The Gates of Righteousness

[Sue J Love]

“Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:19-24 ESV)

“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalms 118:28-29 ESV)

In New Covenant terminology, “the gates of righteousness” is the way or the path of righteousness. And righteousness is “the divine approval of God, i.e. God’s judicial approval which refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes” (source: bible hub interlinear). And what God deems right is what is morally pure, godly, honest, faithful, submissive and obedient to him and to his commands.

And the way in which “the path of righteousness” is opened up to us so that we may enter in is only by God the Father drawing us to faith in Jesus Christ. It is only by God convincing us that we are sinners in need of a Savior and that we must die with him to sin so that we can now live to him and to his righteousness. For if sin is still what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, then we will not inherit eternal life with God.

So we enter into this way of righteousness via God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is of God and not of our own doing. And what God persuades us to do by way of faith in him is that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow him in obedience to his commands. And we are to be crucified with him in death to sin so that we (self) no longer live but Christ now lives and reigns within us.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2]

For, if we claim that we are in fellowship with God/Christ, but while we still walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin, wickedness), we are liars. And if we say that we know God (intimately), but while we do not make it our practice to obey his New Covenant commandments, we are liars. For it is only those who make righteousness their practice who are righteous. And whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil and does not know God.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,15-17; 1 John 3:4-10; John 10:27-30]

Therefore, considering all the above, our salvation from sin is not just forgiveness of all sins so that when we die one day we get to go to heaven and not to hell. The salvation for which Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross was to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now walk in holiness and righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands. He died not only to save us but to transform us (to change us).

And when we enter into this relationship with Jesus Christ, via God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, which dies with him to sin, and which now walks with him in obedience to his commands, by the grace of God, we thus enter into a covenant of marriage with our Lord. So we, as his bride, are now to be faithful to him as our husband, in all the ways that he says, and until he returns one day to take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity.

We also now become the children of God, God’s chosen people, co-heirs of the promise with all Jews who have also believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives. And we all together form the body of Christ, his church, of which he is the cornerstone which supports us and holds us all together. And now we are to live for the Lord in doing his will, in going where he sends us, doing as he commands, and saying what he gives us to say.

Our lives are now no longer our own to be lived however we want, for we were bought back for God (redeemed) out of our lives of addiction to sin via Jesus’ blood shed for us on that cross. So now we are to surrender our all to him and let him be the one to direct our paths, and not ourselves. And we are not to live to please human flesh, but we are to live our lives to please God, even if it means being misunderstood and rejected by other humans.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 5:9; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6; Gal 6:8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 5:10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:4,21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; Jas 2:17; 1 Jn 3:22]

Create in Me a Clean Heart

By Keith Green
Based off Psalms 51

Create in me a clean heart, oh God
And renew a right spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, oh God
And renew a right spirit within me

Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me

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