◄ Saintly Acts ►

Without Me ye can do nothing.
John 15:5
BUT
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

Believers in Christ are called by many names and known by a variety of titles. They are the “new man in Christ”; “the body of Christ”; “the new creation – His “children.” They are known as “Christians”; “His little flock”; “sons of God” and “the bride of Christ”.

Fine Linen

The bride of Christ is to make herself ready for the return of her heavenly bridegroom. She is to watch for Him, to be ready for His return and to clothe herself in wedding attire. The bride is to ready herself; to dress herself – to cover dress herself in beautiful linen.. and Scripture tells us what this pure, clean linen’ is… “the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints… Revelation19:8

Day of Preparation

Each day of a believer’s, life is a day of preparation for the bridegroom’s return. The bride is to make ready her fine linen, before the arrival of her beloved bridegroom. Each godly acts she undertakes in spirit and truth, adds to her spotless bridal gown.

Virgin Bride

The church is promised to Christ as a pure virgin bride, without spot or wrinkle. She will be presented to Him.. a chaste virgin clothed in the righteous acts of the saints.. for the Church is the redeemed bride of the Lord Jesus Christ – and the Lord Jesus Christ is the bridegroom of His ransomed church. But what are the righteous acts of the bride? What is the righteousness of the saints?

Imputed Righteousness

We have no goodness of our own for all our righteousness comes from Christ. His imputed righteousness is a gift of grace from God to those that believe. Our righteousness results from our justification in Christ and rests on His perfect merit.. and all our righteous acts are prepared in advance for us to do - prepared by God, for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared, in advance, for us to do. Eph.2:10

Righteous Acts

When we abide in Him in spirit and truth, our righteous acts are acceptable to God.. for the spirit works in us, both to will and to do for God’s good pleasure – such are the righteous acts of the new man in Christ. When we do not abide in Him, our own fleshly acts are not acceptable to God, for the flesh works in us, both to will and to do for our own evil satisfaction – such are the unrighteous acts of our old sin nature.

Christ’s Righteousness

We have been imputed with justification and imparted with sanctification. We have been sealed by God’s Holy Spirit in promise, until the marriage of the Lamb. And Christ is that Lamb of God, our heavenly groom and coming Lord – and one day we will be fully clothed in the robe of Christ’s own righteousness. Until then we are to live and work and have our being, rooted and grounded in Christ.

Righteous Acts

To do so produces in us the righteous acts of the saints that God prepared for us. Righteous acts are not performed by us – but through us, as we remain in Christ. Righteous acts don’t have their source in my old sin nature but in the new life in Christ: for in myself I can do no good thing, for all my righteousness is from the Lord… "not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Philippians 3:9