You may
wonder why I want to talk about Righteousness and Goodness. If there is an
assignment that a certain group of people are supposed to engage in, I think
that the wise ones amongst them will like to find out whether they are
qualified to participate in it. It is only fools that will just get up and jump
into something that they are not qualified to- according to the rules to
participate in-you can be sure that such people will only end up disqualified.
Think again about a team that decides to field mostly over-aged footballers,
for example, in an under-twenty football match, you field mostly those players
that are aged twenty-five and above: your team is sure to be disqualified, once
your deceit is discovered.
In the same
way, a male footballer who insists on being fielded by his country, in a
Women’s World Cup competition, cannot be allowed to play no matter how good he
is.
Talking
about prayer, if we look at certain portions of the Bible, we can see the basic
qualifications, for example: in Proverbs chapter 15, verses 8 and 29, we read
as follows:
“8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright (righteous) is his
delight”
Sacrifice,
means giving something very precious to God: here God is the one receiving, but
in prayer, you are the one asking God for something-although sacrifice can
actually be a part of spiritual worship, aimed at receiving.
Here we can
see that God delights in, or accepts, or loves the prayer of the righteous.
Note also that he hates the sacrifice of the wicked, talk less of the prayer of
the wicked.
Again in
verse 29 of the same chapter, the wise man talks again by the inspiration of
the Spirit I believe, about the righteous, the wicked or sinner, and prayer:
“29 The Lord is far from the wicked:
but he heareth the prayer of the righteous”.
This tells
us that a wicked man, who has not yet repented, and turned away from his sins,
and received Jesus into his life as savior, will be wasting his time praying. A
lot of times, we hear people asking everybody to pray concerning the problems
of the nation, or one thing or the other, but you need to know, that it is not
everybody’s prayer that God hears.
We will
explain what righteousness and sin mean shortly, but clearly.
Yet there is
a more detailed scripture that talks about the type of prayer a righteous man
will do, and the effect of that prayer and that is in James chapter 5 and verse
16, we read as follows:
“16 Confess your faults one to
another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.
This portion
of scripture tells us that we need to confess our faults one to another before
prayer-it is important to note that, this requires a change of heart
first-called repentance. This is very important, because the state of your
heart matters a lot to God. Remember, that as a man thinks in his heart-so is
he. Again, we read that blessed are the pure in heart in heart: for they shall
see God.
However the
area of emphasis for the purpose of our discussion here is the (b) part that
tells us, that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
There are
three important things mentioned here that are very important:
1 The type
of man involved-a righteous man
2 The type
of prayer involved-effectual and fervent prayer
3 The effect
of the prayer-it avails much.
The above is
from the New King James version of the Bible, but let us look at the amplified
version of the same scripture:
“16 Confess to one another therefore
your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray
[also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual
tone of mind and heart].The earnest (heartfelt continued) prayer of a righteous
man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]”.
I am sorry
if I am going too far here, but the thing you need to note here is the fact
there this prayer of a righteous is dynamic in it’s working, or has the ability
to cause changes.
Who is a righteous man?
A righteous
man is a man who has made peace with God and accepted his sole authority and
Lordship over all things, and received the one that he has sent-Jesus Christ.
God was here
before time, he created all things, and by virtue of this, has the sole right
to be right-this is called righteousness. Anyone who accepts God’s authority and
dominion and headship/Lordship, becomes right with him, and receives this right
to be right-that is righteousness.
Sin is the
opposite of righteousness, anyone who disobeys God, and disagrees with his word
and authority, commits sin, and is a sinner or a rebel.
When you
decide to accept Jesus, God gives you the gift of righteousness, as we can see
in Romans chapter 3, verses 21 and 22 and, 5 verse 17:
“21 But now the righteousness of God
without the law is manifested by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe: for there
is no difference: …”
This
righteousness of God which is by faith, is called the gift of righteousness,
you can confirm that this was what made Abraham, a righteous man. We can see
this in Genesis chapter 15 verse 6:
“6 And he believed in the Lord; and
he counted it to him for righteousness”.
Some believers
are confused about this term called: righteousness- some tell us that there are
two kinds of righteousness. They say that there is a gift of righteousness, or
the imputed righteousness, and a doing righteousness. This is not right,
because it removes the element of temporality, and clarity from the concept of
righteousness.
I like to
use strictly scriptural terminology to simplify the concept of righteousness.
The Bible
talks about the gift of righteousness and the fruit of righteousness, and both
are not the same because the gift precedes the fruit. In Romans chapter 5 and
verse 17, we read as follows:
“17 For if by one man’s offence death
reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ”.
Here we can
see the gift of righteousness which you receive by believing in Jesus, and
receiving his grace.
Secondly,
the fruit of righteousness is talked about in Amos 6:12, Hebrews 12:11, and
James 3:18. However, let us take a look at Philippians chapter1 verse 11, and
Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 9:
“11 Being filled with fruits of
righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God”.
You need to understand that what makes you
righteous when you believe God is the receiving of the Holy Spirit-which is the
seal of your salvation.
Now, in
Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 9, we read as follows:
“9 For the fruit of the Spirit is in
all goodness and righteousness and truth;”
The Holy
Spirit within you is the gift of God who possesses both righteousness, and all
the gifts of the spirit.
We were told earlier that righteousness bears
fruits in us, and this fruit is goodness according to the scripture above and
Amos 6:12:
“12 Shall horses run upon the rock?
will one plow there with oxen? For ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit
of righteousness into hemlock:
This
scripture helps you to understand, that instead of goodness, sweetness, or
beauty-which constitutes the fruit of rightousness, these people mentioned here
have turned it into hemlock- a deadly poison that kills.
GOODNESS
In Mathew
chapter 12 and verse 33, we read as follows:
“33 Either make the tree good, and
his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the
tree is known by his fruit”.
Righteousness
is the nature of God, and God is a good God. In so very many parts of the
scripture you can see it echoed over and over again: For the Lord is good, and
his mercy endureth forever.
Jesus
himself said, in Mathew chapter 7 and verse 20 we read:
“20 Wherefore by their fruits, ye
shall know them”.
This means that by their works, you shall know them.
Again
goodness is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians chapter
5 and verse 6.
It is
important to note that if you are not like your father which is in heaven,
there is no proof that you are really from him.
Jesus
explains everything concerning the mysterious relationship between goodness and
effective prayer in Mathew chapter 7, verses 17 and 19:
“17 Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into fire”.
A simple way
of explaining this is that if you are not producing the fruit of righteousness,
which is goodness-then, you are a bad or an evil tree. You cannot expect to
produce in prayer. You are condemned to suffering or fire.
This does
not mean that you will make heaven in the end, except if you choose the right
way-the Jesus way.
