Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us plainly that when the Holy Spirit comes to a man's heart in saving power, when he gives a sinner faith in Christ, he convinces the sinner of the righteousness of God in Christ. When he is come, he will reprove the world...of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more." Just as sin is the character of man, righteousness is the character of God. Sin is what man does. Everything that man does is sin. Righteousness is what God does. Everything that God does is righteous. Because God is perfectly righteous and holy, he cannot and will not accept any man who is not perfectly righteous. In order for any of us to be saved and find favor with God, we must have a perfect righteousness, even the righteousness of God in Christ. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit to reveal the righteousness of God in Christ. The Holy Spirit does not produce righteousness for us; Christ has done that. And the Holy Spirit does not enable us to produce a righteousness which God will accept. Man cannot establish righteousness for himself. THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS ELECT, AND C0NVINCES US THAT THERE IS NO OTHER RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Holy Spirit conviction convinces sinful men that GOD IS RIGHTEOUS. His name is righteous. His character is righteous. His works are righteous. Righteousness and truth are the habitation of his throne. Righteousness is the rectitude of God's character. Having shown us our sinfulness and God's righteousness, the Holy Spirit convinces men that GOD DEMANDS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM US. God will not accept sincerity. God will not accept repentance. God will not accept the very best that you and I can do. God demands and will only accept perfect righteousness. "Who can stand before his throne? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." Nobody else can. Then the Holy Spirit convinces us that WE HAVE NO RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THAT WE HAVE NO ABILITY TO PRODUCE RIGHTEOUSNESS. "Man at his best estate is altogether vanity." And, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." The very best works that we can produce are an abomination to God, because all that we do arises from our evil hearts. All that we do is marred with sin; and God can never accept sin. All human morality, all human service, all human worship is sin. Even our prayers, our devotions, and our Bible reading is marred by sin. What man is so proudly sinful that he dares to think he can do anything that is worthy of God's acceptance? And, when the Holy Spirit comes to a man's heart in saving grace, he shows that man where true righteousness is found. He convinces the sinner of THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST. Christ has established perfect righteousness for every believer, as the Representative of his people, by his faithful obedience to the law of God. Righteousness is perfect conformity to the law of God in heart and in deed. And Christ has produced it for us in his holy life. God saves sinners through the righteous obedience of Christ in his life and in his death, This, the very righteousness of God, is imputed to every sinner who believes on Christ. This is justification. The law of God is fulfilled in us by faith in Christ(Rom. 8:1-4). Has God shown you his righteousness in Christ? RIGHTEOUSNESS, SUCH AS GOD WILL ACCEPT, IS TO BE FOUND ONLY IN CHRIST, OUR SUBSTITUTE.
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