Rhapsody of Realities 6 July 2020 Devotional By Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
TOPIC: Christ: The Standard of Righteousness
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My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1)
Rhapsody of Realities 6 July 2020 Devotional Message:
1 John 3:9 says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin….” Some have misunderstood this and ran off with the wrong idea that whatever they do is right, because as Christians, they can’t sin. Yes, for the Christian, sin isn’t compulsory, but we don’t judge righteousness by what a Christian does; we judge righteousness by the light of Christ and His Word.
The Bible talks about walking in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). How consistent are your actions with the rightness of God? That’s how you know what’s right from what’s wrong. If you declare that whatever you do is right, that makes you the standard of rightness and of righteousness. But you’re not the standard of righteousness.
For example, we read in 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that “…we have the mind of Christ”; this doesn’t mean every thought of your heart, therefore, is always right. Yes, we have the rightness of God, but He tells us in Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world, but be transfigured by the renewing of your mind.” Even though you’re born again, your mind still needs to be renewed.
Let’s look at our theme verse again; it says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not….” If it weren’t possible for you to sin, He wouldn’t have said “I’m writing this to you so that you don’t sin.” But at the same time, He lets you know sin isn’t compulsory; you don’t have to sin. That’s the reason for the very next statement: “If any man sin”; instead of “When any man sins.” He creates a balance.
Don’t go from one extreme of “Sin is compulsory as long as we’re in this flesh” to the other extreme of “Whatever I do is right”; no! Your actions, thoughts, behaviour, responses and reactions must be consistent with the Word of God, with the righteousness of Christ, for He is the standard of righteousness. Hallelujah!
PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your grace and the power of your righteousness at work in me! I live free from sin and sin-consciousness, producing fruits of righteousness and good works, manifesting the love of Christ today and always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Romans 6:1-2; 1 John 2:29 AMPC; 2 Corinthians 5:21
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Acts 18:1-23; Job 9-11
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Galatians 1:1-9; Isaiah 26
Prayer For Salvation: We trust you have been blessed by this devotional. We invite you to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life by praying thus:
“O Lord God, I believe with all my heart in Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. I believe He died for me and God raised Him from the dead. I believe He’s alive today. I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life from this day. Through Him and in His Name, I have eternal life; I’m born again. Thank you Lord, for saving my soul! I’m now a child of God. Hallelujah!”
Congratulations! You are now a child of God.
Rhapsody of Realities 6 July 2020 Devotional was written by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is the founder and president of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, based in Lagos, Nigeria.
