Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

 

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17

In this message we want to continue thinking about the Kingdom of God and share with you some truths concerning righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

By definition, righteousness is the state of being right with God or a quality of rightness or justness. The man who is righteous is the man who is in a right relationship with God and whose life shows it. Christians frequently call that "justification." Righteousness also conveys the sense of whatever conforms to the revealed will of God.

The Jews had sought to solve the problem of righteousness by strict obedience to the law. Paul had tried that way himself, and it had resulted in frustration and defeat, because no man on earth can ever fully obey the law. The law lays down what man must do; the gospel lays down what God has done. The trouble with law has always been that it can diagnose the trouble but it cannot affect a cure. Law shows man where he has gone wrong but does not help him to avoid going wrong. Once more we see that man's attempt to attain to righteousness is completely inadequate.

All of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Romans 3:10

The supreme problem of life is, "How can a man get into a right relationship with God?" Here we see the simplicity of the gospel ... the simplicity that is in Christ. For the Lord Himself is our righteousness. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is righteous in the eyes of the Father. The important thing is NOT what we can do for God, but what God has done for us.

5 Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

6 In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

Jeremiah 23:5-6

This word is confirmed by Paul in the New Testament.

But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians. 1:30

We enter into the righteousness of Christ when we accept by faith Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. In other words the ONLY basis for our righteousness is that we are in Christ.


21 But now, the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26

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. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Philippians 3:7-9 - "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" 

Please note that we are righteous through the faith of Christ, through HIS faith. If we are in Christ, we are righteous because of HIS faith, not because of our faith.

Righteousness is a characteristic which results from our obedience to the faith. The first occurrence of righteousness in scripture is in Genesis, with respect to Noah.

22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Genesis 6:22-7:1

The second occurrence of righteousness relates to Abraham.

And he [Abram] believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:6

Here again, if we read the context of what has preceded, Abram had likewise been obedient to the faith. It was much more than just a mental assent. The real Jew is the man who has made the same decision of complete, unconditional surrender to God in loving faith which Abraham made. Another scripture which relates obedience to righteousness is,

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:18

Righteousness is a quality of the nature of God that should be greatly desired.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

We might note that what man calls "good" and what God calls "good" are frequently not the same things. For example, God told Adam and Eve they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man today pursues what he calls "good." That expresses itself by the pursuit of education, self-confidence, democracy, and church membership. 

From Hebrews 5:14, "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." 

Even unregenerated man can recognize evil. The word "both" cannot be translated as "between." But to discern between what is good and the will of God is not so easy.

We live in a society that judges us as "good" or "bad" based on our actions and past experiences. We grow up with an understanding that "I am what I do" and our acceptance seems to be based on our performance. If that is true then righteousness depends on my "doing." Of course, that is not what the Bible teaches.

After the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden they suddenly realized that they were no longer acceptable before God. Their first thought (Genesis 3:7) was, "We are naked. We can't appear before God naked. We've got to do something to make us acceptable to God." So they did something. They sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. That was the best they could do. But they knew that was not adequate so, in fear, they tried to hide themselves among the trees of the Garden. The reality of a righteousness that comes from the Life of God had been lost so they immediately turned to their own works, hoping to salvage righteousness by their actions. This "What must we do?" thought has been the central cry of mankind ever since. In every culture there has been an expression of this innate feeling, "What must we do to be right with God?" That has led to all kinds of rules of behavior, good works, rituals, forms, symbols, and the building of temples and churches. We are a "good boy" when we keep all the rules we have been taught and a "bad boy" when we don't. The result of that philosophy is that we walk under a constant cloud of condemnation and guilt, never knowing if we have done enough.

Even after being born again the message still emphasizes good works. Not good works to gain salvation, which is by His grace through faith, but good works to gain and maintain a righteous standing before God in our everyday life. The burden of living the Christian life is then placed squarely on the shoulders of the believer and is based on his performance in the world. That always leads to 

Romans 7:19, 24, where Paul says, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

In Acts 17:6, when Paul was preaching the word of God in power in Thessalonica the Jews said, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;" Paul was really turning the world right side up, but the Jews had been standing on their heads for so long that right side up seemed to be upside down to them! Paul says of the Jews, in Romans 10,

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:2-10

We are not righteous because of our doing righteousness; we are righteous because of the Life of Christ within us. Our righteousness totally depends upon what God has already done!
Righteousness is a free gift that comes from God.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Romans 4:4-8

Romans 6:16 - "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

Christianity is the only religion that proclaims the wonderful truth of a righteousness that comes from God and does not depend on a man's actions.

The outward expression of that inner righteousness is still a work in progress but our inner righteousness is complete in Him. Righteousness is what I have become; it is who I am; it is not the result of what I do!

We enter into the righteousness of Christ when we accept by faith Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. In other words the ONLY basis for our righteousness is that we are in Christ. Please note that we are righteous through the faith of Christ, through HIS faith. If we are in Christ, we are righteous because of HIS faith, not because of our faith.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

"All these things" include not only the natural necessities of life but peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Now the question is, if all of this is true, then why doesn't it show forth more perfectly in our daily living? The answer is found in 

Colossians 3:16 - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." 

The verse says "Let it" ... that requires a decision on our part. What will we allow to dwell in us? If we believe what God says about us is true for us personally, then we can cease from our labors as God did from His and enter into that same glorious rest.

Finally, righteousness is not only for the present, but also for the future, provided we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (Hebrews 3:6). In the Bible a crown speaks of what we have become in Christ. What a heavy weight is lifted from us when we know that our righteousness comes from being in Christ and depends not on what we do but on what He has already done!

Paul told Timothy,

7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Now we can look to the next kingdom reality, which in Romans 14:17 is peace.

Peace

First of all, Isaiah 48:22 - "There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked [or ungodly]." 

Jesus prophesied that in the end times there would be wars and rumors of wars. But peace is much more than the lack of war.

1 Peter 2:11 - "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"

James 4:1 - "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"

Romans 7:22-23 - "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."

The issue of who is in control is vital to kingdom peace. The foundation for knowing and experiencing the "not of this world" peace of God's "not of this world" kingdom is knowing for a certainty that nothing and no one can touch us except by the sovereign will of God.

Very few people today, including Christians, live their daily lives with complete peace of mind. Yet that is God's plan for us. Complete peace of mind is not something that we have to strive after but something we appropriate by faith.

To be at peace and to thank God in and for every circumstance does not mean that we will be like a doormat or a fatalist and simply throw up our hands and say, "Oh well, it's going to be what it's going to be." Here again, we see the important need for discernment. By our thanksgiving we acknowledge that God is in control.

Almost immediately after the Lord apprehended me I remember saying to myself, "Surely this is the peace that passes all understanding."

Philippians 4:6-7 - "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 

The Bible speaks of peace with God, the peace of God, and most importantly the God of all peace. I want to read some verses that mention the true peace of God.

Psalm 4:8 - "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."

Proverbs 3:1-2 - "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee."

Isaiah 26:3 - "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Romans 5:1 - "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"

Ephesians 2:14 - "For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;"

So Christ is our righteousness; He is our peace; and as we will see shortly He is our joy.

Hebrews 13:20-21 - "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." 

Joy

First let us distinguish the difference between happiness and the joy of the Lord. Happiness is a feeling that depends on the events in our lives; it comes and goes depending on the circumstances. There is no strength in happiness; it is fleeting. But the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

John 17:13-14 - "And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

This was the kingdom vision and joy that was passed on to those first disciples in Jerusalem, and it is the vision and joy that kept the early church growing and expanding in the midst of great opposition and persecution.

Hebrews 12:1-2 - "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus Christ, of course, was, and is, that Great Prophet and the ultimate Prophet. He was also characterized by great joy.

From the time that Jesus came into the world the vision of that kingdom prepared for the Father was the source of His joy, by which He pressed through every circumstance, including the cross, until the vision was fulfilled.

Like Jesus, the driving force in Paul's life was proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Like Jesus, the joy that kept him through the trials and sufferings that he faced was the vision of a completed kingdom for Jesus to turn over to the Father.

Now, the Lord invites us, you and me, to discover the true purpose for our lives, that we might also be consumed with that same vision of a kingdom prepared for the Father. When that becomes a reality in our life there will arise within us an inner joy, the joy of the Lord that transcends the circumstances of the "seen" realm, a joy that will carry us through whatever trials may come our way as we proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.

One final thought concerning Romans 14:17 - "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

There is a relationship between the three. Jesus said, in 

Matthew 10:40-42, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." 

What is a disciple's reward? righteousness. What is a righteous man's reward? the peace of God. What is a prophet's reward? joy in the Holy Ghost. This is partially confirmed in 

Isaiah 32:17 - "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." 

What an amazing God we serve!