⁶Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied (Matthew 5:6 AMP).

 

¹⁷Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:17-20 NIV)

 

The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness. ¹⁸But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, ¹⁹to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. ²⁰We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield (Psalm 33:18–20 NIV).

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¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers Him from them all (Psalm 34:19 NIV). Righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. ⁶Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV). But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus. We are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!

 

We can expect trials and troubles as well. We need to stand firm in our faith during our trials, being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to remain strong in faith; He enables us to show genuine love to others and to maintain our moral character even when we are being persecuted, slandered or oppressed. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:8-9; 16-17 NKJV).

 

The law can’t save us. It wasn’t ever meant to be our salvation. It was intended to be a guide to point out our need to be forgiven. Christ fulfilled the obligations of the law for us. We must turn to Him to be saved. Chris alone can make us right with God. Then we should obey God in response to what He has done for us. 

 

²⁵Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny (Matthew 5:25-26 NIV).

 

¹My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action]. ²And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world (1 John 2:1-2 AMP).

 

God will judge everyone with perfect justice. He will punish evildoers and those who persecute His people; those who love God will be rewarded with life forever in His presence. Because all are accountable to God, we can leave judgment of others to Him.  We must not hate or resent those who persecute us. We should realize that we will be held responsible for how we live each day.  He will separate the righteous from the unrighteous, and, in righteousness, He will judge the world. Those who have escaped judgment in our day will be punished on that great day. God will pour out His wrath on all the unrighteous, because He is God, My Righteous Judge (see Psalm 18:20-27).

 

⁸If any case is too difficult for you to judge—between one kind of homicide and another, between one kind of lawsuit and another, between one kind of assault and another, being controversial issues in your courts—then you shall arise and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses (Deuteronomy 17:8 AMP). ⁸But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause (Job 5:8 NKJV).

 

He is our righteous judge. He loves us but we must go back and respond by tapping into the principles of righteousness and justice – they are divine attributes and cannot be separated from mercy and judgment. His holiness manifested in government and the government is on His shoulders (see Isaiah 9 and Matthew 4). God has wonderful plans and promises for our nation, but we need to align with these principles of the Kingdom. God wants to bless us all, but He will not bless the idols in our country.​​​