As Christians the only way for us to be true and be with righteousness is to do that which Jesus did. He is the pattern for us, who are saved by grace through faith. To live for God apart from unrighteousness throughout our life is a work greater than just believing to be saved. It is imperative. Such is nonetheless very demanding, but surely achievable. It is definitely not easy to overcome sin and fleshly desires on a daily basis. So, sometimes we stumble in our walk with God. It is a surprise if we do not stumble. But there is a way to defeat stumbling blocks, be true and righteous. It is by infusing into us the words of Jesus. “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (John 7:18).
People sin against God when they speak from themselves. What does it mean? It means they do not speak that which God desires. They speak from their mind. They create from themselves a wisdom that puffs their inner man. It is only unnatural if they do not do this. And because they do it, sin continues to grow. We Christians ought not to be such men. We are saved by God to be trained by Him so that we do not speak from ourselves. To this end Jesus was sent as an example. He was God in the flesh and filled with the Holy Spirit. The one thing He always did was avoid speaking from Himself. He had the privilege of not seeking His own glory. It was by the company of the Spirit. He spoke from the Spirit whom God the Father provided. Therefore, He inevitably sought the glory of the Father and it resulted in Him being true and without unrighteousness. This uniqueness about Jesus should also be ours. Once He was filled with the Spirit, the flesh could not guide Him. He chose the fellowship of the Spirit over the flesh. This pattern should be ours if we are to avoid our carnal minds and seek the glory of the God who called and sent us into the world as children of light. Yes, this is not easy. But, the fact that Jesus was enabled by God to do it in the flesh shows it is possible. Again, the fact that Jesus received the Spirit from the Father indicates God has a plan to keep His children true and without unrighteousness. He proved it by calling Jesus His Son. He is telling us that He has a way and the support to always keep us true and righteous.
When you are saved by God, He has loved you and sent you into the world after the manner of His Son. Through Him alone He intended to send you. This then means you certainly seek His glory. How wonderful is it then that your mind is transformed to be like Jesus’ to serve God! The outcome is you are true and with righteousness. But if you stumble by knowingly or unknowingly seeking your own glory, realize there is remedy. It is to seek God’s forgiveness and the blood of Jesus will cleanse you. Herein is the distinction between Jesus the God and man the sinner – Jesus was sinless. So, His blood will make you right before God that you can continue to seek His glory. He was absolutely dedicated to God’s purpose that His blood for the redemption of the nations is without blemish. He displayed a mind that only serves God. Now we are not like Jesus, i.e. sinless, since He was God in the flesh. But when He was allowed to be tempted and suffered in the flesh in all ways possible, He did not lose His nature of God (holiness) to sin. What does it say? That He suffered, because of the nature of the flesh and served God by providing us the way to be holy. This mind of His we can have, though we are not sinless. Adam’s sin gave Satan the power to rule all men. And the only way for man to be united with God is by overcoming the flesh. Jesus came and overcame it in the power of the Holy Spirit. This was to demonstrate that all who follow Him can be like Him and seek God’s glory to be true and righteous. And Paul said, “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1 Cor. 12:18).
You see not all members of our body appear the same; neither do they perform the same function. It is because God in His will set them in such a way that they should function and give perfection to our bodies. Even so He places all born of Him in the church. If this is true, that the body of Christ has its perfection, members do not speak from themselves; they do not seek their own glory. On the contrary, men that serve God with their minds do not fit in the body. For they work in opposition to the works God desired for the members He places in the body. By this we know they are not of God.
The beauty of being placed by God in the body is that as members of it we need not worry of seeking ways to glorify God. He provides us the way and even time. For this reason, Jesus was able to glorify God. God gave Him a purpose and the Power, the Spirit, that He should fulfill it. Even so, He will give us a purpose, if we on our part keep the mind of Christ. Because many churches lack this knowledge, they suppose they should make ways to serve God. But who has known His mind that he or she should make plans to serve Him and He should accept? Rather, all must have the mind of Christ and receive from Him to glorify Him. Would not the head of the house make arrangements for its members that his name is honored among men? How much more would God our creator!? For it is written, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures” (Jam. 1:18).
God begets believers in the exercise of His will; not by the men that speak from themselves. His will is fulfilled by the word of truth. Now, there is great meaning to the phrase ‘in the exercise of His will.’ It means God had a purpose or will for us even before He called us. And because He had a certain purpose for each one of us, He created us a new by the word of truth. This Word penetrated into our hearts to transform us into His sons. It convinced us that God called us to His glory to reveal His purpose. When this is case, we do not speak from ourselves and seek our own glory. To be precise, we cannot (by the grace we experienced) seek to seek our own glory. This then would surely make us into a kind of first fruits among all mankind. The idea of becoming the kind of first fruits is that we become the pattern for glorifying God among mankind with whatever He purposed for us. And note the kind of God we serve. “For I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow” (Luke 19:21).
Once God has called and given us His will to glorify Him He expects us to work on it. (If you do not know His will for you, ask Him and He will let you find it. To have been saved does not mean to have obtained His will. He has called you in the exercise of His will only to let His will be known to you at the right time. For it would be meaningless for Him to reveal it to you at the time you are not ready). It does not mean we work on it according to our ways, but in His ways. Does this mean we should seek the power, wisdom and guidance of the Spirit? Yes. We should consider every possible way in the realm of truth and righteousness. He is a demanding God. He has given us a purpose that is far more able to accomplish through us than we can imagine. He gives us the Holy Spirit. For example, if He called us to serve the gospel in a particular way, it is His will for us; He demands we fulfill it. For the fruit of it is only joy. He adds to what we already have.
The above is true and will be made true, because Christ lives. “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1). That the stone had been removed from the tomb gives great confidence besides everlasting comfort. Jesus rising from the dead is not meaningless. It means God is victorious in all His plans. It means He accomplishes great things for the Kingdom. And He intends to do it through us, whom He called. When He intended to work in us, He not only intended to give us life, but abundant joy that comes from serving Him. The moment Jesus rose from the dead He began His work for the Kingdom. By the resurrection power of Jesus came forth all kinds of provisions for His servants. It even controls the hearts and minds of men to serve those who serve Him. “But the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land” (Acts 27:43).
God in Christ will bring you safely through any difficulty you face while serving Him. All you must do is work on the purpose He gave you. If He gave you His will to glorify Him, know that He will also make provisions for it that you should not fail in your endeavors. In the exercise of His will He will add to your work. It helps you to be without unrighteousness. Though this is demanding, He will enable you to achieve it. Seeking His glory will become your way of life. In it you begin to find more and more glory and joy that you completely forget seeking your own glory. You will even find it strange that men would seek their own glory. And you abhor it. You will succeed in all that God has called you to do. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).