Is there really
any other way to live than the way to be good:.Ecclesiastes
2:26 "For God gives to a man that is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge
and joy, but to the sinner He gives travail.(why?
because one reaps what he sows),
to gather and to heap up, that He may give to him that is good before God.
This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.(the
unrighteousness work for nothing and get less, ultimately)."
Haggai
1:5,6 "Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
You have sown much and bring in little; you eat, but you have not enough,
you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourself, but
there is none warm and he that earns wages earns wages to put it into a
bag with holes.".(the
verse is saying that no matter what we have, it still feels as if 'something'
is missing, and that something is the nature of love of the Infinite One
in us)
And what is that
way
to be good, that way which later in Paul's
time and even before.(John
12:19), caused such a stir?.Matthew
3:5; Acts 19:23.
And why would
some get so upset over a way to be good, unless they themselves were not
good?
The ancient Gentiles
were excluded from the blessings promised to ancient
physical Israel; that is, unless they too followed ancient Israel's
God, learning about Him from Israel which had the promises
from Abraham, as it was from his progeny
that the nation became Israel and God gave the promises to him and his
descendants.
The love of the Creator as
expressed by Emmanuel and carried on
today by Christ
and those
within whom
is His nature, made a place for all
people of belief.
Creator's plan was that after
the times of ancient physical Israel, there would be a 'spiritual
Israel' and that these people within whom is the
spiritual nature of Christ, the nature of love that transcends
physical differences, that those
being a part of this group would be greatly blessed.
Similar to this was that
through God's physical people of old; that is, that
nation back then God decided were to be His people; that through these
people others would be blessed.
But, there was much jealousy
right from the beginning, as you will see if you read the ancient Old Testament
stories of those persons who became the peoples to whom the blessings of
God accrued.
This exclusion so upset
those.(Pharisees,
etc.).back
then who believed that they were the chosen ones, like many religions today
who have no room for others unless they conform to doctrines.particular
to their church, many of which are really at odds with the truth of the
Bible.
These people, legalists,
who studied to be sure that every point of law was correct, were upset
when those they viewed as decadent
and below them in knowledge, received promises from God 'only because they
believed':.Galatians
3:8-16.
It is a shame many spiritual
persons are not being taught the importance of righteousness in the places
where they gather to meet, as once one awakens to it, sin
becomes null and void:.1Corinthians
15:34.
Many believe righteousness comes by following the tenets
laid down by their church. Are they correct?
Righteousness is not something
you
do to 'get righteous' and thus
accepted by God. It's something one lives because you have righteousness
as a gift from God,
thanks to what Emmanuel
did to alert us to our true purpose on Earth.(*).
It's also something that you have that produces something for all:.Isaiah
32:17.
One is not righteous by steadfastly
adhering
to some law:.Galatians
3:21 "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid, for
if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
would have been by the law." Romans 8:2
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Emmanuel has made me free
from the law of sin and death." Hebrews
7:19 "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God." Hebrews
10:1 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the
very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect."
Some individuals may not
be aware of this
special gift from our Creator which enables an
ongoing
relationship
with Creator-God to be possible. It provides the way to reign now and
forever:.Romans
5:17 ".....they which receive.(so,
ask for it).abundance
of grace and of the gift
of righteousness shall reign....."
Psalms
24:5 "He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness
from the God of his salvation."
And now you do good because
you love. And you love because you know your future.(next
step of existence).is
secure in Him and because you appreciate what He has done for you and for
all humanity. And, you are sure that you are
loved
by Him.
It is a thing out of the
state your heart.(emotions,
deep feelings).is
now in, instead of an emotionless action out of your mind because you feel
you have to do some things in order to be pleasing to a God who
demands grudging obedience to Him.
Nothing, absolutely nothing
you could ever do would put you in favor with God. You cannot earn His
favor. You cannot gain any favor from Him by being nicey nicey. The only
thing that pleases the Great Infinite One is Christ's loving nature in
you. A loving nature that you express in life through good works to others
from sincere actions out of a loving heart in you. This is all part of
faith, an aspect of love.
Faith is an aspect
of love:.Galatians
5:6 ".....faith which works by love."
The basis of the Infinite's
character is love:.1John
4:8,16.
The faith that pleases us
is Christ's faith in you, a gift
to you, a result of your interest in the spiritual side of things. A gift
to bring you into a greater consciousness of love, for without that in
your daily living what have you that's lasting?
It is totally Christ's work
in you:.Colossians
2:10; Ephesians 2:10....
You simply keep in touch
with the Great Infinite One, through meditation.(allowing
the Creator to bring things to your mind when you are in the
still and quiet), prayer.(talking
to God {can be mixed with your meditation time, much like when around others
we both listen and talk}).and
study.(the
more you learn how to be as the Great Infinite One, the more
spiritually powerful you become; knowledge
is
important).and
these three coupled with contemplation.
Expressing through actions what your heart is and is moving toward with
greater depth, is spiritual growth. Greater love would be evidenced by
good works of love for others:.Matthew
7:16; 1John 4:20,21; James
2:14.
The Father is pleased with
faith in your acceptance of His Son into your heart and even the
ability to be able to do this, to think this new way, is His gift:.Matthew
21:32; Ephesians 2:8. But like
any gift, one has to accept it or reject it. A gift never
implies forcing acceptance of it.
You accept
this because you know now that it is important to you and because you are
sure it is true for you.
In this new nature developing
in you, He is very pleased:.Luke
15:7,32 "I say unto you, that likewise joy is in heaven over one sinner
that repents.(deciding
to change is key to awakening to your having been saved, but never having
known that:.2Timothy
1:9), more than over ninety and
nine just persons, which need no repentance...I came not to call the righteous.(because
they cannot be taught anything, as they are full:.Luke
6:25), but sinners to repentance."
The 'righteous' here are
legalists; those who observe the do's and don'ts of.religion,
as the Pharisees.and
others did in Emmanuel's time:.Luke
16:15 "And he said unto them, You are they which justify yourselves
before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the sight of God." Luke
18:9-14 "And he spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves
that they were righteous, and despised others...Two men went up into the
temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican...The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus.with
himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast.(deny
food, and/or drink in order to devote uninterrupted time to God in prayer
and study and meditation).twice
in the week, I give tithes
of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift
up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other; for every one that exalts himself shall
be abased and he that humbles himself shall
be exalted."
Proverbs 30:12 "There
is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from
their filthiness." Proverbs 14:12
"There is a way which seems right unto a man but the end thereof are the
ways of death." Matthew 9:13 "...I
am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Romans
7:9 "For I was alive without the law once. But when the commandment
came, sin revived and I died."
And Paul,
before his conversion, was one of
the worst:.Philippians
3:6,7 "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those
I counted loss for Christ."
Paul said that there exists
a gift of righteousness.(Romans
5:17).for
believers.
Once one decides to get the
gift from Him who has it, he will have power for a changed heart. From
our hearts.(what
it is that we really are; our motivations, feelings, etc.).come
all the issues of life:.Proverbs
4:23.
This subject will show about
the gift of righteousness Emmanuel made possible:.1Peter
2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that
we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness.....".(what
is that supposed to mean?)
The way to getting it is
only available from Him:.John
14:6 "Emmanuel said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life.
No man comes unto the Father, but by me".
Any other way.(see
'Alternate Gospel').is
trying to get it for yourself.(such
are they who believe that the 'righteousness' of commandment keeping is
efficacious
with God):.John
10:1;.7,8
".....I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me.(the
Mosaic Law and any part of it).are
thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them."
The longer a man is wrong,
the surer he is he is right! The Pharisees
were like that.
