©1995 - 2023

 

THE MYSTERY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS


 

It is the Glory of God to Conceal a Matter,
It is the Glory of Kings to Search out a Matter.
Proverbs 25:2

THE MYSTERIES OF GOD
Revealed in the Word
Christian disciples are learners who grow in the knowledge of truth in Christ Jesus.

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS SOUGHT BY ALL SEEKERS. . . WHETHER THEY SEEK TRUTH IN CHURCHES OR SEEK TRUTH FROM ENLIGHTENED TEACHERS, GURUS, OR WISE MEN. RELIGION IS A SYSTEM WHICH PROMISES CONDITIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS, OR A RIGHTEOUSNESS TO BE EARNED BY DISCIPLINES OR CONFORMITY TO THE RULES OF THEIR SECT.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 1 Corinthians 2:7 Which none of the princes of this world knew: (2:7) for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1Co 2:9 ¶ But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. Tools specific to 1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. 2:14
 
        Revelation and inspiration result from searching, knocking and asking. As simple as it may sound, these pathways that lead a seeker into the knowledge of the mysteries of God is not easy to discover. "God is a Spirit," says the scripture. His divine existence is one that can only be perceived, believed on a non-sensing level. If I say that I know God, whom you neither know nor see, you can only judge my assertions on the basis of my personal credibility. Some spokes persons for God or more credible than others. The early apostles did not so much argue the existence of God as a theory or concept but to prove His existence by supernatural attestations, demonstrating the Power of God. (1Corinthians 2). So we have the matter of proving to a materialistic non believing world that God is real and that He still has a part in the day to day affairs of this world and its occupants. It is a very great mystery that it is G-d who calls us to have fellowship with Him. It is G-d who equips us to grow and minister through Him. It is G-d who preserves and keeps us until his coming to gather his called out people unto himself. So you see, that it is very little about our performance or goodness. The gift of G-d prevails throughout the life of a believer.


Progressive Revelation

     God is a god of mysteries and hidden things. The parables taught by Jeshua (Jesus) had within them truth at varying levels; plain story-level truth and higher spiritual level revelation. There is and always has been that matter of hidden truth. Christ's disciples were given access to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God while others received no more than a moral homily. God reveals himself to some and not to others. Heaven and its mysteries are not laid bare for any to intrude upon as there are defining limits between darkness and heavenly light. The Bible truths and hidden mysteries are not delineated as point by point, topic by topic facts or bullet points. Thus the key to unpacking and deciphering the Word of God can not be achieved by academic skills and study alone. Without the Holy Spirit who is the teacher and discipler of truth we are limited pretty much to the moral homily level as the listener.

We are given understanding in the light of Jeshua (Jesus) in a line by line, precept upon precept, understanding that Jesus is the Word of God, Itself the greatest mystery. For when the Scripture is made known in its completeness we shall See Him as He IS.

The following writings deal with the subject of Mysteries. They do little more than introduce the topics of God's mysteries, some of the mysteries. There remains, more, much more to be gleaned relevant to the whole counsel of God. More mysteries and mysteries within mysteries which will come into our field of view in due time.

Revelation is progressive and our precepts deepen as His truth is revealed by God's Holy Spirit. These are brought to light in God's time. God is withholding certain things from us because it is not yet His time. Contrary to some ecclesiastical authorities we do not have all the answers (facts) as to Who God is and what His complete plan is for His Body, The Church (another mystery).

Matthew 16:16 But who say ye that I am?
Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter, answers and says, "You are the Messiah, the son of the Living God." Jesus then tells Peter, "- - - Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. This is an example of how we receive knowledge of hidden things.

Mysteries revealed by God
1Corinthians 2:0 - -"Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those that love him. 10: But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11. For man knows the things of a man, save the sprit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God, know man knows, but the Spirit of God.


Some topics covered in this study include:

The Fallen Human Race

A Righteous Line - Restoration of God's Rulership

The Deliverer and Lawgiver

The Gospel is the Gospel of Righteousness

The Mystery of the Cross

The Exchange of Righteousness at the Cross

Jesus Judged Not Guilty

God Extends His Hand to us in Peace

The Power of a Newly Formed Spirit

Righteousness is Without Cost to Us

 

THE MYSTERY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The way of God is a mystery. The Truths of God are veiled. The Holy Spirit reveals eternal wisdom and truth. The knowledge of God is free to all. But, the knowledge of God is hidden or veiled until that veil is removed by the Spirit of Christ Jesus. We who are of the faith can declare, "I was once blind, but now I see." It is God's will that we should not be ignorant of spiritual matters -" (1 Corinthians 12:1.)

The message of the Gospel bears witness to the fact that Jesus is alive and has sent his awakening and life-giving spirit to bring us into knowledge of God and His plan to rescue fallen humanity. The destiny of the redeemed is to replicate Christ's image and likeness. We will then partake in his Spiritual inheritance into eternity.

He brings us into new dimensions of liberty, peace and righteousness. The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink (following rules of religious performance and behavior) but righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Way of Righteousness

God who made heaven and earth is a Holy and Perfect Being, He is not an "it" or an impersonal "force." God's divine nature is perfect Love, Mercy and Glorious Power. He wants to share His LIFE with His creation. The Word of God that says he created Man and the Worlds for His pleasure and Joy. He has made His power accessible to his children.  

This God-created man, Adam, was given authority in a perfect earthly domain. The earth was to sustain and bless the human race. Nothing was present to limit that fruitfulness and felicity that God had wished to lavish upon his creation. 

A Fallen Human Race - Separated from the Life of God

After the "temptation" and the "fall" of the race of Adam the rulership of this planet was given to the Devil, Satan, by default. Satan through deception and trickery appeared as he still does as a seducer-deceiver "the woman" in the garden. Adam had the authority to banished Satan permanently and block any future hassles or interference, but Adam failed to exercise that authority. 

In ages past, wickedness, pride and rebellion had entered into a spirit being, Lucifer. This arch angel was deceived by pride into believing that his own glory was equal to his creator. Lucifer was cast out of the heaven of God. The exact time and the details are open to question. Since Lucifer was given authority on this planet the earth has born the consequences of his presence death and disruption.  The Bible in Ezekiel. 28, and Isaiah 14 Chronicle the fall of Lucifer through pride.


The Theme of the Bible is how God will Restore the Fallen World Once and For All

The Bible is the story of how God is reclaiming the earth, and preparing people, once more, to be His personal pride and possession. In God's plan (Revealed in the Holy Bible) God chose a people, had a plan, and a had time-table for his actions. Throughout the ages Satan has been unrelenting in trying to thwart and nullify the promise of the redemption of this world.

God Chooses a Man

God chose the patriarch Abraham and his descendants; God chose Moses; God chose David and his descendants; God chose Mary of Nazareth; God sent a Son who was foretold by holy prophets and in full detail. It was foretold who he was to be, where he was to be born; and what his mission and calling were to be. The Righteous Line had to be guarded and realized in order to produce the promised Messiah and King who will be the ultimate righteous ruler.

Righteousness is right-standing with God. The Bible teaches that no man since Adam has ever been righteous before God on the earth. None are righteous, not even one; every man turns aside to his own way, no one seeks God." (paraphrased, Psalm 14, Psalm 53) 

God chose to grant righteousness through one man of his own chosing. Abram who was later renamed Abraham, was to become the father of all persons of faith and obedience. (See Genesis 12-24.) He was the 'father' to the righteous line of inheritance which was later to produce the "Christ." 

God made a covenant with Abraham. Through the line of Abraham a righteous "olive tree" was planted in the earth. The descendants of the line of Abraham were righteous only by virtue of covenant rights though not righteous in spirit.

 The Deliverer and Lawgiver

Moses was selected by God to deliver his covenant people from the bondage of Egypt, which was the first captivity. Moses' deliverance pre-figures (is an antetype) of the deliverance of the whole race of humanity from Satan's rulership. God brings his people out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders and with an outstretched arm. He brought them out and he continues to bring them out, with the intention of having a favored and a particular people of his own, a special treasure in the earth. God declares that his people are to be a nation of worshipers, they are to be kings and priests. (Exodus 19.) 

The Mosaic laws could not make man good inside. They could still not be made spiritually righteous. It was necessary for God to provide a priesthood (the Levites of Israel) to perform blood sacrifices in order to cover the sins of the people. (Hebrews 1,2,3,4) The law made it possible for God to manifest to the people of covenant in limited ways. 

Yet, no man was made righteous under the law. As is noted in the letter to Galatia, the law was really given for one man who would fulfill its provisions in entirety. Jesus who was without fault under the law, fulfilled the law. (Gallatians 3;15-20) 

The Gospel is the Gospel of Righteousness

What is the Gospel of Righteousness? That God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:19) The Gospel is good news. We hear it called "good news" but few of us know how deep are its blessings and how wonderful are its provisions!  Through the death of one perfect being, God's begotten Son, an imperfect and fallen humanity who had no claim to righteousness (men, women and children) could now have access to God. They could hear from God and communicate directly with Him. They could even be called "sons and daughters of God". They could experience God through the same spirit that was in Jesus Christ. 

The Mystery of the Cross

The cross of Jesus' crucifixion is the key to the mystery of the Gospel. The New Covenant was expressed and sealed formally in the upper room through the elements of the Passover Seder hosted by Jesus before his betrayal. Drinking the wine and bread, the symbol of of covenant, Jesus announced the new covenant in his blood as he sat with his Jewish friends and disciples at the Pesach (Passover) feast. He presented himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God, the "delivering" sacrifice who would set every captive free, whose own blood would be applied to the post and the lintel (the cross) so that the angel of death and judgment would pass over them. Jesus was the lamb who the prophet, John the Baptist, announced in an earlier day. 

Here in the Passover meal the cup was drunk and the bread was broken fulfilling the everlasting covenant that Moses received in Egypt. A lamb had been chosen from among the flock, a lamb without blemish, a perfect lamb was sacrificed and consumed and all who participated were delivered from bondage and brought out of Egypt to serve God.

 The Exchange of Righteousness at the Cross

On the cross, Jesus, a man who knew no sin became sin for you and me. We who knew no righteousness had the entire list of all of our offenses, our un-righteousness, and our sentence of death, nailed to His cross!

How did this exchange happen? As noted above, the devil has waged a continuos campaign to destroy God's seed (Genesis 3:15 called the Proto Evangelium) Jesus from ever being manifested. For the two thousand years from Abraham's time to Jesus' time Satan has waged a campaign to sidetrack the plan and purposes of God, set in motion through his people, Israel. Finally, in the fulness of time, the seed of the woman came into the earth, born of a virgin, fulfilling numerous prophecies; A child was born, a son was given. Upon him rests the hope of the gentiles; In him the fall and rising of many; In him the righteous branch from the stem of Jesse, In him the righteous servant; In him the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

The time came to accomplish this. A plan was thus orchestrated: An unbelieving religious tradition rejected Jesus. Deceitful witnesses came forward to condemn him. Caesar's representative tried him. In the court of Pilate he was found guilty. Men (soldiers) and magistrates (Pilate) and a betrayer (Judas Iscariot) were all used by Lucifer to destroy the Son of Man.

Lucifer however made a serious tactical error! A man without sin became sin. "He was made sin for us,- cursed is every man who hangs on a tree"(cross.) We without righteousness could now receive it as a free gift. He bore for us the penalty, the pain, the guilt, the shame, the fears; through all manner of torture and anguish. We then, would not need to face these curses. (Isaiah 53).

Jesus Judged "Not Guilty"

A man without sin was not subject to death, according to God's law -"The soul that sins shall die," (Ezekiel 18,4.);and, "He who was without sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him," (2 Corinthians 5:21). as God's perfect life would preserve him. Thus Jesus voluntarily gave up his life. God raised him up from the world of the dead, the world of spirits. Death could not hold him! He was raised gloriously from death to live again. By the shedding of his own blood, he entered as a high priest into the Holy Place in the heavens to reign as a high priest over a new covenant! (Epistle to the Hebrews) 

Jesus Alive? He is now enthroned as both king and as the great High Priest. Now he is alive and reigns in power.  "Well, you might say, how can he be alive? I can't see him and he doesn't answer if I call on him?" He will answer those who call upon him with a meek and contrite heart that is without selfish motives.
You might say he responds by "special invitation."

He returned from death to tell his disciples, "All power in heaven and earth are given unto me." Earlier, in the beginning of the Gospels we see that the realm of earthly authority belonged to Lucifer. (See Matthew 4:9 or Luke 4:6) 

Lucifer is still called the Prince of the power of the air and the god of this world. He excercises his authority in the children of disobedience, those who are not yet redeemed. 

The authority of Jesus' position is now Universal and Eternal. Jesus shares this throne with no other. Every spirit knows him and his authority. It remains that the vast majority of people in the earth, even professing Christians are the only ones ignorant of this truth. 

God Extends His Hand to us in Peace

Because of the exchange made at the cross we have a obtained a New Covenant from God. This is the covenant that recognize and give assent to when we take the bread and the cup of the new covenant. Religiously it is called "Communion," the Last Supper but it is that which Jesus said it is. A new covenant in his blood. It is the culmination and fulfillment of the Passover, which is eaten and drank as often as we desire to "show the Lord's death until he comes." A new life with God is possible, a new life not only with God but IN GOD was made possible through faith. Because of this new covenant, WE can pray the disciple's prayer, " - Our Father in Heaven -". Without this exchange at the cross no person would be able to say the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. 

Do not for a moment believe that we are inherently the sons of God, for this is ignorance and deception. He who was without sin was made sin for us, that we may become the righteous of God in Christ Jesus.   The Mystery of Righteousness:

The Power of a Newly Formed Spirit

Righteousness is granted through faith in Jesus Christ. A mighty spiritual force penetrates the veil of darkness, blindness, ignorance and separation from God and begets inside of the believer a spiritual life. We are assumed into Christ (the living Power of God) forever. The father records a name in a book of Life in a heavenly place, "begotten in the Lamb -- Holy unto the Lord!"  Righteousness is Unearned,

Righteousness is Without Cost to Us

Now righteousness is a gift. It has come to us from Jesus only. There is no cost but to believe. The word of God is very clear on this matter. Though the gift of God is entirely free and open, there is no other option upon the earth by which we can obtain it. There is no other Gospel. There is no other name, no other Jesus. There is no other Spirit other than Christ's Spirit of compassion and forgiveness which ushers in the redeemed life.

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."(Mark 16:16) and (John 3:18) "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:19) "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

Alas, without receiving the free gift of righteousness, we face a terrible penalty of those who reject the Son of God. We must then continue on the pathway of death and damnation. The consequence of reject the Savior is judgment and separation from God, Hell. Saying this, instantly brings Satan's words into our minds, "Did God really say this, surely won't die and be condemned." (See Genesis chapter 3:4.) Our reason wants to agree with Satan. This is the flesh exalting itself over the cross and it is the place where the final temptation is encountered. Faith in the veracity of the Word acknowledges this terrible consequence, there is judgment facing each who chooses to trust in themselves. God does not recognize man's righteousness.

Hearing: True hearing is a spiritual process. The Spirit of God empowers us to hear.

"Knowledge makes arrogant, love edifies."



E Book 1:
The Gospel Without Religion

E Book 2:

A Disciples Handbook

E Book 3:

Mysteries in the Bible


Index to all Charles Pinkney Christian Titles

Resources: Understanding Home Fellowships

Frank Viola Interviews a typical church-goer

(Discussion of Open Church)

 


08-2023

Introduction to Mysteries of God

Index to Bible Mysteries

 

The Rapture of Believers, Part 1

The bride and the Bridegroom typology and the rapture
 

Mystery of Accessing God

Mystery of the Body of Christ 

Mystery of the Cross, Crucified with Him

Mystery of Faith Believing God's Word

Mystery of Grace, God's Hand Stretched Forth
 

Mystery of Power and Divine Enablement

Mystery of Spoken Words of Covenant 
 

Mystery of Righteousness in the Beloved

Mystery of the Word -.Bible is a Living Force

Mystery of Spirit and Spirits