Section 352

THE CULTIVATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS


The cultivation of literal, personal righteousness is not the same as the forensic righteousness which is appropriated from God through trusting in Christ, but is something that must be worked with the whole of our lives. It is at best naïve, and at worst foolish, to suppose that a person becomes automatically righteous and sinless upon becoming a Christian. The lower, carnal nature resists all that is spiritual and must be overcome through rigorous Christian discipleship. Jesus speaks of "seven overcomings" and seven promises associated with overcoming (Rev.23:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7). The following revelation is virtually a self-contained manual on the cultivation of righteousness of all true Christian disciples and is a good introduction to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ for those investigating the New Covenant. It exposes much of the falsehood and arrogance of the "health and wealth" and "crown for a cross" pseudo-gospels [Våler, Østfold, Norway].


1. A Word of God unto the saints of the New Covenant, even those assaying to do My will:

2. I am the Beginning and the End, the Eternal One, in whom there is no variableness of Being;

3. I am the same yesterday, today, and forever, the Mighty One of Israel, who establisheth, cutteth down, and buildeth up again until My will is fulfilled and My purposes are brought to pass.

Be Perfect

4. And this is the will of Your Father: that ye become perfect, even as I am perfect.

5. And behold, if ye would become perfect, ye must repent; and if ye would repent, ye must forsake the world.

6. Therefore let no man or woman be at ease, for the battle hath not yet been won, saith the Lord.

Self-Righteousness

7. Let none, because they have come to know Me in part, and obeyed Me in part, declare in self-righteousness: "Behold, I am saved; therefore shall I rest!"

8. For such a person stretcheth out a shield before himself and declareth his self-sufficiency;

9. And into such a soul the light of truth and the judgment of God cannot penetrate.

10. Therefore he layeth up for himself a terrible judgment at the last day.

Judgment and Repentance

11. For judgment1 and repentance are the daily food of the soul, and without these there is no sanctification.

12. For verily, verily, I say unto you, that a true disciple is he who hath a humble and contrite heart who regardeth himself as a sinner before God and man, even a soul who acknowledgeth his sins and accepteth reproof.

13. For behold, such a soul cannot but love the Son of Man with all his strength.

14. And behold, is this not the greatest commandment?

Love Solves All Problems

15. For love bringth freedom; it ans- wereth all questions and solveth all problems.

16. Therefore, I say unto you -- and I have told you many times -- that if ye would only love, ye would have no problems [spiritually].

17. Therefore, why have so many of you not found love?

18. Verily, verily, I say unto you, it is because ye desire to do the work of theKingdom more than ye desire to become Christ-like;

19. For of what profit is it if ye bring souls into the Kingdom but ye abide in darkness?

20. Such a soul bringeth souls into the kingdom of their own darkness, and not into the Kingdom of Light, which is the Kingdom of God.

21. Therefore what must ye do? Ye must accept judgment, and repent;

22. And if ye do these things, behold, ye shall be delivered, and know the joy of your redemption.

The Redeemed Shine

23. He who is redeemed2 shineth; but he who is not abideth in darkness.

24. He who shineth is as a light upon the mountain tops to whom the children of God will flock;

25. But he who shineth not is as a voice which crieth out, "Come!", but hath no light, therefore none come unto him.

The King and the Kingdom

26. Therefore verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye may not be lost: love the King more than the Kingdom!

27. If ye love the Kingdom first, ye will become saints of the Kingdom, but not saints of God.

28. And if ye become saints of the Kingdom but not saints of God, everybody will fear you but not love you.

The Saints of God

29. Now behold, those who are the saints of God are childlike, natural and happy, for these are the fruits of true love and humility.

30. Their faces are as the beaming sun, their smile as the kiss of life, their joy as sparkling waters.

31. Beloved, ye have understood the nature of the caterpillar but ye have not understood the glory of the butterfly (NC&C 214)

Wingless Butterflies

32. Therefore many of you have emerged from the chrysalis as new creatures of understanding but without the wings of love.

33. And if ye have not the wings of love, ye cannot fly into the freedom of God.

34. Such a soul will consume itself in its own fire;

35. Affliction will burn it out.

36. Such a soul hath no faith, no joy, and no love.

37. Such a soul hath come to an end.

38. Therefore, hearken unto Me, beloved, that ye neither remain nor become as wingless butterflies, without natural beauty, for I the Lord have purposed that ye should become creatures of love.

39. Therefore humble yourselves, and I will expose your true natures, that ye may behold yourselves as truly wretched;

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

40. For verily I say unto you, the Lord poureth His riches upon the poor in spirit and covereth the afflicted with mercy.

41. Ye must begin to judge and act from a new centre, O ye saints of the New Covenant, for much of your spirituality cometh not from the Spirit but from your own natures.

42. Therefore ye have so often judged amiss, yea, even all.

43. Now, behold, the Lord sheddeth the Holy Spirit upon those who are the Bride.

44. Therefore, come, come unto the Bridegroom. Hast thou come unto the Bridegroom, O sinner, with the love of a Bride?

The Joy of the Bride

45. Hast thou come unto the Bridegroom with the joy of the Bride?

46. Art thou free, as a bird in the sky?

47. For behold, the Spirit is free, for the Spirit is the Bride;

48. And your spirit is to be free, and ye are to be the brides, even all.

The Wings of Love

49. Have ye lost the wings of love? Then, behold, verily I say unto you, ye must find them.

50. He that seeketh must struggle, for love cometh only through struggle and suffering.

51. Have ye denied any light of truth? Open your hearts, beloved, and receive the truth.

52. Falsehood and repression is death.

A Repressed Soul

53. The fruits of a repressed soul are inflexibility or over-enthusiasm, but the fruits of a free soul are flexibility and inward balance.

54. These things I have taught you before, beloved, but ye are quick to forget.

55. Seek after the truth of the Lord your God; then ye must seek after the truth of yourself.

The Love of the Bride

56. The love of the Bride is rooted in Truth; but the love of the world is rooted in illusion and falsehood.

57. He who is free is true; but he who is a prisoner is false.

58. He who is free is convicted daily of his sins through prayer, meditation and the study of My Word;

Daily Repentance

59. The free man repenteth daily in contrition, changeth his heart, and changeth his ways.

60. He forgiveth others freely and harboureth no bitterness, even against those who he imagineth have sinned against him, for verily many perceived sins [of commission] are born only of illusion.

61. He who repenteth not of his own sins is quick to discover the sins in others.

Judge Yourself

62. Therefore beware, beloved, that ye judge not others but rather judge yourselves.

63. The love of God is born only in those who experience the forgiveness of God.

64. Therefore come, come unto the throne of grace until ye have obtained a testimony of the remission of your sins;

65. For I, the Lord, will bear witness unto the humble soul, through the Holy Spirit, of the cleansing of sin.

Cleansing and Suffering

66. And such cleansing is always preceeded by suffering;

67. For ye must know the darkness and loneliness of spiritual separation be- fore you can know and experience the light and glory of forgiveness and cleansing.

68. No soul who hath not experienced the redemption of the Lamb can lead others to redemption, for such a soul is but a door into more darkness.

Know the Path

69. Behold, ye must know the Path in every detail before ye can lead others along it, otherwise ye will become as blind guides.

Resist Emotionalism

70. Therefore a commandment I give unto you all: Fall not into emotionalism, lose not yourselves in spiritual fantasy, and do not become inhibited, because all these are stumbling blocks before the cross.

71. And behold, if ye stumble before these, and do not at once repent, then ye can in no way come unto the cross.

72. Therefore how can I, the Lord, save you?

73. Now, behold, if ye will resist these three sins, then verily, verily, I say unto you, ye shall become free indeed, for ye shall become a free, and a natural, and a happy, and a joyful people;

74. And then, beloved, souls will flock unto you, as butterflies are attracted by nectar, for these things are the food of angels and of the redeemed.

75. Ye are learning, beloved, but ye have much yet to learn;

76. I have permitted you to go out into the world and to witness.

77. And when the harvest has been empty, ye have been left to wonder in your souls.

The Follies of Cheap Grace

78. I have allowed you to experience the follies of cheap grace and of striving in your own power for sanctification.

79. For I, the Lord, ordained from the beginning that ye should meet the paths of folly and delusion, that ye might know them.

80. There are still many follies that ye do not know, for ye are yet young, and there is much purging to be done. Nevertheless ye are still called.

Humility Precedes Greatness

81. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that I will yet do many great things through you, even as I have promised, but first ye must be humbled.

82. And behold, many will doubt and lose faith, as some have already, because they supposed they knew the Way, yet walked in their own delusion.

83. Ye are still a proud people though verily ye are learning, saith the Lord.

84. Nevertheless I shall lead you into new situations through my servants both in the Covenant and those outside it.

The Door to the Kingdom

85. And it shall come to pass that if ye are faithful and humble, that ye shallunderstand by the by that conviction of sin and repentance is the only door into the Kingdom,

86. For your righteous works are as nothing before the righteousness of God.

87. And as ye become convicted of your sins, and daily repent of them, behold, ye shall come into closer fellowship and deeper communion with Me, saith the Lord.

88. And then ye shall be filled daily with a deeper and more meaningful love. But not before.

Salvation is Daily

89. Let none persuade you that a soul is justified forever by grace in the hour that He receiveth Me as His Saviour, saith the Lord, for the experience of salvation is a daily event.

90. The Lord your God is one eternal round and Salvation is Eternal.

91. Therefore only as ye are in the spirit of the Eternal do ye have salvation.

92. And what is the door into the Eternal? Verily, verily, I say unto you, it is the spirit of contrition and repentance.

Time and Eternity

93. Time is of the world, but the heavens are eternal.

94. Let no man therefore say: "I was saved upon this day and this time," for such is not of God.

A Prayer of the Born-Again Child

95. But rather let him say: "Behold, on this day and at this hour I entered into the Eternal, and I obtained His salvation through faith in His Name. Hallelujah!

96. "O Lord, I sin daily, and therefore I stand under the judgment, in the spirit of time.

97. "Yet I am still under grace, O Lord, for Thou hast given me space for repentance.

98. "And when I repent, behold, I enter into the spirit of the Eternal, and enter into my salvation again. Praise the Lord!"

99. But if this man doth not repent in the space granted unto him for repent- ance, then behold, he loseth his salvation.

100. Though he may continue to be- lieve, his belief is not unto salvation, for his faith is that of the Pharisees and the hypocrites.

101. Therefore he must be born again.

Space for Repentance

102. No man knoweth the space of time that God giveth for his repentance;

103. Therefore let him not play with the Almighty, but humble himself, confess, obtain the spirit of godly sorrow, make ammends, and invite the cleansing of the Holy Spirit.

Freedom in Christ

104. And unto such a person I, the Lord, will come, and make him free.

105. But first a man must come to a knowledge that he is a sinner, and that he daily sinneth, and hath need of daily repentance.

The Beginning of Wisdom

106. This is the beginning of wisdom.

107. They who deny this doctrine but who believe in their own self-righteousness shall fall, saith the Lord, and great shall be their fall!

108. For they abide in a terrible darkness and know not the spirit of grace or of humility.

109. Unto such cometh an awful condemnation if they repent not.

Self-Righteousness

110. The fruits of self-righteousess are arrogance, blindness, fanaticism, intolerance, coldness, words without substance, condemnation of the righteous, hypocrisy, conceit, and every kind of spiritual dark- ness that masqueradeth as light.

111. And Satan worketh in the churches that he may bind the young and inexperienced in the chains of darkness;

Many Wolves in the Churches

112. For verily I say unto you, that many wolves have entered into the churches that they might take the innocent down to hell.

113. Woe unto them if they repent not, for their end is the lake of fire.

Beware of False Doctrines

114. Behold, My faith is sufficient for you, beloved, but do not be deceived by the false doctrines of the age.

No Justification by Works

115. For those who believe that they are justified by works lose the ground of reality from under their feet, and instead dwell in mystical worlds of illusion and imaginary piety.

Inner Fantasy

116. For he who acknowledgeth not that he is a sinner before God and man each day will soon lose a grip on reality;

117. For verily I say unto you, it is the tendency of the fallen nature of man to withdraw into an inner world of fantasy.

Pride: the Root of all Evil

118. Be ye not deceived, beloved, for pride3 is the root of all evil;

119. And pride will not repent, but would rather exalt itself.

120. He who weepeth over his sins, despising them, hath begun to under- stand, and behold, the door will swing open wide for him at the moment he is ready to enter in.

Denied Desires

121. Beloved, do not reject Me when I deny all your desires, for I reject only out of love and a perfect knowledge of your need.

122. Ye must be prepared to walk in this world in contempt and disgrace if ye would enter into My glory -- therefore court not the world in any wise.

Keys for Repentance

123. I have given you many keys of intellectual knowledge, ye saints of the New Covenant, that ye might be brought to repentance, not that ye might boast of your knowledge.

Acknowledgement of Sin is Not Enough

124. It is not enough to acknowledge sin and depart, believing that in confession ye have earned your forgiveness.

125. For such a soul departeth not with thanksgiving.

126. Sin corrupteth the whole soul, therefore must a whole soul repent, and not a part thereof.

127. Therefore, when ye repent, repent with your whole soul, saith the Lord,presuming not to comfort yourself because of any personal merit, real of imagined.

Righteousness is Unconscious

128. Righteousness is not conscious of itself.

The Song of Redeeming Love

129. And then, beloved, when ye have truly repented, and know the cleansing of the blood of the Lord, ye will be constrained to sing in your soul the Song of Redeeming Love.

130. The soul that is cleansed singeth the praises of the Redeemer, for he knoweth that there is but One who forgiveth.

131. Therefore lay thy soul down in death -- the death of pride and the death of self -- that thou mayest receive grace and life;

132. For grace bringeth spiritual redemption and resurrection.

133. He who hath died to his sins and been reborn laboureth for the Kingdom, not because it bringeth him satisfaction, but because He loveth his Saviour.

The Love of God

134. Therefore let only love for God move you in all that ye do, for this is the way of the Gospel.

135. And if ye have not this love, then cast yourselves upon your knees, and say unto Me:

136. "O Lord! Purify the inclinations of my soul that all I do may be done out of love for Thee."

To Pastors and Teachers

137. And now I speak especially unto the pastors4 and the teachers5 that ye may become living witnesses of My love:

138. Speak not on that which ye do not understand, or on principles that ye have not yourselves fought through and spiritually digested;

139. For your words will not be empowered by My Spirit and therefore they will not take root in the souls of men.

Only Teach What You Know

140. Therefore, verily, verily, I say unto you: preach and teach only what you know. And this I have told you before.

141. And behold, the testimony of the whole soul will move the mountains of unbelief, for the testimony of truth cometh only after trials and chastening.

God Hates Flattery6

142. I, the Lord, detest the flattering words of men who seek only an audience for themselves, who love to glory in their own foolish ideas and experiments, who shun the path of humility and contrition.

The Prayer of a Teacher

143. If a man or woman would preach or teach, then let this be his prayer:

144. "Grant me thy love, O Lord, the love which is not irritable or resentful in any way, which beareth all things, hopeth all things, believeth all things, and endur- eth all things (1 Cor.13:7).

145. "Let my soul be filled with this love as I preach or teach this day, that I may speak through the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in me.

146. "Take me along the paths that I must preach of, that I may stand firm in the sure conviction of Thy Word, in the spirit of holiness.

147. "And most of all, let what I preach or teach be directed to myself as much as it is to those whom I am preach- ing to or teaching. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Self-Righteousness is Death

148. Let every soul testify that self-righteousness is death, having renounced personal glory;

149. And let no soul testify of that which it doeth not, for this is hypocrisy.

Spiritual Cowardice

150. Neither let them flee the battle field, saying: "Let another do this, for I am unworthy," for I, the Lord, hate spiritual cowardice7.

151. But let such a soul fall on his knees, confess, and repent, and behold, Iwill show him the way and give unto him the spirit of witness.

152. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that only those who have overcome self and been made humble can partake of the first resurrection and enter.

153. Therefore struggle until ye have won the victory, beloved;

154. Do not lose hope and faith, for I am watching over you, leading and guid- ing you in the paths of righteousness, even though ye know it not.

The Victory of the Cross

155. Give thanks for your trials and temptations and for the victory of the cross.

156. For I shall free the humble, saith the Lord, but it shall be in My own way, and in My own time.

157. Renounce your personal desires.

158. Grow not indignant at the faults of your neighbour.

159. Renounce and hate sin.

160. Persevere until ye are free.

161. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and whosover cometh unto Me in faith, nothing doubting, with patience and a willingness to be chastened, behold, he shall be made free. Amen.

Grieve Not the Spirit

162. And now, beloved saints of the New Covenant, grieve not the Spirit of God but do all things as ye have been commanded.

163. For I have purposed to purify My saints until they are pliable in My hand, ready to go forth in power and love.

164. Walk through the doors I have opened for you, serving with all your mind, heart, strength and substance, for the blessing of the children of men. Never suppose that ye have nothing to do.

Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldova and India

165. I have opened the doors for you in Ukraine8, Bulgaria9, Moldova, and India.

166. Enter in while there is yet light, and labour until the close of day.

167. And as ye are faithful in one call, so shall ye receive others, and I shall open more doors.

Pray for Your Loved Ones

168. Cease not to importune your loved ones for I desire that your families should come into the Covenant, for I have work for them.

169. For verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must yet receive scorn and be despised of your families10 until they behold your love;

170. But when they have seen it, they will come, and with thanksgiving.

Stand Firm in the Truth

171. Stand firm in the truth, doubt not, for ye understand not the smallest particle of what I, the Lord, have ord-ained unto the saints, if they will but obey My will.

172. This is the Word of the Lord unto His people of the New Covenant Church of God, and to all Christians everywhere who love Him and desire to obey His commandments. Even so. Amen.


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This page was first created on 23 July 1998
Last updated on 15 December 1998

Copyright ©1998 New Covenant Church of God
P.O.Box 120, S-671 23 ARVIKA, Sweden

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