God's redemption plan.

There is a subtle difference between Righteousness and Holiness.Righteousness is a position we have as Christians,We are justified righteous or better still made right with God .we receive righteousness by having faith in Jesus, and not by works or deeds.To justify means to declare righteous. Justification is God’s act of declaring righteous those who put their faith in Christ and his saving work. God does not make believers righteous in the sense of improving them to a standard of behaviour that satisfies him, but rather he declares them righteous. Christ has met God’s righteous demands by paying sin’s penalty on behalf of sinners. God can therefore declare repentant sinners righteous, yet himself remain righteous in doing so (Rom 1:16-17; 3:21t-26; 4:1-3; 5:1-2; Gal 2:15-16; 3:21-22; Phi 3:9). Though righteous deeds, or good works, cannot save anyone, once people are saved their lives should be full of righteous deeds (Eph 2:8-10; Phi 1:11). Once God has declared them righteous, they must make it true in practice by living righteously (Rom 6:13,18-19; Eph 4:24; 5:9; Phi 3:8-10; 1Ti 6:11; 1Pe 2:24; 3:14) .Holiness is a condition. The Hebrew word usually translated ‘holy’ had a much profound meaning than the English word ‘holy’. To most English-speaking people ‘holiness’ means sinlessness or purity. To the Hebrews the word originally indicated the state or condition of a person or thing as being separated from the common affairs of life and consecrated wholly to . for example,God was considered holy, because he was separate from ordinary people, and indeed from all created things (Exo 15:11-12; Psa 99:3; Isa 6:3; 8:13; Rev 3:7; 4:8). Israel was holy, because it belonged to God and was cut off from the religions and customs of the surrounding peoples (Exo 19:6; Deu 7:6). The Sabbath and other religious days were holy, because they were separated from the common days of the workaday world (Exo 31:15; Lev 23:4,21,24). People who were removed from secular life and consecrated to the service of God were holy (Lev 21:6-8). Places and land withdrawn from common use and set apart for sacred use or given to God were holy (Lev 6:16; 27:21). Besides obviously holy things such as places of worship, less obvious things such as clothing, oils, food and produce were also holy if they were set apart for God. The relation of a person or thing to God was what determined whether it was holy or not. God’s holiness meant that he was separate not only from the common everyday world but, above all, from sin (Hab 1:12-13). As a result holiness developed the association with ethical qualities that we are familiar with in English. Because God was holy, his people were to be holy (Lev 11:44-45; Isa 57:15; 1Pe 1:15-16). God’s holiness meant also that one day he would judge sinners (see GOD; JUDGMENT). The preaching of the Old Testament prophets was very much concerned with this ethical aspect of holiness.In the New Testament the writers emphasize this moral aspect of holiness. The holiness of God is to be reflected in his people in lives of purity, uprightness and moral goodness (Mar 6:20; Eph 1:4; 5:27; 1Th 4:7; Tit 1:8; Heb 12:10,14). Holiness, however, is not something people can achieve by themselves. All are defiled by sin (Rom 3:10,23), but Christ, the perfect one, died to take away their sin. God can now accept repentant sinners as cleansed, because of what Christ has done (1Pe 2:22-24). God declares believers in Jesus Christ holy; that is, he sanctifies them (1Co 6:11; 1Pe 1:2). Having been declared holy, believers must make it true in practice. They must have lives of practical sanctification . In conclusion,Jesus Christ was sent and prosecuted to serve as an atonement for our sins (Romans 3:25).He came to satisfy God's anger by taking the punishment in our place.Gods punishment for sin is death(Rom 6:23) so God had to send his son to receive that punishment in our place. Now the war between man and God is over.His wrath has been appeased.Through faith in his death and Resurrection we obtain righteousness.Therefore we are made right with him.This righteousness is however not attained by works or deeds but by faith.Thus through Christ we receive acquittal for our sins.Not by the law,because keeping the law would never make us righteous,(Gal 3:11-21) but faith in Christ(Phil 3:9 ).God has shown us a better and much different way we can obtain righteousness and acquittality.Man tried to be right before God but failed.God's redemption plan is not by obeying the law but by faith.Through faith in Christ we made right in the sight of God.Salvation comes to all,either circumcised or uncircumcised.All we need is to believe,it does not matter what who you are. Having said all this;after we have obtained righteousness by faith , it is not supposed to end there.we are supposed to grow in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).Studying Gods word and praying are some of the activities that helps us to grow in righteousness.