Month: June 2011

The Righteousness of Christ

On By MarkIn GRACE, Identity, Theology3 Comments

In our study yesterday on the Armor of God in Eph 6, I briefly hit on each of the six pieces of the armor.  One thing I realized as I studied the passage is the importance to understand the objective and subjective means of each piece of hardware. Let me explain.

Objective truth (as in the belt of truth) is that there is truth. God is truth. He does not lie. Jesus said, “I am the truth.” (Jn14:6)  It’s a fact. It’s now a position I have because Jesus has saved me. I know and believe in the truth.

Subjective truth means that my practice (how I live truth, in honesty, integrity, telling the truth, living from a position of the truth of God) is my response to the objective truth.  When I look at the armor of God, I’m going to ask, ‘Is this truth the objective truth of God, or is it my subjective response (being truthful, etc) to God’s objective Truth?’  My answer: BOTH.  My subjective behavior is based SOLELY on the objective fact of ‘God is Truth’. His indwelling Holy Spirit allows me to know this and to live it out, only by His power.

The same is true regarding Righteousness (breastplate of righteousness). The objective truth of righteousness is that I am NOW fully complete in Christ, clothed in His righteousness, because of Who He is (Righteous) and what He’s done for me (I am made righteous because of the cross, Rom 3:21-22; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9).  The objective truth of righteousness is that I have a new standing with God. I’m not partially righteous, needing to work hard so that I can get more righteous.  It can’t be God’s righteousness if I have to try and earn it, or if it’s not complete!

Subjective righteousness refers to ‘what I do with the righteousness of Christ’.  I have a responsibility to live FROM my righteous standing with God.  This is the key to sanctification.  Again, the Holy Spirit empowers me to live out the righteousness of Christ (integrity, honesty, making wise and ‘right’ choices, seeking counsel, etc) based on the objective truth of the righteousness I have because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Here’s the verse I couldn’t find in Sunday’s sermon: Rom 6:13! Also: 1 Cor 1:30; 1 Tim 6:11

Book Review – Everyday Greatness

On By MarkIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

My Take on Everyday Greatness – Inspiration for a Meaningful Life; a Readers Digest book, compiled by David K. Hatch with insights and commentary by Stephen R. Covey, published by Rutledge Hill Press

Only after reading the book, did I see how the Title nails it!  Upon picking out the book I wasn’t aware of the format. The title grabbed me because I like Covey’s stuff and I wanted his take on a “meaningful life”.

The words ‘Reader’s Digest’ should have given it away. Everyday Greatness is a compilation of a many authors on a wide variety of topics all dealing with personal character.  Though it wasn’t what I expected, I grew to appreciate the inspiring short stories in true RD form.

As an avid Twitter-user, I especially enjoyed the “Further Insights” at the end of each section. After reading two or three short stories on a topic, like Integrity, there follows two to four pages of very short, almost one-liners (they could be tweets!) that come from a wide variety of mostly well known authors, actors, proverbs and presidents and your general ‘larger than life’ kind of people.

Covey’s part was clearly the weakest.  Oftentimes he gives a paragraph or two after the stories and before the Insights. The compilation of stories and Insights was enough.

Now it becomes a reference in my library. I won’t be giving the book away and I’m sure I’ll refer to it often in preparing my sermons.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255