When you are born again in Christ, you have been made righteous. The Bible says, God had made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). You are no longer a son of the devil, a sinner, but you have become a son of God, a saint. You have received a new nature; God’s nature and therefore you shall no longer walk in sin and iniquity, because the righteous walks in righteousness. What does it mean to walk in righteousness?
The righteous walks in righteousness
And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him (1 John 2:28-29)
A born-again Christian is born of God and has become a son of God (this applies to both males and females).
When you are born again, you are no longer a slave of the devil and a slave of unrighteousness, but you have become a slave of Jesus Christ and shall walk in righteousness and abstain from sin and iniquity.
(please note: you have not been made righteous by your works, but by Jesus Christ, by His work; His sacrifice and His blood. But when you become born again in the spirit, you should be doing the works of righteousness).
If you are made righteous, you shall walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. When you walk after the Spirit, you walk in the law of the Spirit.
The righteous people have only one mission and that is to please Jesus Christ, and to please God the Father, and abstain from everything that is evil and displeases Him.
If you love Me, keep My commandments
Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). When you obey Jesus and walk in His commandments, you show Jesus that you love Him. You will listen to Jesus and obey Him and walk in His Word (His commandments and will). When you walk in His Word, you shall abide in Him continuously. Not just for 2 or 3 hours a week, but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You shall stay on His path (His way) and stay obedient to Him.
You shall not turn aside to the left or to the right Even if you are accused or persecuted, or rejected, or things don’t go the way as expected or planned. No matter what, you will stay in Him, and keep His commandments, if you really love Jesus.
Only when you stay in Him, you shall walk in His ways and please Him.
By keeping His commandments (God’s Word), you show Jesus, that you really love Him.
When you, as the righteous walk in righteousness, which means that you walk according to what the Word says and live after the will of God, you not only show Him that you love Him, but you also show everyone else, that you are born of God and that you are His son and that you love God above all.
‘Be the salt of the earth’