THE WORK AND EFFECT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS 

THE WORK AND EFFECT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: IT HELPS TO ENSURE AND ASSURE YOUR STANDING IN THE GRACE!  

“And the HARVEST of RIGHTEOUSNESS (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]” James 3:18/Amplified Classic Edition. 

Righteousness is the right of grace to stand upright in faith before God without fear, guilt or shame, and to be undaunted by the accuser of the brethren, the devil and his cohorts. 

The Scriptures indicate that the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost. 

When we seek the kingdom of God first, and His righteousness — which is His will, His deeds, and His ways of doing and living life — all other things, food, drink, pleasures and more, shall be added unto us.  

“But SEEK (aim at and strive after) FIRST of all His kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides” Matthew 6:33/Amplified Classic Edition. 

“For the KINGDOM of God is NOT eating and drinking, but RIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who SERVES Christ in THESE THINGS is ACCEPTABLE to God and APPROVED by men” Romans 14:17-17/NKJV. 

The WORKS of RIGHTEOUSNESS promote and enhance peace with God, peace with yourself and peace with those about you. 

And Peace, in context, means concord, agreement, harmony and a mind free from fear, agitating passions and moral conflict. 

The RESULTANT — otherwise the EFFECT — of RIGHTEOUSNESS is innermost quietness, resolve, assurance and exaltation in grace, in Christ Jesus’s stead. 

“And the EFFECT of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the RESULT of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever” Isaiah 32:17/Amplified Classic Edition. 

I pray that as you resolve for righteousness, may you experience the work and effect of the grace of God in this regard. 

Every grace. 

SCRIPTURAL READING WORTH PONDERING IN CONTEXT: 

“. . . For Christ is the END of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation . . .” Romans 10:1-13/NKJV 

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 5:17-21/NKJV. 

“1 THEREFORE, SINCE we are JUSTIFIED (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). 2 Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God” Romans 5:1-2/Amplified Classic Edition. 

SUMMARY: 
Righteousness is not earned by striving. It is the right of grace that positions a believer upright before God, and it produces peace, assurance and fruit across every area of life. 

KEY POINTS: 

1. WHAT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS

• Righteousness is the right of grace to stand upright in faith before God without fear, guilt or shame, and to be undaunted by the accuser of the brethren, the devil and his cohorts. 

• It is conformity to God’s will in thought and deed. 

• It is Christ Himself — “For Christ is the END of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” Romans 10:1-13 

• It is a gift received by faith — “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” Romans 5:17-21 

2. THE KINGDOM CONTEXT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

• The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost. 

• “For the KINGDOM of God is NOT eating and drinking, but RIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit” Romans 14:17-18 

• When we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness — His will, His deeds, and His ways of doing and living life — all other things shall be added. 

• “But SEEK FIRST of all His kingdom and His RIGHTEOUSNESS, and then all these things taken together will be given you besides” Matthew 6:33 

3. THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The WORKS of RIGHTEOUSNESS promote and enhance: 

Peace with God — “THEREFORE, SINCE we are JUSTIFIED through faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1-2 

Peace with yourself 

Peace with those about you 

Peace here means concord, agreement, harmony and a mind free from fear, agitating passions and moral conflict. 

4. THE EFFECT / RESULTANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The RESULTANT — otherwise the EFFECT — of RIGHTEOUSNESS is: 

• Innermost quietness 

• Resolve 

• Assurance 

• Exaltation in grace, in Christ Jesus 

• Confident trust forever 

“And the EFFECT of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the RESULT of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever” Isaiah 32:17 

And the HARVEST of RIGHTEOUSNESS is “[the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others]” James 3:18 

5. HOW WE ENTER RIGHTEOUSNESS

By faith in Christ’s finished work: 

• “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:1-13 

• “as through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” Romans 5:17-21 

• Through Him we have access by faith into this grace in which we firmly and safely stand. Romans 5:1-2 

6. FINAL PRAYER/CHARGE

“I pray that as you resolve for righteousness, you will experience the work and effect of the grace of God in this regard. Every grace.”  

IN ONE SENTENCE 

Righteousness is God’s gift in Christ that gives you right standing with Him, and its work produces peace with God, self and others, while its effect is quietness, assurance and confident trust — therefore seek it first and you will both stand in grace and see every other thing added. 

REV. CHUKIE MORSI