Can We Have Righteousness Now?
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. Romans
5:17.
What is righteousness in that
verse? A gift. "Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." It
is a gift of righteousness. He who receives it, what does he receive? A
gift. He who receives it as the gift that it is, receives what?
Righteousness. According to what? God's idea of righteousness. Will He give
us anything other than that which is righteousness in His own sight and
according to His own mind? No. Do you see that point? Then he who does not
receive the righteousness of God as the free gift of God, does He have it?
No, and He cannot so have it, you see, because it is a gift. It is of God.
It comes from God by the precious gift that it is. And therefore it being of
God, and He giving it of His own gift, it is left to me to get it in His own
way. He gives what is His own and He gives it according to His own idea.
That is the genuine article; that is the righteousness of God alone.
Then don't you see that there
can be no room for a single thread of human invention? We cannot get it in
there at all. Don't you see what ample provision the Lord has made that we
may have the perfect robe which He Himself hath woven, which is the
righteousness of God itself and which will make us complete now and in the
time of the plagues and in every other time and throughout all eternity?
What is the latter rain?
Righteousness. Are we in the time of the latter rain? Yes. What are we to
ask for? The teaching of righteousness according to righteousness. Where is
it to come from? Heaven. Can we have it; can we have it now? Yes.
Then the latter train being
the righteousness of God, His message of righteousness, the loud cry, it all
being that, and that to come down from heaven: we are now in the time of it,
we are to ask for it and receive it. Then what is to hinder us from
receiving the latter rain now? Unbelief.
A.T. Jones, 1893 General
Conference Bulletin, p. 360, 361, 359 |