration, let’s imagine that Bob,
Carol, Jim, and Susan are invited to my home for dinner and Jim is running a
bit late. If I tell them that they are
welcome to get something to drink; but then I point to a particular glass and
say, “That is Jim’s glass.” No one but
Jim will use that glass. Why is that? It is because it has been set apart for Jim’s
use only. Only Jim may use that glass
because it is holy unto Jim.
If we apply to the
Scriptures this definition of being holy, then we immediately understand why we
should be wary of the leaven of the Pharisees; and why we should be conscious
of the deleterious effect of choosing to spend time with people who are evil (of
a bad nature and having corrupt morals).
The result will be compromise; and once we compromise, holiness will
have been forfeited. We are letting our
glass be used by someone other than IAUE.
So, if we are given unto IAUE, what would you imagine would define our
lives? What kind of behavior? What kind of speech? What kind of attitudes? These are not trick questions. It is obvious that we would be
righteous. Our behavior, speech and
attitudes would demonstrate the moral purity, love and compassion of IAUE. We would be unconcerned about our own lives.
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no
thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal
shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these
things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have
need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the
kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you.
Today, on a typical
Sunday, congregations sit in pews (or folding chairs), following a
predetermined “order of service” and go through the motions while oblivious or
uncaring about the fact that there are “believers” in their midst (or are
sitting next to them…or ARE them) who are living in fornication, adultery,
pornography, unlawful business practices, cheating, stealing, lying…and
maintaining secret lives in darkness. We
are unaware that our secret lives are in fact practices of worship of pagan
deities.
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve IAUE, choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the
other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house, we will serve IAUE.
This passage is at the
end of the book of Joshua. Joshua had
led the people of Israel to overthrow 31 nations of giants, all of whom
worshipped false gods (gods who were their pre-flood ancestors among the fallen
watchers and the Nephilim.). Joshua
challenged the people to choose if they were going to serve the fallen watchers
and the Nephilim from “the other side of the flood” or if they were going to
serve the idols of the Amorites that were images of these pre-flood
deities. They needed to make a choice.
They needed to declare the purpose and intention of their heart. Joshua was in essence asking the people to
declare their holiness; to declare unto whom their lives would be
set-apart. Once the choice was made that
they were going to serve IAUE, compromise was not going to be an option without
extreme consequences.
This passage of
Scripture should remind us of the words of the apostle Paul.
Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto Elohim through Yahushua
Messiah our Master.
This is our consecration
to be holy, to be separated unto the purpose and will and use of IAUE.
12 Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your
members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto Elohim,
as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto Elohim.
This is the expectation
of being set-apart. We do not compromise
by letting our bodies be used for purposes of unrighteousness. In Romans 12:1-2, we understand that we are
to offer our body as a living sacrifice to be used for His will and for His
purposes.
14 For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin,
because we are not under the law, but under grace? IAUE forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But IAUE be thanked,
that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form
of doctrine which was delivered you.
This explains there is
no room for compromise. Once set-apart,
we cannot be used by another to serve their purposes.
18 Being then made free
from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner
of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your
members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now
yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
Like James tells us,
“Faith without works is dead,” so too, holiness without righteousness is
dead. James challenges his readers to
demonstrate the reality of their faith without works. It cannot be done. In like fashion, one cannot demonstrate
holiness, one’s separation unto IAUE, without righteousness. Righteousness, then, is the key. It is the unquestioned object of our
redemption. There is no redemption
without righteousness any more than there is faith without works. There is no maturity in Messiah without an
actively righteous life.
The word of
righteousness (Hebrews 5:13) is the instruction in allowing the spirit of
Yahushua within us to manifest his nature within and through our physical
bodies. It requires us to yield our
bodies to him as a living sacrifice so his nature can be manifest in our
lives. What is his nature? It is righteousness; moral perfection, purity
of heart and mind; and the unmovable commitment to obedience to the will of
IAUE. This is the heritage of the saints
in light; not unchallenged lives of sin and darkness while sitting in the pews
of a church building on Sunday. What no one knows can kill us. We must bring our lives into the light; and
we must walk in the light. This is the Father’s expectation of all of His
children.
