THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Once the Lord in his mercy and grace has restored a lost soul, he then faithfully leads that soul in the paths of His own imputed righteousness. And this He does for his own name’s sake. John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. Revelation 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
But one must beware, as Satan has a counterfeit righteousness. Yet it is not an actual righteousness, but a legalistic morality which is set forth by the Harlot Church. Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Their’s was a ‘justification by works’ righteousness, assumed they had by the keeping of the law. The Apostle Paul renounced that earlier concept of self-righteousness. Once he was given Christ’s imputed righteousness, given strictly by grace, and received strictly by faith, his eyes were opened to God’s “paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Philippians 3:9 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:
That righteousness which the apostle spoke of is clearly not that morality which the Pharisees had, but it was that which is freely given to every true believer “through the faith OF Christ.” Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
For when the faith of Christ is freely implanted into a believer’s soul, God accounts the exercising of that faith to be righteousness. James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
And the only righteousness which will exceed the strict morality of religionists, and will make one acceptably holy as God is holy, is the imputed righteous of Christ! Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
For in order that the sinner be in possession of that glorious righteous his sin has to be imputed to Christ, in order that God’s righteousness may be imputed to him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 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. For the only way one can come to the Father is by the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
And this must be done for the purpose, and by the sole effort of the Lord God, because it involves “his name’s sake.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders (representing the true church), fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, (all other heads must be uncovered in the presence of Him whose head was pressed with thorns), saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
For even the celestial creation, in its perfect morality, cannot stand in the presence of Eternal Glory without being covered and shielded! Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Psalm 115:1 ¶ Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Ephesus that God’s eternal will is that all who shall be gathered in Christ, shall be so for the praise of his glory! Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Because the salvation of man is exclusively the work of God, to be led in his paths of righteousness is therefore exclusively “for his name’s sake!” For it was God’s purpose, not just to save man from sin, but to reveal His character thereby! Romans 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Again, the manifestation to the sinner is for the revelation of Himself, as it is “for his name’s sake!” For the salvation of the elect is accomplished by this greater purpose of God making Himself known! As the above verses in Romans reveal that the reason he was longsuffering to the vessels of wrath was to reveal Himself glorious in that holy wrath. And that he would also make Himself known in providing “the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy.” For truly knowing God, as God, brings one into the highest degree of personal glory! John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Poor religionists only think that the purpose of salvation is to be kept out of Hell, and to be able to “go to heaven.” But the real, and only issue of salvation is to have the Person of God revealed to one’s soul! It is “for His names sake!”
May God have mercy!
Bro. Gene.
