No idea if this makes sense, wrote it at midnight, but wanted to post it either way:
Trained in Righteousness
The righteousness of God is our place, our position, achieved for us by the work of Jesus on the cross. There is no hope for us as men in due course to solve this equation by our own means. We puzzle over these moments in life where we believe our control mitigates a response that is worthy of the cross, yet in the end all is hopeless. When we truly achieve an understanding that the only worth is the cross itself then we can begin to unravel what being trained in righteousness really means. It is then from this place that we can begin to see outpourings.
Instead most would like to move straight towards works in their understanding of this training. One might say, “Perhaps I can suggest a course in right living to achieve what the Christ was like, hoping to give a piece of the cross back.” Even this will fall short and probably not promote what we hope to be accomplished, namely a likeness to the cross. However, if we count this training as a step in the direction of understanding the cross, the love of Christ as it were, the beginning and the end, and the center; we can have a different focus.
This focus moves us towards a representation of the cross in our lives that does not merely attempt to match it in a works oriented way but instead as an identification of the image upon which we hope to emulate. This emulation is an important word because it suggests that we are attempting to identify with something that we can not become, so we can concede that the outcome won’t be perfect therefore being burdened by an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame. Yet, at the same time we acknowledge that ability to be like the one enough to attempt to join him in his death.
The good news is that we do attain this perfection at a spiritual level, even though we do not understand the complete truth that resides within us. It is locked away in the mystery that is our hearts. This heart can only be accessed through a deciphering of the word and an activation of the spirit which can occur through the power of prayer. This then leads to the outpouring of action. Thus one can conclude that being trained in righteousness, walking in the spirit, are accomplished by a meditation upon the word, and seeking out that truth that is inside of us versus “getting to work” and really manhandling the change of specific behaviors one at a time.
