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“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17 NKJV)
It is not sinning but sin-consciousness that primarily stops or hinders many New Covenant believers today from reigning in life and enjoying the benefits of the New Covenant.
Through His blood, the Lord Jesus has obtained for us eternal redemption—the forgiveness of sins (past, present, and future).
The Scripture clearly states this truth.
Ephesians 1:7 – NKJV
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Hebrews 9:12 – NKJV
12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Even though the Lord Jesus Christ has obtained eternal redemption (the forgiveness of sins) for us through His blood, many born-again believers today still live under condemnation and dominion of sin because their minds are stayed or focused on sins.
Many believers today are too preoccupied with sins and not with righteousness. They are constantly thinking about their sins and not about the righteousness of God bestowed on them through faith in Christ and His finished work.
While praying, they constantly remind God about their past sins, which He has forgiven and sworn to remember no more (Hebrew. 8:12).
Why are many believers today sin-conscious and not righteousness-conscious?
Because they are still living under the Law!
Without the Law, sin is dead or powerless. The power or strength of sin is the Law (1 Cor. 15:56). While it was not the Law that brought sin, it was the Law that revived, activated, or stirred up sin in man.
The Law revealed sin for what it is and brought us the knowledge and consciousness of sin. Therefore, under the Law, no man can be free from the dominion and condemnation of sin (Romans. 6:14, 7:7-13).
The Scripture teaches and explains that the ultimate purpose of the Law is to bring all men under the guilt and condemnation of sin so that men may detest their sinfulness or wretchedness and then humbly cry out to God for salvation (Romans. 3:19-22, 7:22-25, Gal. 3:19-26).
Through the body of Christ, the born-again believers have become dead to the Law and thus delivered or discharged from the Law. Therefore, the believers in Christ are free from the dominion and condemnation of sin and the curse of the Law (Romans. 7:4-6).
Although, as a believer in Christ, you have been delivered from the Old Covenant Law, if you put yourself again under the yoke of the Law by striving to keep the Law to earn God’s love, acceptance, approval, favor, or blessing; the Law will exert its full power and wrath on you, and ultimately fill your mind and conscience with the consciousness of sin.
Therefore, you cannot escape the trap of sin-consciousness if you still choose to live under the Law or walk according to the written code or regulations of the Old Covenant Law. It is walking in the Spirit that sets free from sin-consciousness.
What are the blessings of possessing righteousness-consciousness?
First, righteousness-consciousness imparts boldness and confidence to you.
Sin-consciousness will erode your boldness and confidence, but righteousness-consciousness will impart boldness and confidence to you.
Nothing emboldens you in life as knowing that you are entirely and eternally righteous, holy, loved, accepted, favored, and blessed by God in Christ Jesus.
The Scripture states, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs. 28:1 NKJV).
It takes you being righteous-conscious to lay claim to, appropriate, and possess your covenant blessings in Christ. You cannot approach God’s throne with boldness and confidence unless you are conscious that you are completely acceptable to God in Christ (Hebrew. 4:16).
It takes righteousness-consciousness (freedom from condemnation) to have confidence towards God. John writes, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” (1 John 3:21 NKJV).
Satan and not God condemn us by filling our minds and consciences with the consciousness of sin.
Second, righteousness consciousness makes your prayers powerful and effective.
Sin consciousness will empty your prayer of its power and render it ineffective. But righteousness-consciousness will make your prayer powerful and effective.
The Scripture states, “…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (Jam. 5: 16 NLT).
Many believers today are not wielding the incredible power of prayer and enjoying the tremendous blessings of prayer because they are not righteousness-conscious.
They traverse cities and nations seeking anointed servants of God to pray for them because they erroneously think servants of God are more righteous or holier than them in God’s sight and thus more acceptable to God than they are.
Your prayers will not be powerful and effective, producing wonderful results, if you fail to see yourself as “the righteousness of God in Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Similarly, if your mind is fixed on your sins, you will be unable to resist the devil and put him to flight as you wield your God-given authority.
It takes righteousness-consciousness to enforce and enjoy the victory that Jesus Christ has won for you through His death on the cross. The devil wants you to be preoccupied with your sins, mistakes, and shortcomings.
Lastly, righteousness consciousness enables you to reign in life.
Sin consciousness will reduce you to a captive or victim in life. But righteousness-consciousness will set you above every adversary and adversity in life.
Paul testifies, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans. 5:17 NKJV).
You cannot reign over sin, sickness, poverty, failure, death, and the devil while struggling under the condemnation of sin. It takes a heart, mind, and conscience free of any condemnation to reign as a king and priest unto God in this evil world.
It takes you walking in the light of the truth that you are always holy and righteous in God’s sight, independently of your actions, to reign as a winner, victor, and champion in life.
Many born-again believers today are constantly experiencing defeat, failure, and frustration in life because they allow the devil to beat and hold them down with guilt and condemnation. If you allow him to preoccupy your mind with your sins or mistakes, the devil will continuously harass, afflict, torment, and defeat you.
It is not sin that often kills and destroys men, but the guilt and condemnation of sin!
Beloved, stop listening to, meditating upon, or yielding to any accusation and condemnation from Satan! In Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation for you.
Paul affirms, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans. 8:1 NLT).
Embracing condemnation from Satan opens the door to depression, affliction, and oppression. You cannot maximize the grace of God available to you in Christ without possessing and walking in righteousness-consciousness.
Grace reigns through righteousness!
Paul writes, “So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans. 5:21 NKJV).
It takes seeing yourself as righteous in Christ to appropriate the riches of God’s grace in Christ Jesus, notwithstanding your weaknesses or mistakes.
Don’t allow the devil to continue to rob you of the riches or benefits of grace through guilt and condemnation of sin.
Don’t submit to the condemnation of sin from Satan. Yield only to the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit. Don’t continue to muse over your sins or wallow in your sins, and so give the devil an inroad to your life.
Friend, if you are under a conviction of sin, repent of it immediately, confess it to God, and receive and appropriate by faith the forgiveness of sins purchased for you by Christ with His precious blood.
John assures, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NKJV).
You are not a sinner by your disobedience but by the disobedience of the first man, Adam. Similarly, you are not righteous by your obedience but by the obedience of the second and last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul states, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” (Romans. 5:19 NKJV).
Therefore, as a born-again believer in Christ, you are eternally righteous in God’s sight, not based on your obedience or good works, but the obedience and finished work of Jesus Christ.
Righteousness is not just a gift you have received from God; it is who you are now in Christ. Nothing can change who you are now in Christ!
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 NKJV).
Arise today and begin thinking, praying, talking, and walking as “the righteousness of God in Christ.”
Don’t ever lose your righteousness consciousness!
Prayer:
My Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making me “the righteousness of God in Christ.” My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me think, pray, talk, and walk as “the righteousness of God in Christ,” in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.
Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.
AWH, Blogs.
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