Email from Abiding Place Daily Bread – March 22, 2024 (The Seventh Day – Genesis 2:1-3) Philippians 3:9 – And being found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, righteousness by the faith from God. Made the Righteousness of God Through the New Birth The great proclamation of the Gospel is, “Behold, God has made all things new!” Through the redeeming work of God’s Only Begotten Son, old things passed away and everything became new. God so loved us, He reached down into the pit of debauchery and lifted us out of our iniquity and clothed us in His righteousness. He gave us His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Holiness, so we might live in Him, walk with Him, be led by Him, and be taught by Him. By His Spirit, our eyes were open to see what the eyes of men could not see, to hear what the ears could not hear, and to understand the things that could only be taught by the Holy Spirit. We have been recreated in His image and likeness, in righteousness and true holiness. We have been given an abundant life in Christ Jesus. We have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness. We have been given the authority to live as the children of God. We are His temple, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Now the life and righteousness of God is in us like a wellspring, and flows out like rivers – all we must do is be willing to live in Him. The Old Testament saints had a righteousness credited by faith in the coming Redeemer. Today, we have been made the Righteousness of God because we have been born again. The most important point is that we received the righteousness of God through the new birth. As a result the power of God’s own life is at work in us – both the righteousness of God and His holiness. By the work of the Holy Spirit, we learn to do all those things that are pleasing in His sight. Doing those things that are pleasing in the sight of God are not works of self-righteousness. Rather, it’s the righteousness that is by the faith of Jesus Christ at work in us. When God found Adam and Eve hiding in their sin and shame, He made a promise of the coming Seed, the Redeemer. The coming Seed is the focus of the entire Bible. Abraham believed in the coming Seed, and it was credited to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:4-6, 21:12; Galatians 3:16,19). Everyone who believed God’s Word was counted righteous, for the righteous “live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). It was faith in the coming Redeemer that reached out and took hold of the provision of redemption before the Redeemer arrived. Every sacrifice of the Old Testament, both before and after the Law was given at Mount Sinai, represented the coming Seed. Some understood it and saw His day, and others were just lost in a religious ritual that they thought was the way to be righteous. Yet, everywhere we observe faith in the Bible, it’s about the coming Seed. Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 3/22/2025
