BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE FOR THE MONTH OF

FEBRUARY (Part 1)

Welcome to the glorious month of February!

For our Bible Study this month, we'll be discussing the subject: RIGHTEOUSNESS. This outline serves
to guide the coordination of your Bible Study class in the 1st week of study. In preparing for the class, it’s
vital that you (Cell Leaders and Bible Study Class Teachers), study this outline prior to the cell meeting
date to acquaint yourself with the subject.

During the meeting, all Scriptures provided in the outline are to be read out. It’s important that the class
participants look into their Bibles while the Scriptures are read for perfect assimilation; to this end, kindly
inform them prior to the class, to come along with their Bibles. You may also assign some of the
participants to read some of the Scriptures during the study. As a strategic and proactive Bible Study
Class Teacher, ensure you make provision for first timers that will be in attendance, who may not have
their Bibles with them, or you may direct them to download the Rhapsody of Realities Study Bible app
from the Loveworld App Store at www.lwappstore.com.

Finally, don’t rush through the subject as you teach; remember that our intention is to have every member
of the class understand the subject matter and what the Bible teaches on it. At different points of the class,
request feedback from the participants to ensure they're following, and understand all that's being
communicated to them. Please note that all Scripture references are in the King James
Version (KJV), unless otherwise stated.

INTRODUCTION

This week, we'll be studying one of the most important subjects in all of Christianity: ‘Righteousness’.

What is righteousness?

- It is the nature of God; His ability and attribute to be right.

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- It is the rightness of God; the character of God to be right and perfect always.

- It is that nature of God that defines His character and ways of doing things. It is the expression of the
will and nature of the Father. It is about how God thinks and what He does.

- It is God’s perfection, accuracy and distinction in Glory.

Righteousness is a very important topic in Christianity and until you have a good understanding of it,
you cannot live a true Christian life.

Everything God says is truth. Whatever He says becomes. If God told you that you were something and
you didn’t think you were that thing, once He says it, you'll turn into it. When He said light be, it
became. Why is that? This is because God creates with His Word and everything He says is right.

HOW GOD RELATES WITH MAN

• A man cannot know righteousness unless he knows God. That is why in the world,
righteousness is not a subject. Rather, they talk about doing right or wrong, and all of that is
based on man’s moral standards, which changes based on one’s location and what the society
says is right or wrong. E.g Some countries have a gay president, which means in that country it’s
right to marry a man if you are a man, while in other societies it is outrightly wrong and may
lead to a jail term. So, right and wrong in the world is being defined and redefined by individuals
and societies for themselves; but that’s not the way it is with God. God has His choices, opinions
and ways of doing things and that is His righteousness, and He revealed this to man through
Jesus Christ. That is what the Gospel is about: God’s message sent through Jesus to human
beings; God revealing His mind to human beings through Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:3- For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God.

Hebrews1:1-3 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets,2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom
he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;3 Who being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things
by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high:

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 • After Adam disobeyed God in the garden and was cut out of God’s presence, every man that
came into this world was born a sinner. This has nothing to do with what the man did or did not
do.

Romans 5:12- Wherefore, as by one-man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

So, everyone born into this world is born with an inherited sin nature. God’s response was to send a
man, who looked like every other man, but was without sin. Jesus was not born with the original sin
from Adam because His life did not come from a man. He only received His body from Mary His
mother, but His life came from God. When God spoke to Mary, she received the Word and became
pregnant with Jesus. So, Jesus was human because His natural body was human. But the life in Him
was from God. He heads up the new creation, another type of men. These have a human body like
everybody else, but the life in them is from the Word of God! This is who you are, now that you are born
again!

John 1:12-13-But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

HOW RIGHTEOUSNESS CAME TO MAN

How is it possible for a man who is a sinner to approach a Holy and righteous God who is always right,
and to stand in His presence? The righteousness of God is absolutely unattainable by man or any
creature. So, in God’s benevolence, He attributes, bestows, credits or imputes a kind of righteousness
which is called Right-standing. Right-standing is the ability to stand before God and be accepted.
This is credited to the man that believes. No man qualifies to come until he is given a credit. This is
what Abraham got. Apostle Paul explains it in the Scriptures below:

Romans 4:1-8

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1What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath
found?

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness.

6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works,

7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin

Key points to note from the verses of Scripture above:

1. God credited Abraham with righteousness not because of a ‘work’ he did that qualified him, but
because He believed God. This made him a partner with God for the redemption of mankind.
2. Abraham believed God who justifies the ungodly. The man Abraham must have said to himself:
‘I know I don’t qualify. I have done all the wrong things, but I trust God to save me, so I accept
whatever God tells me. This faith expressed towards God was counted for righteousness.
3. King David, in the spirit, spoke prophetic words and declared the blessedness of the man that
God credits with righteousness, without works.
4. Righteousness is imputed; sin is also imputed. God does not call a man a sinner because of what
he did, He looks at his nature.

Romans 4:5-6
…..Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

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This blessedness can only come when a man is in Christ. That is why Jesus said in John 3:3 ‘….
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.’

RIGHTEOUSNESS AS A GIFT

Rom 5:17- For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which
receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.

Righteousness is a gift given by God to the ungodly. The scriptures below explain this:

Romans 5:6-9

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some
would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.

Note that it doesn’t say Christ died for the Christian. No, the Bible says He died for the ungodly. The
gift of righteousness is the gift handed out to the ungodly that believes. Abraham was
given the gift of righteousness but the one that is born again was born righteous! Same
way that when you were born by your mother you were not given the gift of life to be able to live; you
were born alive!

Romans 5:17-21

17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ.)

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18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even
so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound:

21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Verse 17 talks generically about the legal part of righteousness, it is not referring to the new creation.

Verse 18 explains that the sin of Adam brought condemnation to all men and the righteousness of Jesus
brought the free gift to all men, not Christians. It’s a free gift for all men.

Verse 21 explains God’s plan for Grace to reign. It is not about man’s change; but about God’s response
to man’s sin. God is saying no matter how great man’s sin is, my grace is greater! So, righteousness is
God’s gift to change men’s lives. With righteousness you are awakened to the fatherhood of God and
you don’t feel inferior to God. Firstly, it was legal, but when you are born again, you operate in vital
righteousness. Meaning you are actually righteous with the righteousness of God.

CONCLUSION

In the next class, we will discuss further on the legal and vital aspects of righteousness and other types
of righteousness that the Bible teaches. Make sure you do not miss the class, and ensure you invite
someone.

In our discussion on righteousness today, we were able to identify the following:

1. Righteousness is the nature and attribute of God that defines His way of doing things
2. A man that is not born again has a fallen nature and cannot attain the righteousness of God

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 3. God imputes a type of righteousness called right-standing to the man that believes, and this
qualifies him to stand in God’s presence without feeling inferior to God
4. Righteousness is a gift, not for the Christian but for the sinner.
5. There is a legal and vital side to righteousness.

CLASS ACTIVITY

• Ask 3 or 4 members to re-iterate the definition of righteousness, as taught in this class.

ASSIGNMENT IN PREPARATION FOR NEXT CLASS

• Every member is to listen to the message: Righteousness (Parts 1 and 2), before the next class; it
is available on the Pastor Chris Digital Library.
• Every member is to study Romans Chapters 3 to 6 ahead of the next class

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