God Has an Interest in Making Us Righteous

By A. W. Tozer

Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
working of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost. Titus 3:5

   A whole new generation of Christians has come up
believing that it is possible to "accept" Christ without
forsaking the world.

   But what saith the Holy Ghost? "Ye adulterers and
adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be
a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4),
and "If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in him" (I John 2:15).

   This requires no comment, only obedience.

   It is an error to assume that we can experience
justification  without  transformation.  Justification and
regeneration are not the same; they may be thought
apart in theology but they can never be experienced
apart in fact!

   When God declares a man righteous He instantly sets
about to make him righteous.

   The error today is that we do not expect a converted
man to be a transformed man, and as a result of this
error our churches are full of substandard Christians.
Many of these go on day after day assuming that
salvation is possible without repentance and that they
can find some value in religion without righteousness.

   A revival is, among other things, a return to the belief
that real faith invariably produces holiness of heart and
righteousness of life!

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Yours in Christ,
Paul N. F.