Established in His Righteousness—Therefore, Unashamed and Unafraid

Barbwire Chief Editor Dave Jolly issued a stunning indictment against the Body of Christ in the United States.

In America’s Christians – Ashamed and Afraid, Jolly writes:

The state of the Christian church in America today is nothing like it was when I was young and the change is not a good one.

When I was young, many Christians boldly stood up for Jesus Christ and their faith in Him. They weren’t embarrassed to pray over the meal when eating in a restaurant or in front of other people. They weren’t afraid to stand up against the social recognition of sins and perverse lifestyles.

Sadly, over the past 50 years, millions of American Christians began to compromise with the decaying secular world. Rather than continue to stand up for their faith, they didn’t want offended anyone and they wanted to be inclusive.

Christians are ashamed to call themselves Christians, or to declare that Christ Jesus is their Savior. They are afraid to be slammed, shamed, defamed, and defeated in the public square.

Granted, these are welcome criticisms to point out.

I am interested in finding out why this is happening. One can suggest that many of this class of Christian really are not Christians. They are professors, not possessors of faith. If that is the case, then they need to hear the Good News in its fullest.

But I submit to you that there are indeed many in this “Ashamed and Afraid” class that do believe in Jesus, in that they know that Jesus died on the Cross for all their sins and rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures.

So, what’s the problem, then? How does this get remedied?

The Gift of Righteousness

I can attest that I believed on Christ Jesus when I was 13 years old – June 11, 1994. Yes, indeed, I can point to a day and a time when I said “I believe in Jesus,. I believed that He died for my sins.)

It wasn’t until at least 20 years later that I understood the fullness of what it means to “be saved.”

Salvation is about righteousness, it’s about being established in Jesus’ own righteousness. Indeed, there can be no eternal life until we understand that all our sins are eternally forgiven—sins past, present, and future.

The Apostle Peter preached to Cornelius and his household:

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him … To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:34, 43)

Remission, the sending away of all sins—that is Gospel.

And there’s more! Paul the Apostle clearly articulated the Gospel message thus.

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38-39)

Forgiveness of sins, justification from all things – there you have it. And how? Through Jesus!

“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11)

Now what does righteousness have to do with dismissing shame and fear?

After Isaiah 53, the prophecy of our suffering Messiah, we find the glorious Blessings outlined in Isaiah 54, in seventeen stirring, remarkable verses!

Here are a few:

“4Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.” (Isaiah 54:4)

Why “fear not”? The prophet declares:

“In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.” (Isaiah 54:14)

Whose righteousness, though? Our own? Not at all!

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17)

It’s HIS Righteousness, God’s own righteousness that secures every blessing.

Does this sound farfetched? Even heretical?

Rear your Bible:

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Because of Jesus, we are not just righteous, we are made the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are invited, exhorted to receive—and keep receiving—this gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace, of unmerited favor from Him (Romans 5:17). God our Father looks at us, and He sees His own Son, because we are in Him!

“Herein is our love made perfect [lit. love perfected among us], that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)

When we are established in His righteousness, we have nothing to fear, since His covenant of protection watches over us (Hebrews 8:10-12). And let’s face it, people are fearful because they feel condemned, they are wary of any wrongdoing attached to them, whether rightly or not.

Consider Isaiah 54:4 once again:

“Fear not”

Why fear not?

1.       thou shalt not be ashamed:

2.       neither be thou confounded;

3.       thou shalt not be put to shame:

4.       thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth;

5.       [thou] shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.”

All the shame, all the reproach is taken away from us forever, because of Jesus! We need to preach fully that all our sins are forgiven, that any and all shame is removed forever from us.

Even when we sin, fall, fail, screw up—His righteousness is never taken away from us. It’s an eternal gift which we receive and keep receiving.

Why are Christians ashamed? Why are they afraid? They don’t know their righteous standing before God in Christ. We have been made the righteousness of God in Him—but many Christians just don’t know it—yet. Let’s change that! Once we know the grand and glorious gifts, the standing, the grace we have in Christ, we can then say with Paul:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

When we are established in His righteousness, Christians will no longer live in fear and shame, the way that our loving Father intended us to live!

Christmas 2018: So Much to Reflect on and Celebrate

Christmas, 2017 was a dark time for me.

I had no stable job, no stable income. Relying on donations to fund my independent journalism and activism had hit a dry spell, to say it mildly.

On top of that, I had no car. I was facing criminal charges for sitting in a city council meeting. On top of that, I was suing the same city which had had me arrested without justification.

Then add to all of this, I had no idea what my future was supposed to be, and where was I supposed to be going. There was such a sense of loss, of darkness, of oblivion.

"Where are you, God? What is going on?" I was asking myself.

Thankfully, I had the time and my father was more than happy to bring me up to Oregon for Christmas that year.

"Just take it easy, Arthur. This is your time to rest," he told me.

And rest I did.

It seemed that I slept a great deal during this time. Depression, a sense of deep loss had overtaken me.

Then one of my friends in California called me to wish a Merry Christmas. That really brightened me up, helping me to focus outside of the immediate hardships in which I had found myself. The rest of my time in Oregon, I got back into writing and researching, preparing for the new year, a heavy election year coming our way in the United States.

Starting in January 2018, within days of my return home, people began donating money. I found other ways to get funding little by little, and I resorted to looking for other work in the meantime. I was ready to go back to the grocery store, to go back to tutoring, whatever it took.

I had been laid off in 2017 from the marketing firm, and after going through all of my savings without being able to find work, I resorted to what I had paid into unemployment insurance. I receive no shame for doing so, since I had paid in and was drawing out what was prepared for me.

July, 2018 was the tipping point. I was at my end point. I needed a clear line of employment that would help me get through life and its demands. I was still looking for a car, and it just seemed pretty dark and hopeless.

I have written about this before, and I share it again: the first week of July, I got so angry at God, and I shouted: "What good is being righteousness if I can't pay the rent?!"

I felt so bad, so distraught. When I was working at the marketing firm, starting in December 2015 (right around Christmas time, in fact!), I had finally arrived in so many ways. I was doing a job that was perfect for me. Reading, researching, writing, and coordinating political events for my employer, I was in my element.  I thought I had "arrived" at that point. I would never have to worry about money again. I would never have to borrow money off my credit card. I would never have to file for unemployment ever again. Things were not bad, and that they would never end up as dire straits.

When I was laid off in March, 2017, I was not sure what would happen next. Working as a freelance writer and activist worked for me just fine. Of course, from getting arrested in June 2017 to the end of the year in Christmas, my fortunes struggled considerably. Yes, I had traveled to Washington DC due to generous contributions from supporters around the country--and the world! Indeed, I was able to accomplish so much in spite of the lack of a stable job.

Then my Buick Century died off in October 2017, just as I was getting geared up for the California Republican Party Convention in Anaheim, just as I was witnessing the downfall of traitor RINOs in leadership who had sold out the state party and every taxpayer.

In spite of piecemeal victories, there I was stuck without my own vehicle. I had to rent cars for periods of time, whether driving to events or going to court, or taking care of other needs and concerns. I had no stable income. Happily, in spite of all those setbacks, from October 2017 to July 2018, other people were ready to rush in and assist me. Thank you, Jesus, for such grateful, gracious friends!

Yet back to July 2018, nearly a year later, I was yelling at God: "What good is your righteousness if I cannot pay the rent?!"

Within a day of reflecting what I had said, I recalled all those times in my life beforehand, when I had plenty of money, when I was able to pay the rent and take care of other needs. At the same time, I remember the unspeakable guilt, fear, and shame which had overcome me. A sense of dread, of condemnation was inescapable for me in those days.

I then realized directly what Jesus had been talking about during His earthly ministry:

"26 For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

Then I repented--changed my mind, my attitude--and I realized that no matter what may happen to me, I need to prize the gift of righteousness which I have today because of Christ Jesus. Instead of looking at what I don't have, I meditated and praised God that I would never be punished again for my sins: past, present, and future:

"For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." (Isaiah 54:9)

And also:

"1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2)

Sunday at Calvary Chapel South Bay, I received such a profound peace from this revelation. "I am righteous! I have been made the righteounsess of God in Christ Jesus! I don't care what happens to me tomorrow, because I am righteousness. I will never be slammed, punished, rebuked, destroyed for my sins, whether yesterday, today, or any other time ever!"

The next day ...

1. MassResistance hired me to serve as their Organization Director
2. A friend of mine offered me a car

Both problems were rolled up just like that!

Thank you Jesus!

Not only that, but I was able to pay back my father for his help which he had offered me earlier this year. My fortunes reversed so quickly from the first week of July to the present day. It's just a full-on testimony to the Grace of God!

Since July, I have visited the following places for work:

1. Sacramento, Dixon area
2. New York City (CNN Panel Interview)
3. Austin, Texas
4. Phoenix, Arizona (I also went to Pheonix in March earlier this year)
5. New Mexico
6. Central Coast, South Bay (San Francisco)
7. Oregon

And more journeys are coming, too!

I just received a new passport. Finally, I took care of that goal.

As the Organization Director for MassResistance, I have worked with an incredible number of activists all over the country--all over the world!--to fight the pro-family fight. So many people have contacted me that I have found my subject matter, my conservative element: fighting for life and family and against the LGBT Hate Machine.

This fight needs to be fought, and the patriots I have worked with in California have joined me forcefully to fight against this bigotry. In four months, we have had an incredible number of victories, and in the bluest states in the country, too.

Yes, I was convicted of two counts of ... not following a police officer's order? Two police officers? I didn't even receive an order from one of them. A kangaroo guided by a lazy judge who was more interested in just getting the trial over with rather than permitting evidence to be introduce that would exonerate me. Add to that the fact that my attorney needed twenty more minutes to look over videos that he had introduced. Then there were the lies stated by the Deputy DA, and add to that the fact that it seemed to me that the jury was more interested in getting out of a trial early.

Where does it stop? I am so grateful to have the support for people all over the country on my behalf.

The next week, I received a rigorous training in righteousness, His righteousness, just as I had meditated on in early July. So many people expressed a lot of fear about the probation imposed on me. I found that very frustrating. They don't seem to know who my Father is--or they don't believe on Him. I had to rebuke so many people about their casting their cares on me.

Then I returned to Isaiah 54 once again for more grace and strength:

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54:14)

How do we break free of fear, of oppression, especially from the state? We get ESTABLISHED in His righteousness. We don't just think about it, we don't just assent to it--we get fully fixed in it, and recognize that no matter what happens outside of us, whether it's our fault or not.

Righteousness is a gift (Romans 5:17), and we are established in HIS righteousness (Isaiah 54:17). No weapon will prosper against us, and those weapons include unjust verdicts as well as the shame and calumny of an evil horde attempting to shame or degrade us. One pastor refreshed everyone's member about Isaiah 54:17:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:17)

Many believers tend to skip past the "no weapon part". There is a promise that comes with God's gift of righteousness to us: "Every tongue that rises in judgment against thee thou shalt condemn".

It's more than "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." We will denounce publicly, condemn those who shame us." Yes! We will have the last word, we will be able to "punch back twice as hard" as Ben Shapiro had remarked to Piers Morgan in 2012.

That has happened many times in my life! In fact, two days before flying up to Oregon, two enemies tried to come together against me, and they were both put to shame publicly!!

And now here I am enjoying Christmas with many friends and family here in Oregon. It's cold, but I am neither depressed nor tired. There is so much winning that has taken place this year, even with the hardships and difficulties, even with the hurts and near-misses, even with the attacks, smears, and outright hatred of others.

This has been a wonderful year, and this has been the best--BEST--Christmas yet.

Stay tuned for more!