TITLE: Three types of righteousness
SCRIPTURE: (1.) A filthy rags type of righteousness. 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."
(2.) Christs righteousness Imputed, and implanted. Imputed righteousness: Romans 4:6 "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,". Implanted righteousness: 1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
(3.) A Personal righteousness after salvation that has the potential to be done for the glory of God. Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
PROPOSITION: To use these texts and others to show that there are only three types of righteousnesses in scripture, but the only righteousness that God will accept for our salvation is Christ's righteousness. When God saves us he not only forgives our sins but he imputes his own righteousness to our account. God's forgiveness is a subtraction of guilt, and imputation is an addition of righteousness.
1.) Why does God see our righteousness as filthy rags?
A. Because God requires perfection, and if God required less than perfection he would be denying the infinite worth of his glory. "be ye therefore perfect", if we have broken God's law in one point, we can't offer to God an unblemished righteousness.. James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
B. The absolute proof that our righteousness is as "filthy rags" and has not earned us eternal life is our death. "For as in Adam all die", Jesus Christ is the only one who could have lived forever here on this earth, he didn't have to die, in his humanity he was born of a virgin so he never inherited a sin nature, and in his diety he was the sinless Son of God. He didn't have to die but he chose to die in our place. John 10:17-18 "...I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again..."
2.) What is imputation, and how is Christ's righteousness imputed to us.
A.definition of imputation: to add something good or bad to an account. If I walked into your bank with a twenty dollar bill and said to the teller that I wanted this added to your account, it would be imputed to you.
B. When Christ was on the cross our sins however heinous they may have been were imputed to Christ, God poured out His just wrath for sin upon Jesus Christ, and turned his back on his own Son. Jesus cryed out "my God my God why has thou forsaken me" Christ took all that was ours that he might give us all that was his, and at the moment of Salvation Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
3.) How is Christ's righteousness
implanted in our hearts?
A. When a sinner repents of his sin and is born again, at that moment they are made alive in their spirit, and the seed of God's word is implanted into their heart and life, they become a partaker of Christ's righteous nature.1 Peter 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." The Christian does not live a lifestyle of sin because God's righteous seed is in him.
4.) What is the difference between our righteousness before salvation and our righteousness after salvation?
A. Our righteousness before salvation is done in the flesh and because of this it cannot please God, our righteousness after salvation is can be done in the Spirit of Christ and has the potential to glorify God.
Romans 8:8-9 "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
B. The only righteousness that has saving merit is Christ imputed, and implanted righteousness, but at the judgement seat of Christ our personal righteousness will be tried by fire to reveal whether it was done for God's glory or for our vain glory.
1 Corinthians 3:15 " If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
CONCLUSION: there is a righteousness of our flesh which is filthy rags, there's a righteousness that proceeds from a transformed heart which has the potential to glorify God, and there is a righteousness that Christ gives us at the moment of salvation, this is the only righteousness that could make us worthy of Heaven. Our faith justifies us in the sight of God, but our works can only justify us in the sight of man. Romans 11:6 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."
