Mankind is plagued with a sense of guilt and for good reason. Without God, the heart of man is desperately wicked. The sense of unworthiness can be crippling. Some give in to these feelings by accepting an image of inferiority, while others try to ignore them, but everyone deals with the effects of guilt and sin.
Isaiah 57:20-21 (NKJV)
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”
A sense of impending doom comes from knowing that something is not right. There is no rest or peace for the wicked.
The wicked flee when no one pursues. Proverbs 28:1
Paranoia and fear, unworthiness and shame are all the results of sin consciousness.
Understanding that we have been made the righteousness of God and that we have a new nature which is accepted and approved by Him, is life changing. All of the feelings of guilt, condemnation and inferiority that have flooded the human consciousness through sin are removed by the work of Christ and a revelation of righteousness.
The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Isaiah 32:17
It is difficult to describe on paper the impact of this new nature in the life of a believer. This new condition of righteousness has the opposite affect than that of sin.
One writer said, “righteousness gives us the ability to stand in the presence of God without a sense of inferiority”. God’s purpose for redemption was to get us back into the presence of God therefore, righteousness was essential. Not only can we go in to His presence, but because of what He did for us, we belong there. We’re no longer unworthy and unfit, but we are holy and accepted. We are the very righteousness of God. We are fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God.
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6-7 (NKJV)
He made us “accepted”. There was nothing we could do to become accepted or acceptable in our own strength or by our own performance so He did it for us. Because of His great work of redemption, we are not rejected, we are accepted. We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4.
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— Colossians 1:21-22
We are more suited to stand in the presence of God today than we are to be involved in evil and sin. The fear and dread that came from knowing deep down on the inside that something wasn’t right are gone when God’s new nature is imparted.
In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you. Isaiah 54:14
Notice, oppression, fear and terror shall not come near you. It didn’t say you wouldn’t have quite as much trouble with these negative forces, it said they wouldn’t come near you! That means when you enter a room, oppression, fear and terror have to leave. They can’t come near you, you are established in righteousness!
We have gone from deserving to die, (the wages of sin is death) to having every right to live and do the will of God. When you have the understanding that you are righteous, you realize that not only do you have a right to live, but you have a right to everything that is necessary for life and godliness while you are living. Talk about a sense of well being! No more foreboding sense of doom, we are looking forward to rewards and a new home in Heaven that is out of this world, while in this world, we walk with God and enjoy His favor in our lives.
Righteousness brings with it a sense of confidence and assurance. This is the result of knowing that all is well between you and your creator. His favor rests on your life in a tangible way. All this was necessary for God’s dream to be fully realized. We had to be completely restored and justified to commune with Him freely. Our new nature has given us unprecedented access to God and His presence.
For through Him we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 (NKJV)
The greatest result of our redemption was gaining immediate access to the Father. Without the wonderful scriptures in Paul’s Epistles, we wouldn’t know how to act in God’s presence. We wouldn’t know what God required or expected from us. Should we crawl into His presence in fear and dread? Should we sneak in the back door and apologize for invading God’s space? What should our attitude be as we approach the most high God?
These next verses add a word you would never expect in connection with entering into His presence. The word is boldness!
according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:11-12 (NKJV)
The definition of parrēsia, the Greek word for boldness is: free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance. (Olive Tree Enhanced Strong’s Dictionary)
God did such a work in us that we can now come to Him with boldness, cheerful courage, fearless confidence. Only God could have been able to take sinful humanity and lift them so high and change them so much that they could come back into His presence as if sin had never been. As if they had never done anything wrong. As if they had always been as He wanted them to be and enter the holy of holies with fearless confidence. He uses the word boldness again in Hebrews:
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith… Hebrews 10:19-22 (NKJV)
The invitation has gone out for the sons and daughters of God to draw near, anytime, anywhere. When we do, we can come with boldness and assurance. We will never be denied or ignored. Our entrance is assured by Jesus Himself and our acceptance is gauranteed. We’ve already been approved by Him. Boldness is mentioned again in Hebrews in connection with our entrance into His presence:
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.. Hebrews 4:16
No problem is too big and nothing is too small. He is available to respond to our call day and night and there is mercy and grace in abundance for any situation.
The knowledge of our new nature in Christ inspires faith and confidence like nothing else on Earth. Stop reminding God of all your mistakes, quit living in the past and stand up and approach the throne boldly with the assurance that is yours in Christ. God is waiting!
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him… 1 John 3:21-22 (NKJV)
When you know what Jesus did for you and you understand that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, your heart cannot condemn you any longer and the confidence you need for effective prayer is real. This is not an attempt to usurp mind over matter, it is simply believing what God has said about you in His word. When you pray, things happen.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16
You are that righteous man or woman, now. You have influence with God in Jesus’ name. You can have faith in God’s Word in your mouth like Jesus had faith in God’s Word in His mouth.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; 1 Peter 3:12 (NKJV)
That’s an encouraging prayer scripture! God’s eyes are on you. Not to punish you or keep you in line, but to respond to your needs and desires. He is ready to enjoy your presence as you enjoy His presence. Righteousness has brought God and man back together. You are the apple of His eye!
It’s the truth that sets the captives free. Those who are bound in sin need to hear the truths of righteousness and redemption. They are well acquainted with guilt and condemnation, so to only focus attention on what the old man has done is counter productive. Preaching sin instead of righteousness keeps people under condemnation rather than leading them into liberty.
Christians need to hear what God has done for them and who they are in Christ in order to reprogram their minds and live the new life that God has for them. Their self image must be renewed by God’s Word. They must see themselves in the light of redemption. No longer guilty, lost and unworthy, but saved, righteous and holy.
It takes time to renew the mind, but it is absolutely essential. The only place to find your new indentity is in the Word of God. No one else can see you as who you really are in Christ. Don’t look for affirmation from other sources, all the positive affirmation you’ll ever need is in God’s Word. Spend some time every day looking at yourself in the mirror of God’s Word. You’ll be amazed at what you see!
We used several scriptures in this article to describe your new identity. Let’s review some of the key words as they relate to you and your new life in Christ and begin the renewal process right now. You can say the following out loud for increased affect.
Because I am the righteousness of God in Christ I have: peace, quietness and assurance. I am chosen by God and accepted in the beloved. I have been reconciled and I am holy, blameless and above reproach in His sight. I am established in righteousness and I shall not fear, I am far from oppression, terror shall not come near me. I have access to the Father and I approach Him with boldness and confidence in full assurance of faith. I have a limitless supply of mercy and grace to help in time of need. My heart does not condemn me and my prayers avail much.
The New Testament is filled with such promises that are capable of changing the way you think and giving you a brand new image of yourself.
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