The Lord makes it abundantly clear in His Word that without righteousness no believer can receive eternal life. A prime example of this Truth is found in Romans 6:19,20,22. Here we find Him speaking to the church through the Apostle Paul: “… as you have (in the past) yielded yourself (as) servants to uncleanness and to iniquity (Lawlessness); even so now yield yourselves to righteousness unto holiness … and the end (of the yielding process), (is) eternal life.” Note that is at the END of the process that eternal life is granted. In 1 John 2:29 we find the apostle telling the church: “…(only) one who DOES righteousness is born (begotten-not born again) of Him. See Born Again. In 1 John 3:6-8 we are told that “Whosoever ABIDES IN HIM sins not; whosoever sins has NOT SEEN HIM NEITHER KNOWS HIM …. He that DOES RIGHTEOUSNESS is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that commits sin IS OF THE DEVIL.” Then in 3:9 John reiterates this Truth by saying: “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, for HIS SEED (Word-2:14) REMAINS IN HIM and he cannot sin because he is born (begotten) of God.” The conjuction “cannot” is comprised of two Greek words: (can)-“dunamai”-have the power to, to be able to, and (not)-“ou”-meaning absolutely not, under no circumstance. If, as God commands in 2 Corinthians 6:14,15, there is no unity between righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, Christ and Satan or saints and infidels, then we can be assured that anyone who is not righteous, not light, not of Christ and not a saint will not be allowed into the Kingdom of God. That being the case, we must know how to attain righteousness, be light, be of Christ and be saintly if we are to have any chance of receiving eternal life at the return of Jesus Christ. The ultimate question now becomes, how does the believer attain the righteousness necessary for salvation?

When God created man He gave him every physical and mental attribute he would need to succeed in human life. However, there was another attribute man would need in order to live eternally with his Makers in a future paradise on the earth–holy, righteous character which only God the Father and Jesus Christ possess innately. This characteristic could not be instantly awarded by fiat at conception as were man’s other traits. Something else would have to be done in order for man to attain righteousness and eligible for salvation, a process that would involve man himself. The process would entail the total eradication of sin in man, for only those who are “in Christ” will join Him in His Father’s kingdom. God is (only) light, and in Him is no darkness (sin) all (1 Jn. 1:5). TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE ONE MUST TOTALLY ERADICATE SIN IN HIS LIFE–one must be righteous (the absence of sin).

Satan has convinced the church that it is impossible to be without sin in that man receives Adam’s sin gene at conception and keeps it for life. See Human Nature. This “truth” created a problem for professing Christendom: Though man cannot be righteous, he must exhibit righteousness to inherit salvation. As always, the devil has the solution to the problem. And as always, his solution is ultimately user-friendly for all who want to receive eternal life without going to any trouble. He has convinced church people that Jesus died so that they could continue to sin (do what is natural) and get away with it.

Four Truths are Scripturally provable: 1) God would have all people saved. 2) Righteousness is the personal possession of the Godhead. 3) Man must manifest personal righteousness in order to be saved. 4) Man cannot create righteousness by his own efforts. These Truths point to another Truth, a Truth that the masses of professing Christianity refuse to accept because it involves more than faith on their part– RIGHTEOUSNESS MUST BE DEVELOPED IN MAN BY A PROCESS THAT INVOLVES EFFORT ON MAN’S PART. The question is: How? Acceptance or rejection of God’s answer is what separates sheep from goats, wheat from tares, true saints from counterfeit saints–God’s tiny remnant church from Satan’s huge religious system. To be continued. L.J.