You Need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

       Please notice carefully that Matthew 6:33 does NOT say, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and OUR righteousness...” Rather, the Bible says ... seek HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. We are to seek Jesus' righteousness. 2nd Corinthians 5:21 states, “For He (God the Father) hath made Him (God the Son) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Amen!

This speaks of Christ's imputed righteousness (i.e., our sins are placed upon Christ's record, and His righteousness is placed upon our record at the moment of salvation). 

You see my friend, we have no righteousness of our own to offer God. Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES ARE AS FILTHY RAGS; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” No amount of good works on your part can undo, or make up for, the sins you've committed throughout your life. Even one sin can send a person to Hell forever (James 2:10). That's why we all need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.

We are JUSTIFIED in the eyes of God by faith, just-if-I'd never sinned. The precious literal blood of Jesus takes our sins away forever (1st Peter 1:18,19; Hebrews 9:12,24). This is true righteousness, and it is found ONLY in Christ Jesus! We are commanded to seek HIS righteousness if we want to obtain the Kingdom of God. “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and sanctification, and redemption” (1st Corinthians 1:30).

Here are the Biblically sound words of the mighty preacher, Harry Ironside (1876-1951) . . .

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …

Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”

SOURCE: Pastor Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: What Is The Gospel?

The Bible defines the Gospel as the DEATH, BURIAL and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ...

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

There can be no salvation without the Gospel. Faith in Jesus is not the plan of salvation. The cross must be included upon which Christ died. It is a false gospel message to tell people to invite Jesus into their life, or pray a Jesus prayer, or surrender all to Christ. This type of false message is epidemic in churches today, which leads people to religion instead of Christianity. Romans 1:16 teaches that it is THE GOSPEL which is the power of God unto salvation.

There can be no salvation apart from faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King Jr. was a massive religious fraud. People called him reverend until King's death, but the man totally denied the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King Jr. went to Hell in his sins forever. King also publicly denied the virgin birth and deity of Jesus Christ. So make sure to include the cross (the death, burial and resurrection) of Christ Jesus.

We are saved by Christi's righteousness and not our own. The Word of God is very clear that the only way anyone can be saved and go to Heaven is by Jesus' IMPUTED righteousness; and not by our own inferior self-righteousness. God calls our best efforts “filthy rags” in Isaiah 64:6. The reason why is because no amount of good works or self-righteousness on our part can undo the sins we've committed. No amount of good can offset the bad. We need a Savior!

Thankfully, God is His wondrous mercy and grace has provided a sacrifice for our sins, that being His own precious dear Son, Jesus Christ, Who came into the world to SAVE SINNERS!

Biblical repentance is the recognition of my sinnership — the owning before God that I am as vile as He has declared me to be in His holy Word. God will forgive anybody who looks to Jesus to be saved. The Word of God plainly teaches that eternal life is a FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15), paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). Salvation is receiving, not giving. It is not what we do that saves us; but rather, what Christ has done for us in His work of redemption.

Salvation is of the Lord, not man. A person does not have to stop living in sin to be saved, for that would make salvation a reward instead of a free gift. A changed life is the result of genuine repentance, and not a part of saving-faith (2nd Corinthians 5:17). We don't give up our sins to get saved; we give up our sins because WE ARE SAVED. God makes the change. Salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8,9).

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." —Matthew 6:33

Many religions today falsely teach that a person is required to be water baptized in order to go to Heaven. That is not Biblical. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God is all that God requires to be saved.

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” (King James Bible)

Amen!

Other religions falsely teach that a person is required to forsake their sins in order to go to Heaven. What man can forsake all his sins? None! Salvation is not brought about by education, legislation, reformation, nor even rehabilitation; but rather, by regeneration by the holy Spirit of God. The Bible is the Seed by which men are born anew of the Spirit of God.

1st Peter 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible Seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Some religions falsely require a person to observe the Sabbath, tithe, partake of Sacraments, or join a certain religious denomination to go to Heaven. These are all lies of the Devil, who is the father of all liars (John 8:44).

Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23). To those who reject the gospel, the Lake of Fire will be their eternal home, where they will be punished for their sins...

2nd Thessalonians 1:8, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We need Jesus' righteousness, which is by faith in Him alone for salvation...

"For He [God the Father] hath made Him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

The truth of God's Word is that we need Jesus' righteousness (HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS) in order to be saved and go to Heaven one day. We have no self-righteousness to offer God (Romans 3:10; James 2:10). We are guilty, dirty, rotten, hell-deserving SINNERS; and Jesus is the precious redeeming SAVIOR! It's the simple. Do you want to be saved?

Then come as a SINNER, and believe upon the SAVIOR! Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Who came into the world to forgive and save men from their sins.

Jesus paid for our sins with His blood.

We read in the Holy Scriptures...

Romans 10:3-4, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Salvation is found ONLY in Jesus Christ!  Would you like to be saved?

Admit that you are a GUILTY sinner, under the condemnation of God's Law, deserving of Hellfire. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! BELIEVE that He DIED on the cross for your sins. And that He was BURIED. And that after three days He bodily RESURRECTED from the dead. This is “THE GOSPEL,” by which all men are saved if they simply BELIEVE.

“But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” —John 1:12

Important note to Christians...

Soulwinning is not an option in the Christian life, it is a divine command from the Lord (Proverb 11:30; Daniel 12:3; Matthew 28:19,20; Luke 8:15; 14:23; Philippians 2:16). Believers who fail to preach the gospel will be extremely sorrowful when they give account at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11). Philippians 2:16, “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” All labor is done in vain if it is not centered in the holding forth of the Word of Life, i.e., the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). If you are a born-again Christian, then I plead with you in Jesus' name to become aggressive about soulwinning.