Thursday

Related Verses
1 Pet. 2:24
24 Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed.

2 Pet. 3:13
13 But according to His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Phil. 3:9
9 And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith,

Psa. 45:7, 9, 13-14
7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.
9 The daughters of kings are among Your most prized; The queen stands at Your right hand in the gold of Ophir.
13 The King’s daughter is all glorious within the royal abode; Her garment is a woven work inwrought with gold.
14 She will be led to the King in embroidered clothing; The virgins behind her, her companions, Will be brought to You.

Isa. 61:10
10 I will rejoice greatly in Jehovah, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with the robe of righteousness; I am like a bridegroom who wears the headdress of the priest, And like a bride who adorns herself with her jewels.

Exo. 28:2, 39
2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
39 And you shall weave the tunic of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a girding sash, the work of an embroiderer.

Related Reading
Suppose [that] in a particular church…instead of murmuring, criticizing, or gossiping, there are forbearance, praise, calling on the Lord, and fellowship. Moreover, suppose the meetings are living, in good order, and rich in function. Surely, in such a church we can see the kingdom of God full of righteousness. Everything there is orderly and peaceful. 

The goal of the new covenant ministry is to minister the all-inclusive Spirit of the processed Triune God into others to be their supply. Simultaneously, this ministry dispenses Christ into the believers as their righteousness. Then as the believers live and walk according to the Spirit, they will be in a condition that expresses God and that gives an impression of the Son of God. Furthermore, they will actually be the kingdom of God established in righteousness, set in order, and properly headed up. They will also have peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the result of the new covenant ministry. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 255-256)  

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Ultimately, the bride in Revelation 19 will become the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and 22…According to Revelation 21:18, “the building work of its wall was jasper.” Also, the first foundation of the New Jerusalem will be jasper (v. 19). Therefore, the appearance of the city will be that of jasper. Revelation 4 indicates that God sitting on the throne in the heavens also has the appearance of jasper. Hence, jasper denotes God’s image, His expression. The fact that jasper is the appearance both of God and of the New Jerusalem indicates that this holy city will bear the same appearance that God does. The entire city will express God. 

Today we are preparing our bridal gown, a gown that will have the appearance of righteousness, which is the expression of God. Ultimately, in the New Jerusalem, this will be the appearance of jasper. 

As used in 2 Peter 3:13, the word righteousness is rich in meaning. To say that righteousness will dwell in the new heaven and new earth means that everything will be in order, headed up, and regulated. Everything will be governed, controlled, and under the proper rule, for the throne of God, the kingdom, the divine administration, will be there. The result will be peace and joy. 

At present there is little righteousness on earth. Instead, there are unrighteousness, disorder, and confusion. But praise the Lord that in the church, where we have a foretaste of the new heaven and the new earth, righteousness dwells! Moreover, we should be able to say that, by the Lord’s mercy, righteousness also dwells in our family life. 

Today many Christians neglect the new covenant ministry. Instead of ministering the Spirit and righteousness to others, they argue about such things as the method of baptism…The various so-called ministries have divided the children of God…The ministry of the new covenant simply ministers Christ to others as the Spirit to be the life supply inwardly and as righteousness to be the expression of God outwardly. This expression of God as righteousness, the image of God, brings in the kingdom, where everything is regulated, orderly, and headed up. This gives us a foretaste of the coming kingdom and of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth. This is the function of the new covenant ministry. 

We must all carry on the ministry to minister Christ as the life-giving Spirit and as righteousness. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 256-258) 

Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msg. 57