Christ Is Our Righteousness

How many believe this?  This is a wonderful study and I'm sure you will benefit from it, just hang in there.

1 John 1:9  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"God requires that we confess our sins and humble our hearts before Him; but at the same time, we should have confidence in Him as a tender Father, who will not forsake those who put their trust in Him.  Many of us walk by sight and not by faith.  We believe the things that are seen but do not appreciate the precious promises given us in God's Word, and yet we cannot dishonor God more decidedly than by showing that we distrust what He says and question whether the Lord is in earnest with us or is deceiving us."  F&W

"God does not give us up because of our sins.  We may make mistakes and grieve His Spirit, but when we repent and come to Him with contrite hearts, He will not turn us away.  There are hindrances to be removed.  Wrong feelings have been cherished, and there have been pride, self-sufficiency, impatience, and murmurings.  All these separate us from God.  Sins must be confessed; there must be a deeper work of grace in the heart."  F&W

We must learn in the school of Christ.  Nothing but His righteousness can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace.  We have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings but have not received them because we have cherished the idea that we could do something to make ourselves worthy of them.  We have not looked away from ourselves, believing that Jesus is a living Savior.  We must not think that our own grace and merits will save us; the grace of Christ is our only hope of salvation.  Through His prophet, the Lord promises, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon"Isaiah 55:7.  We must believe the naked promise, and not accept feeling for faith.  When we trust God fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin-pardoning  Savior, we shall receive all the help that we can desire."  F&W

Just like the paragraph above says, we must trust him.  We must walk by faith and not by sight.  I understand it is hard to believe in things that we cannot see, but we need to pray for trust and faith to believe.  All of our sins separate us from God, we must confess them if we hope to have a close relationship with Him, We must draw close to God and He will draw close to us.  We must lean on Christ as our only hope of salvation.  

"We look to self, as though we had power to save ourselves; but Jesus died for us because we are helpless to do this.  In Him is our hope, our justification, our righteousness....At this very time He is carrying on His work in our behalf, inviting us to come to Him in our helplessness and be saved.  We dishonor Him by our unbelief."  F&W

When Moses was leading the Israelites in the wilderness, God allowed poisonous serpents to sting them because of their rebellion.  He told Moses to make a serpent on a pole and tell them to 'look and live', many of them didn't believe God and suffered and died because of their unbelief.  

John 3:14,15  "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness," even so was "the Son of man . . was lifted up:  that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life"  If you are conscious  of your sins, do not devote all your powers to mourning over them, but look and live.  Jesus is our only Savior; and although millions who need to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish.  While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we must not be discouraged; we must rely upon a crucified and risen Savior. Poor, sin-sick, discouraged soul, look and live.  Jesus has pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him."

"There are conscientious souls that trust partly to God and partly to themselves.  They do not look to God, to be kept by His power, but depend upon watchfulness against temptation and the performance of certain duties for acceptance with Him.  There are no victories in this kind of faith.  Such persons toil to no purpose; their souls are in continual bondage, and they find no rest until their burdens are laid at the feet of Jesus."  F&W

"There is need of constant watchfulness and of earnest, loving devotion, but these will come naturally when the soul is kept by the power of God through faith.   We can do nothing, absolutely nothing, to commend ourselves to divine favor.  We must not trust at all to ourselves or to our good works; but when as erring, sinful beings we come to Christ, we may find rest in His love.  God will accept every- one that comes to Him trusting wholly in the merits of a crucified Savior.  Love springs up in the heart.  There may not be ecstasy of feeling, but there is an abiding peaceful trust.  Every burden is light; for the yoke which Christ imposes is easy.  Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure.  The path that before seemed shrouded in darkness becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness.  This is walking in the light as Christ in iin the light."  F&W

This is beautiful, I cannot add or subtract anything from it.  All I can say is cast your burdens on Jesus and let Him carry them for you, all your sins, confess them and He will forgive and life will not be a burden any longer. Grandma Joan