<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Romans 9;30-32a<div><br></div><div><b>30. &nbsp;What shall we say, then? &nbsp;The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith;</b></div><div><b>31. &nbsp;But that Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law.</b></div><div><b>32.a. Why? Because they did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were based on works.</b></div><div><br></div><div>The&nbsp;Righteousness of God cannot be <i>“attained” </i>by human&nbsp;efforts of the flesh seeking to keep the Law apart from God.</div><div><br></div><div>The very Righteousness of God can only be ‘received’ as God’s gift.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;<i>“ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophet bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption, which is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” &nbsp; </i>(Romans 3;21-25a)</div><div><br></div><div><i>“Righteousness” </i>is accounted to all who repent and believe in Christ Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>However, God’s Righteousness is not just&nbsp;some spiritual accounting or ‘reckoning’&nbsp;in the heavenly realm.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;(I refer to this&nbsp;being <i>“reckoned as righteous’ </i>as, the ‘Transactional’&nbsp;Gospel.) &nbsp;</div><div>This is the Good News of Jesus’ cleansing and&nbsp;purchasing us&nbsp;with, <i>“His innocent suffering and death.” </i>(Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation of the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed)<i><u></u></i></div><div><br></div><div>The Righteousness of God actually, meta-physically&nbsp;dwells within all Believers. &nbsp;He is Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit&nbsp;indwelling all Baptized Believers. &nbsp;The Righteous One, Jesus living now within us, is the ‘Transformational’ Gospel. &nbsp;The Good News which changes us.</div><div><br></div><div>This Gospel, (both Transactional and Transformational) has created us <i>“anew.” &nbsp; &nbsp;</i>We are now, <i>“the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” &nbsp;</i>(Ephesians 2;10)</div><div><br></div><div>Furthermore, our true existence is not even earthly or primarily&nbsp;in our bodies at all, <i>“For you have died, and your life is &nbsp;&nbsp;hid with Christ in God.” &nbsp;</i>(Colossians 3;3) &nbsp;As Paul says, <i>“for me to live is Christ,</i><i>&nbsp;and to die is gain.” </i><span>(Philippians 1;21)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Although we are allowed by our Father to bear the flesh (with its’ sinful nature), we are no longer of the flesh, or from the flesh. The flesh is no longer our source of life. &nbsp;God’s Word is our Life, Christ is our Life. We do not take our Life&nbsp;from the flesh, but from God.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This new Life is one which is lived</span><span>&nbsp;by faith which believes</span><span>&nbsp;Christ is&nbsp;indwelling us. &nbsp;(This is what Paul means when he writes, </span><i>“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to&nbsp;the Greek&nbsp;. &nbsp;For in it the righteousness of God is revealed <u>through faith for faith</u></i><i>. &nbsp;As it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” </i><span>(Romans 1;16&amp;17)</span><i>&nbsp;</i><span>&nbsp;Righteousness</span><span>&nbsp;is lived out not by human will or strength but by the will and working of God indwelling us. &nbsp;(see, Philippians 2;13, and Galatians 2;20)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>We (the Church, the Bride of Christ)&nbsp;are the&nbsp;forgiven and cleansed temple of God.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Righteousness is not just reckoned to us, He is living within us and He yearns for us&nbsp;to believe He Himself lives&nbsp;through us. &nbsp;It is the grace of God which powers <i>“newness of life”</i>&nbsp;(Romans 6;2) not the flesh trying to keep the Law by its’ own power, (as was the case of Paul in Romans 7, and remain the same problem&nbsp;in the Church today.)</span><span>. &nbsp;The law, nor human will or strength, apart from faith in&nbsp;the living presence of Christ by the Spirit within us,&nbsp;can never attain righteousness. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>This is the entire meaning of Paul when he writes, <i>“But now the Law of the Spirit of Life <u>in Christ Jesus,</u>&nbsp;has set me free from the law of sin and death.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 8;2)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to truly <i>“walk by the Spirit” </i>(Romans 8;9-14, and Galatians 5;16-18), in Your Most Holy Righteousness, through faith in Christ and by Christ indwelling us. &nbsp;Make us truly by your precious promises to be <i>“partakers of the Divine Nature.” &nbsp;</i>In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we, broken-hearted, contrite, forgiven, believing children, are His.”</span></div><div><span><i></i></span></div><div><u></u></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Romans 9;30-32a
30.  What shall we say, then?  The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith;31.  But that Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law.32.a. Why? Because they did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were based on works.
The Righteousness of God cannot be “attained” by human efforts of the flesh seeking to keep the Law apart from God.
The very Righteousness of God can only be ‘received’ as God’s gift.  “ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophet bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption, which is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”   (Romans 3;21-25a)
“Righteousness” is accounted to all who repent and believe in Christ Jesus.
However, God’s Righteousness is not just some spiritual accounting or ‘reckoning’ in the heavenly realm.  (I refer to this being “reckoned as righteous’ as, the ‘Transactional’ Gospel.)  This is the Good News of Jesus’ cleansing and purchasing us with, “His innocent suffering and death.” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Explanation of the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed)
The Righteousness of God actually, meta-physically dwells within all Believers.  He is Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit indwelling all Baptized Believers.  The Righteous One, Jesus living now within us, is the ‘Transformational’ Gospel.  The Good News which changes us.
This Gospel, (both Transactional and Transformational) has created us “anew.”    We are now, “the workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2;10)
Furthermore, our true existence is not even earthly or primarily in our bodies at all, “For you have died, and your life is   hid with Christ in God.”  (Colossians 3;3)  As Paul says, “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1;21)
Although we are allowed by our Father to bear the flesh (with its’ sinful nature), we are no longer of the flesh, or from the flesh. The flesh is no longer our source of life.  God’s Word is our Life, Christ is our Life. We do not take our Life from the flesh, but from God.
This new Life is one which is lived by faith which believes Christ is indwelling us.  (This is what Paul means when he writes, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek .  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith.  As it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” (Romans 1;16&17)  Righteousness is lived out not by human will or strength but by the will and working of God indwelling us.  (see, Philippians 2;13, and Galatians 2;20)
We (the Church, the Bride of Christ) are the forgiven and cleansed temple of God. 
Righteousness is not just reckoned to us, He is living within us and He yearns for us to believe He Himself lives through us.  It is the grace of God which powers “newness of life” (Romans 6;2) not the flesh trying to keep the Law by its’ own power, (as was the case of Paul in Romans 7, and remain the same problem in the Church today.).  The law, nor human will or strength, apart from faith in the living presence of Christ by the Spirit within us, can never attain righteousness.  
This is the entire meaning of Paul when he writes, “But now the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.”  (Romans 8;2)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to truly “walk by the Spirit” (Romans 8;9-14, and Galatians 5;16-18), in Your Most Holy Righteousness, through faith in Christ and by Christ indwelling us.  Make us truly by your precious promises to be “partakers of the Divine Nature.”  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we, broken-hearted, contrite, forgiven, believing children, are His.”



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