SR
SR November 2015
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with truth to the same level if we are not talking about it
and studying it and applying it with others. When we
are challenged to put God’s word into our own words
the impact is huge. It is a joy to worship with others in a
large group. This is an important part of being a part of
God’s body of believers. However, from the beginning
God’s people have met in homes or smaller groups to
learn, to fellowship, to worship, to pray, and to be led by
the Spirit. When we are missing out on these smaller
gatherings it impacts our ability to be prepared with truth.
Righteousness
Just like body armor which protects a soldier’s vital
organs, righteousness protects our heart or the core of
who we are in Jesus. Righteousness has a two-part
meaning. The first is the righteousness of Christ which is
given by faith to those who trust Christ alone for salvation
from sin and its consequences. This righteousness is
absolute. It is 100% purity due to the fact that Jesus was
without sin. Some don’t believe that it is possible to impart
righteousness, but the Bible is clear in its teaching.
“He
made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
(2 Cor. 5:21) God’s righteousness cannot be reached
through human effort. In fact,
“all our righteous deeds are
like a filthy garment.”
(Is. 64:6) In order to be protected
from the attacks of evil, we need to be given God’s right-
eousness, and this comes only through faith in Jesus
Christ.
“The righteous will live by faith.”
(Romans 1:17)
The second meaning of righteousness is doing what is
right. Although we in our human ability cannot be 100%
righteous, we know that there are right things to do and
wrong things. It is right to tell the truth. It is right to honor
our father and mother. It is right to keep the Sabbath
holy. When we value and honor God’s standard of right-
eousness, we understand what is the right thing to do.
We live in a spiritual battlefield. Our heart, which is the
central core of what guides our life, is constantly under
attack. Proverbs gives this wise advice,
“Guard your heart,
it is the wellspring of your life.”
The evil one seeks to move
us toward accepting and living by a human standard of
righteousness instead of God’s timeless standard. We are
prone to slide into using the world’s definition of right
and wrong. We need to keep God’s righteousness firmly
in place so that our hearts can be kept from gravitating
toward human standards of righteousness.
The Good News of Peace
The footwear of a soldier provides a solid foundation on
which to fight. Firm footing is essential to standing firm
in the middle of a struggle. In the same way the good
news which leads us to a relationship with God is the
foundation upon which our new life is founded. True
peace can only be found through Christ who is the
Prince of Peace. The fruit of the Spirit of peace is the
overflow of peace that comes from the presence of the
source of peace, God himself. The Bible says,
“There-
fore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Romans 5:1)
We can only stand firm when the foundation upon which
we stand is secure. Is your foundation secure? Do you
know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you were to die
today that you would be with Jesus forever? Are you
100% sure? The good news is that you can be sure. You
don’t have to wonder about it. You don’t have to try and
guess whether or not you measure up to God’s standard.
You don’t! But you don’t have to be 100% righteous and
holy in order to know your relationship with God is secure
now and into eternity. Jesus can be your righteousness.
You can have peace of mind today by knowing that you
have been made righteous or justified by faith in Jesus.
Your peace of mind comes from being at peace with
God when the Prince of Peace enters your life. 1 John
5:11-12 states,
“And the testimony is this, that God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who
has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have the life.”
This is a paradox. The gospel of peace brings prepared-
ness to stand firm in our struggle against the evil one. “It
is the appropriation of the gospel of peace which makes
one ready for war.” (p.449, WBC, Lincoln) The peace of
God is powerful.
“The God of peace will soon crush
Satan under your feet.”
(Romans 16:20)
Stand Firm
How can we stand firm against the work of the evil one
in our lives and in our time? We must actively clothe
ourselves with truth, righteousness, and the good news
of peace. We cannot stand firm by using the tactics of
the evil one but instead must learn to resist according to
the weapons of God’s fighting. In Him we are strong. In
Him we overcome all of the strategies of the evil one.
Truth, Righteousness, and Peace
