It's important for us to recognize and understand that Messiah Yeshua IS our righteousness.
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Cool! Jesus has it all taken care of. We can just sit back and relax, right?
Because we are saved by grace through faith and not by works of righteousness which we have done, then there is no need for us to live pursuant of righteousness; especially since we can't do anything right anyway... right?
Rom 3:10-12 KJV As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (12) They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
There's a little problem with that in that Messiah Yeshua died on the cross to save us from our sin- not to give us license to continue in it.
Rom 6:1-2 KJV What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
So what is sin? The Greek word "hamartia" simply means "to miss the mark". Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word kah-taw means the same thing. So, what is the mark? (Hello, here I am!) The word
is a derivitive of the Hebrew word Yara which mean can mean "to hit the target". So, to a Jew, naturally,
is the "mark" that we miss when we sin. This is, at least the conclusion that John came to when he wrote for us 1st John 3:4
1Jo 3:4 KJV Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
If that doesn't do it for you, Paul defines the Law as the means by which we come to the knowkedge of sin
Rom 3:20 KJV Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 7:7 KJV What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
We could stop there and say, "case closed"; but there is a lot more to this, especially since we are called to live a relationship with Messiah: literally to live "In Christ"
1Co 1:30-31 KJV But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (31) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Paul tells us to be imitators of the Messiah, just as he was (1st Corinthians 11:1). Peter tells us to live following the example of Messiah (1st Peter 2:21-24). Yeshua Messiah, Himself told us, "take My yoke upon you and LEARN of Me." (Matthew 11:29). In Matthew 28:18-20, Messiah gives His great commission to go out among all the nations (tho goyim: the gentiles) and teach them ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU." (not just those things that fit within the culture and tradition of those varying nationalities you will come across). Yeshua Messiah uncontestably commanded
(Matthew 5:17-18).
Messiah is the "living Word": the embodiment of
. If we are to learn of Him, to follow His example, to grow in grace an din the knowkedge of Him, we must grow in grace and in the knowledge of
. In fact, without
, we can gain no depth of understanding nor relationship with the person of Messiah Yeshua. Messiah said in Matthew 7:23, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity (Greek word is "anamos": the Jew would translate Torahlessness), I never knew you."
What so many see as burdensome bondage, we have come to know as a great joy. Let me give you an example of how it works that some might be able to relate to. I told my six year lod son to go upstairs and clean his room. When I went up to check on him, he was paralyzed. The task was absolutely overwhelming. I reprimanded him and went back to what I was doing. I went up and checked him a second time. He had come destracted with some toys and ceased the project and was playing. I disciplined him then went back downstairs. When I went up to check him a third time, he was in bitter tears. The task was too big for him. He didn't know where to start. That is how we are faced with a life in Messiah. We are so bad when we come to recognize our need for Him. We are absolutely overcome with our sinfulness. After a while, we settle back into the comfort of our known reality. I guess it isn't so bad, and I'm saved by grace anyway. When I understood what was going on with my son, I took him by the hands and sat him down on the floor and I said, (in probably not as loving and gracious a way as you might hope) find all the dirty socks and put them in the laundry basket. It was liek a light came on ini his head, an inspiration. The task suddenly became much smaller, even conceiveable. Next we went to the towels, then the clothes, then the toys in the bed, then making the bed, then under the bed, and so on until he was a champion of his clean and tidy room. This is how our relationship with Messiah can be- in
. I can't get my hands around "grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him". I can't even get hold of "love your neighbor as yourself". But I can understand, "if you see your enemy struggling under his burden, help him." I can get a hold of "take one day and set it aside as special for Adonai." I can grasp these concepts of love, grace, mercy and truth, if you give them to me one at a time in bite-size pieces. This is
and this is why it is necessary for us to understand how we are to live in Messiah.
, outside of faith and "earn" salvation, that person will fail. Conversely, if anyone claims to have "faith," but wilfully ignores God's 
