Our Teacher of righteousness

The righteousness of Jesus

It was a huge blessing, encouragement and inspiration for the disciples to be together with Jesus. They listened to His wisdom and were able to touch and handle the Word of life! (1 John 1:1.) They sensed that the words Jesus spoke were life-giving. Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees searched in the Scriptures to find eternal life but were not willing to come to Jesus to find it! (John 5:39-40.) If we want life, we have to go to Jesus. We have to start drinking of the living water that is in Him, so that it becomes a fountain within us! Then it can flow out to those who hear us. And that will be an incredibly great blessing.

That is why the disciples were a little afraid when they heard that Jesus was going to depart. Peter even said to Him, “This shall not happen to You!” But Jesus knew that He had to be sacrificed, and that is why He said to Peter, who was perhaps His best disciple, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:21-23. This was very clear for Him. He knew the way and where He had to go.

The Holy Spirit: The Teacher of Righteousness

But in order to comfort the disciples He told them, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7. Jesus Himself was a work of God, of the eternal Spirit that was in God. And now the Holy Spirit contains Jesus’ life; He is life-giving. And He is doing the same work in us that God did in Jesus. He is the Teacher of righteousness, and where righteousness is manifested there is rest and it’s good for people to be there.

There are riots and protests all over the world precisely because those who are supposed to be in charge and are governing, do things unrighteously. The unrest and problems are a direct result of that. But when the Teacher of righteousness teaches us to do what is right, then it’s good and blessed and God’s blessing comes over us.

We get this fullness of blessing when we learn of Jesus to become gentle, or meek and lowly in heart, for example. (Matthew 11:29.) We aren’t like that by nature; it’s something we have to learn. We don’t get meekness as a gift that just comes down from heaven. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us to be meek. The Spirit speaks to us about our own life, and where there is sin that needs to be put to death by the Spirit. And then we come into a development in God and the things that belong to the Lord come forth in us more and more. In that way we will become a tremendous blessing for people

“He who overcomes”

So, it’s not a question of understanding and intelligence. It’s a matter of believing in God and being surrendered completely to His will. Then we learn righteousness. The Spirit spoke to all of the seven churches in Asia: “He who overcomes as I have overcome.” One of the glorious promises for those who have overcome is this, that they will sit with Him on thrones and judge the tribes of Israel. (Revelation 3:21; Matthew 19:28.)

“As I have overcome,” He said. That’s the intention. In other words, we are to be like Jesus, conformed to His image. (Romans 8:29.) In the second and third chapters of Revelation we see very clearly what this life is all about. Everything leads to us coming to victory over sin. Then a new life and glorious development will take place in us.