I’m excited to share this message about how to be righteous on the subject of sin nature! Have you ever noticed why the world is so imperfect and thought, “Wow, look at all these wars and natural disasters. They never seem to end!”
It’s hard to imagine how many people would say no, because everyone has something to say about that. As you may know, Romans 3 is about how everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, is guilty of sin and that we are only justified by faith in Christ.
No Jew or Gentile is better than the other. At the end of the passage, it is concluded that our faith and certificate of salvation don’t conflict with or invalidate the Law. Note that He did not end it; He fulfilled it.
Faith doesn’t invalidate the Law; “We establish the Law.” Have you ever been unsure if you were even a believer in Christ because of your bad habits? We’ve all been there, it’s okay.
Well, I assure you that your salvation is paid for at the cross and that if you repent and trust in Him, you will be saved. Salvation is a sure thing provided for by sacrificial love. Don’t ever doubt your security in faith!
Remember Romans 4V3-5: “For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
4) When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5) But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.“
You’re saved and it’s a gift. Sometimes, you may ask, “How can I live a godly life and be more righteous?” What a great question to even consider, it means you’re accountable to God.
First, what must be received in your heart is that when you ask for forgiveness, He remembers your sin no more. You shouldn’t have to worry about living a more righteous life and doing things right, it’s already been provided. All you have to do is submit to the Lord and He makes your path straight. Surrender to the Lord, seek His will, walk in obedience, and let His plans in even when it’s not what you want. We can make the inference that He knows best.
Second, acknowledge living godly is a life-long process and develops from conviction of the Holy Spirit. And with steady changes to your demeanor, you can achieve this discipline. Let me ask you, do you know who your Father is?
I’m just saying, that people have been made holy through the sacrifices of Christ, you ought to know where you came from.
Third, and foremost, my observations of Romans chapter 3 are that not only is it cited that no Jew or Gentile is better; but it also alludes to the essence of that the Jews were more interested in circumcision, and seemed to be divisive.
Paul states “I hope people who don’t believe won’t invalidate the faithfulness of God. God is found to be true even when liars are found out, because the Word says “So that you are justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
Then he charges, “How does our unrighteousness demonstrate the righteousness of God? Because God is righteous! Why am I still a sinner if I do so? Their condemnation is deserved by us. Are we better than them?
We are all under sin and it is charged that for both Jews and Greeks.
No, none of mankind will be justified by the Law.” That sums it up, that we are all sinners and are not righteous, but that this proves everyone is guilty.
The last paragraphs then assert that salvation and justification are gifts given by God because no one can justify themselves as sinners. Boasting does no good, and you are not saved by work.
It is not heretical because we obey the Lord. Well, I wonder, who do I go to lift this load?
I have to sign up for college classes, and taekwondo down the street. On top of that, I have a screen addiction that prevents me from living for God. My biggest problem is that I’m a little lazy. And currently, I’m studying Arabic. How am I even able to move this mountain?
I’m constantly thinking about the future; future tripping. I’m always worrying about how I’ll be successful, pondering and catastrophizing about my habits, whether procrastination or addiction. Also, I cannot simply discipline myself to resist temptations, therefore indulging myself in them on a whim.
Does God not guide me out of this one? The answer is He does, I’m just not there yet. Anyhow, the modern problem of living godly is that it’s hard and not what you want to do, there I said it.
As soon as you become a Christian, it instantaneously becomes more difficult. It’s not easy being a believer, not in any sense. You have responsibilities. It’s hard to drift away from sins like covetous behavior, profanity, materialism, anger, etc.
You’ll have to shift your values and worldviews just to fit in the portrait of “I’m a Christian now.” Rightly so.
The world has the habit of rubbing off on us to sin instead of committing to God. After all, what more can they ask of us, they don’t like us, they’re not Christian! As believers, we can’t live in the old ways, our old self supernaturally changes.
I think one of the hardest things to do is to say no to fleshly desires. That’s the number one thing I struggle to do in my life. I cannot abstain from this rubbish carcass. It always wins over me.
It’s not easy to grow and learn new things, to develop the habit of reading the Word or applying Scripture to your demeanor. We cannot stay the same, therefore, we should not lollygag and pretend to be mature, long-term Christians.
Now, you may ask, “How do I apply Romans 3 to my life?” Abstain from division, know you’re a sinner, obey the Word, and recognize justification; a person is justified apart from good works.
Have you ever tried to do these things? To live up to its standards? Now you know how difficult it is to maintain godliness. It’s not easy.
So how do you maintain godliness? How might you accept your gift of salvation for what it is? And how does one be Christian?
Simple.
How to Maintain Godliness
Read your Bible
Hide it in your heart, don’t just open it up and hide it in your head by reading a chapter. Affably. Hide it in your heart. Use prayer because prayer is communication with God. You may soon learn that your prayers will always be answered, whether with a “yes,” “no,” or “wait.”
Rely on the Holy Spirit as Romans 8 tells us He prays for us. Let Him take over your decisions. Romans 3 tells us that the Law can’t justify us, because through the Law comes knowledge of sin. Only Yeshua saves us.
Be Social
In other words, attend church with a joyful spirit. Also, be a believer who shares their testimony and faith with others. Our lives should show the exemplary work of God as His living example. Be obedient to the Bible’s commands, examples, and principles. Follow His teaching.
Love Others and Rely on the Spirit
John 13V35 says that everyone will know that you’re His disciples if you love one another.
Also, let the Holy Spirit fight for you when you are TEMPTED by your SIN. Do not yield to SIN. As Billy Graham puts it, “Learn how to meet your temptation. Temptation is not sin.” One thing to note is don’t let your situation tear you down because the Word is with you.
Trust God
Learn to trust God in faith. When you don’t trust, pray, and have faith, you live with anxiety and fear. Psalm 63V6-8 says to calibrate your heart and focus on God. By calibrate I mean to meditate. Surrender everything, even sin, to Him.
Forgive
Forgive others. Forgiveness is part of loving one another and is how everyone will know you are His disciples. It’s that time we don’t forgive others and haven’t accepted God’s forgiveness.
The Gist
These steps are the key to expanding your mind to varying degrees of being righteous. Romans 5:1 states, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
We are made righteous. You can say that this doesn’t change your demeanor, it develops your character. You may not be content with your new self, but remember you have peace with God through Him.
Your new self is present the old has passed away and you’re raising your sword, therefore, killing the flesh. This is evident, that everyone is a sinner because our old desires get the best of us.
Living a godly life changes that by making it about the Lord rather than ourselves. We shouldn’t live our lives in what we want, that would be selfish.
Affably. This is the Lord’s temple. Therefore, what you can do to be righteous is also made evident. Pray. Read His Word. Rely on the Holy Spirit. Enlighten others with your faith and the gospel. Then kill the flesh. It doesn’t matter what order you do it in, all that matters is that you react appropriately to your internal desires.
Indiscriminately, I believe the lesson here is, that this is how you can be made righteous. With the steps shown above. Be knowledgeable in that you’re justified by faith, not by works.
By living a godly life, leading by example, and following His teaching you obtain a lifelong skill everyone needs. You gain peace like no other which moves you to make healthy decisions.
It’s wise to go to church, pray often, read Scripture, share the Message, rely on the Holy Spirit, and love others. After all, who doesn’t benefit from that?
Plus, as soon as you lift a load of procrastination, laziness, or sin like I’m doing, you will have a great sense of relief. You applied the truth to your life, stood ready, and adopted a plan to deviate from your old self.
Becoming a new being is important to understand. You don’t want to create old habits, run away, or unrealize what is being offered to you by grace. You have salvation.
By maintaining godliness, you ensure you understand who your God is, giving you resources to defend yourself from lies and liars that prove God is righteous. I mentioned that Romans 3 was about how the world is guilty regardless of race or class and serves as a guide on righteousness. It is not obscure that this simple skill serves you by renewing your mind, giving you power over the enemy’s offense, in something pure and holy. (Romans 12V2).
In this article, I’ve summarized that point made. Then I made key observations. I expressed the problems I face in living righteous and some obstacles you might face. Lastly, I shared how you can change your story, and equip yourself with tools that fight temptation, among other things.
Now what? What’s the takeaway? Well, let’s participate in being a light shown to the world right now. By not hesitating to live Christlike rather than being like everyone else; being righteous. Don’t just use your skills and strength yesterday or tomorrow—Let’s use them today!
Because your best self is to be proactive in a life of setbacks and challenges. You should actively seek the Lord and walk in His Spirit. Moreover, you should delve deeper into strengthening your relationship in faith, understanding that it takes time to develop your character.
Know that once you become a Christian, you don’t have to change anything. The Holy Spirit does it for you. With these skills, pursuing godliness allows you to surrender yourself and have the Word in your heart even in difficult times. It’s like a shield in a time of war.
Where honesty, love, and commitment take courage, let’s pursue Christ and righteousness in a world of sin—are you in?
Let’s connect! Instagram, FB. Know someone who needs this? Share this post with them!
Don’t miss our latest updates—subscribe to our newsletter!
Works Cited:
Benjamin, Carla. “A Godly Life: 7 Habits to Develop a Godly Life.”
“>Prayer Passion Pursuit, 30 Aug. 2021, prayerpassionpursuit.com/7-habits-of-a-godly-life/.
Graham, Billy. “10 Guidelines for Christian Living – the Billy Graham Library Blog.”
“>The Billy Graham Library, 4 Jan. 2018, billygrahamlibrary.org/10-guidelines-for-christian-living/.
Houdmann, S. Michael. “In What Ways Is Being a Christian Difficult?”
“>GotQuestions.org, www.gotquestions.org/being-a-Christian.html.
“Submission: A Biblical Principle of Surrender and Obedience.”
“GotQuestions.org, www.gotquestions.org/being-a-Christian.html.
Wisdom International, 2024, www.wisdomonline.org/blog/submission/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.