The Basic Christian Operating System

Christians need to live their lives based on a deep knowledge of God’s character including His righteousness, along with their real spiritual identity as His children. The concept of righteousness is central to all of this and a full understanding of it is absolutely necessary to see clearly and operate correctly. Those who do not fully understand righteousness fall into all kinds of traps that hurt and sabotage them (believe me, I have learned this the hard way).

What is Righteousness Consciousness?

Living everyday life while being focused on God’s goodness and His good work in you and through you.

Whose Righteousness?

When Jesus asked the rich young ruler, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone," He was challenging the man’s superficial understanding of both goodness and Christ's identity. The ruler addressed Jesus merely as a "Good Teacher," a title of respect for a human rabbi, rather than acknowledging Him as Lord and God. By redirecting the standard of "good" to God alone, Jesus was forcing the man to realize that if he truly believed Jesus was "good" in the ultimate sense, he must also recognize His divinity; otherwise, he was using the word "good" as a hollow social nicety that ignored the absolute holiness of the Creator

This interaction serves as a stark reminder that true righteousness does not originate within ourselves but is a gift from God. Scripture underscores this in Isaiah 64:6, which describes all human "righteous acts" as "filthy rags" or "polluted garments" when measured against God’s perfect standard. This vivid imagery highlights that even our best moral efforts are defiled by sinful motives and self-reliance, making it impossible to earn salvation through merit. Ultimately, the passage points to our desperate need for the imputed righteousness of Christ, as human goodness is insufficient to bridge the gap between a fallen world and a holy God.

Imputed righteousness means that a believer is declared righteous by God, not because of their own deeds, but because the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ is legally credited to their account.

Do We Have ANY Righteousness of Our Own?

The short answer is no. According to the Bible, every good thing we see, feel, or do is actually a reflection of God’s goodness, not our own. To understand why we don't have our own "goodness credits," we can look at a few different areas of life.

1. The Source of Physical Goodness

Think about the world around you. Jesus pointed out that God "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). This means that every physical blessing—the warmth of the sun, the food we eat, and even our very breath—is a gift from Him. Since God created everything and handed it over to us to manage, we cannot claim credit for the "good" things we possess. If something is beautiful or healthy, it came from Him. If something is broken, painful, or "bad," it is because we live in a fallen world where sin has damaged God's original, perfect design.

2. The Source of Our Laws and Thoughts

You might think that humans are "good" because we follow laws that protect society. However, even our sense of right and wrong comes from a higher source. The laws that keep our neighborhoods safe and aim to shape how we treat one another are based on God’s moral law (like the Ten Commandments and the “golden rule” that Jesus taught). Even the "good thoughts" we have are influenced by the conscience God put inside us. Without His moral map, we wouldn't even know what righteousness looks like.

3. The Source of Love and Relationships

Even the love we feel for our families, our marriages, and our children is a gift. The Bible says, "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Love isn't something humans invented; it is a capacity given to us by God. Furthermore, we can’t even take credit for choosing to follow God. The Bible teaches that we are "called" by Him, meaning we are so lost in our own ways that we actually cannot come to Him without His direct help and invitation.

4. The "Filthy Rags" Reality

When we try to stand on our own "good deeds," the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 64:5-7 that they look like "filthy rags" compared to God’s perfect holiness. It’s like a child trying to pay for a mansion using play money—it just doesn't have any real value.

The End of Pride:

If everything good we have—our physical life, our ability to love, and our moral standards—is actually a "loan" from God, then there is no room for human pride.

Realizing how good God is, how truly you have no goodness on your own, and how all the good things you have come from Him, keeps you from having pride in your own actions and from striving in your own strength to impress God and others. This helps to avoid the traps of pride and legalism/perfectionism. Realizing how good God is, how truly you have no goodness on your own, and how all the good things you have come from Him, keeps you from having pride in your own actions and from striving in your own strength to impress God and others. This helps to avoid the traps of pride and legalism/perfectionism.

1 Corinthians 1:28–31 explicitly explains why God structured salvation this way:

He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'

Why Boasting is Impossible:

The "Inheritance" Factor: You cannot boast about an inheritance you didn't earn. If righteousness is "imputed" (credited to your account) rather than "imparted" (earned by your work), then bragging about being "good" is like bragging about winning the lottery—you didn't create the wealth; you simply received it.

The "Mirror" Factor:

A mirror cannot boast about how bright it is. If the sun stops shining, the mirror goes dark. In the presence of God (the Source), it becomes obvious that our "light" was just a reflection of His.

The "Gift" of the Will:

Even the desire to do "right" (like eating healthy or being kind) is described in Philippians 2:13 as God working in you "to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." If even our willingness to be good is a gift, there is nothing left for us to take credit for.

The Shift from Pride to Gratitude:

This is why the "Law of Gratitude" is so important in a spiritual context. When you realize you have nothing to boast about, your internal state shifts from Pride (looking at what you've done) to Gratitude (looking at what has been given to you).

In the presence of God, the only thing a human can truly "own" is their need for Him. Everything else is a display of His grace, and that is the essence of the necessity of having the Fear of the Lord (that teaching is in the middle of the New to Christianity page).

Summary:

Whether it is the physical world, our mental ability to love, the joy of marriage, or the laws that protect us, it all traces back to God. We are like mirrors: a mirror has no light of its own, but it can reflect the sun. Any "righteousness" people see in us is just a reflection of God's light shining on us.

The 2 Ditches along the road of righteousness are Legalism/Perfectionism and Condemnation/Rejection

Legalism/perfectionism is when a person tries to earn God’s favor through their actions, incorrectly thinking that we earn His affection and gifts by striving to be perfect. When we fall short and screw up, we then fall into the trap of condemnation and we can live in that trap indefinitely, never feeling good enough for God. The truth is we aren’t good enough for Him because ONLY HE IS GOOD. All we can do is aim to be like Him WITH HIS HELP.

We have to realize that we never can and never will make every single decision perfectly, so we should not hold ourselves up to a standard that we can never reach. Doing that makes us live in constant condemnation. BUT again, we can aim to become more and more like our perfect Father and learn from our mistakes.

We must realize that His affection and gifts come from His grace as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. So his grace (favor) is a free gift and therefore it cannot be earned. MANY in the church have been fooled into operating this way without realizing it because this is the way the world typically operates. For example most people have conditional love – “if you act the way I expect you to then I will show you affection and reward your actions with my love”. But again, God’s love is unconditional.

On the other hand, our actions do have consequences, and they can lead to good or bad results. Sin always destroys us and others, so that does grieve God BUT it doesn’t change the fact that He has unconditional love for us and that He loves us just as much as He loved Jesus when He walked on the earth as a man.

At the same time, doing good things always glorifies God because we are using the talents and resources we have been given by Him to bless others and bring His kingdom here, which is what He has told us to do in His word, the Bible.

How to Avoid Legalism and Condemnation/Rejection?

1. Aim to see everything good in your life as a gift from Him

2. Aim to better understand Him and what He is like and connect with Him regularly, knowing Jesus has paid for us to be able to have a relationship with God which is what He really wants! He wants to be treated like our perfect Father!

3. Aim to be a good steward of what He has given you

4. Aim not to sin, but when you do realize God does not love you any less for it, He just wants you to learn, fix it if you can, keep walking with Him, and move on.

   So aim to be quick to ask forgiveness and repent right away, then go on about your life. If you stumble again, keep getting up and keep thanking Him for never leaving you and continuing to be patient and helping you with everything that you invite Him into and ask Him to help you with.

Again as stated above, realizing how good God is, how truly you have no goodness on your own, and how all the good things you have come from Him, keeps you from having pride in your own actions and from striving in your own strength to impress God and others.

Is There a Limit to God's Goodness and generosity?

NO! God has BILLIONS of Good Thoughts Towards Us!

Psalm 139:13-18 NLT

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;

they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

you are still with me!

Did you know that? All of God’s thoughts for us outnumber the grains of sand on the earth! There are about 1 billion grains of sand in 1 cubic foot of sand!

This reminds me of a dream I had a few years ago. All I remember was the very end of the dream and all I could see was a bright light with rays coming right at me, like looking into a headlight. And I could feel these rays, they were so incredible, it was like each one was a good thought that God was thinking about me. But I could feel the goodness of those thoughts. It was very strange to be able to feel a thought like that. It was overwhelmingly good, like He wanted EVERY good thing for me. Then I woke up and it felt like my heart was going to burst with His love and goodness. If people only knew that is how God thinks about us all…

Further Understanding the Infinite Depth of God’s Goodness

His Goodness is Evidenced in the Fruits (traits) of the Holy Spirit:

(see Galatians 5:22–23)

• love — an active choosing of goodwill, affection, and benevolence toward others;

• joy — a deep inner gladness and delight not based on circumstances;

• peace — a state of harmony, wholeness, rest, and freedom from inner turmoil;

• patience — long‑suffering, endurance, the ability to remain steadfast under provocation;

• kindness — moral goodness expressed as gentleness, generosity, and helpfulness;

• goodness — uprightness of heart, virtue, and active moral excellence;

• faithfulness — reliability, trustworthiness, loyalty;

• gentleness — meekness, controlled strength, humility;

• self‑control — mastery over desires, impulses, and passions.

The Bible says that GOD IS LOVE and in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 that:

• Love chooses to endure patiently for a long time, holding back anger even when provoked, refusing to retaliate or become irritated.

• Love continually acts with active, benevolent kindness—doing what is genuinely good, helpful, and gracious toward others.

• Love does not burn with jealousy or resent the good that comes to someone else.

• Love does not behave in a boastful, showy, or self‑promoting way; it does not parade itself or draw attention to its own importance.

• Love is not inflated with pride or self‑importance, nor does it behave in ways that are rude, improper, or unfitting.

• Love does not insist on its own advantage, its own rights, or its own way.

• Love is not easily stirred to irritation, sharpness, or exasperation.

• Love does not keep a mental ledger of wrongs, injuries, or offenses.

• Love does not delight in anything morally twisted, harmful, or unjust, but rejoices deeply in what is true, upright, and aligned with reality.

• Love bears up under all things—covering, supporting, and protecting.

• Love believes all things—choosing trust, giving the benefit of the doubt, and remaining confident in God’s work.

• Love hopes all things—remaining expectant, forward‑looking, and anchored in God’s promises.

• Love endures all things—remaining steadfast under pressure, hardship, and trial without quitting.

This passage in 1 Corinthians describes love as a deliberate posture of the will, not a fleeting emotion. It is patient in the sense of refusing to retaliate even when wronged. It is kind in the sense of doing good, not merely feeling kindly. It rejects jealousy because love celebrates the good of others rather than competing with them.

The passage also exposes the subtle ways pride and self‑focus damage relationships. Love does not demand its own way or insist on being right. It does not keep score. It does not store up past offenses as ammunition. Instead, it releases the right to collect debts and chooses forgiveness.

The final four statements above show love’s endurance. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures—not because circumstances are easy, but because love is anchored in God’s character. This mirrors other scriptures that call believers to steadfastness and forgiveness (Colossians 3:12–14; Romans 12:9–10; 1 Peter 4:8).

How to Stay on the Road of Righteousness Consciousness

Without Falling Into the Trap of Habitual Unrepentant Sin

(refuting "once saved always saved")

Realize that habitual unrepentant sin can lead to a loss of one's salvation (or a better way to look at it is that it is proof that one probably was never saved to begin with). Here's 5 examples from the Bible (there are many more) to prove it:

1) Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-24, "On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock."

Who else could this be referring to but people who whether they realize it or not believe in Jesus but do nothing to live for him and instead live only for their selfish desires?

2) God did not spare isreal, His chosen people, because they refused to believe in Jesus. They thought they knew God and rejected Jesus, and so He rejects Israelites who do not believe and follow Him. So if God was willing to do that with his original chosen people, why would He not do the same with those who say they believe in Jesus as God, but do not follow Him?

3) Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). You can say you believe in a parachute, but if you don't do something with it and put it on it will not save you. James said your works have to be the proof of your belief.

4) Jesus said narrow and difficult is the road leading to life, and wide is the road leading to destruction. Dying to self and living for Jesus is a difficult thing. Jesus said you must lose your life (die to self) to find it (in Him). Many who believe in once saved are always saved are walking down the wide road leading to destruction.

5) Many struggle with this question: if I am not baptized am I not saved? The thief on the cross was not baptized but he repented of his sin, called on the name of the Lord Jesus and was saved. He was spiritually baptized by his repentance because essentially baptism means to recognize your sinful life which is anathema to God, repent and ask Jesus for forgiveness, and then the rising part means living for Him in a resurrection life. So spiritual baptism is all that is really necessary and that requires repentance and obedience to some degree.

Lastly, we must realize that the Bible says God disciplines (corrects) those who he loves, and that makes us legitimate children. Rebellious children want to live in willful disobedience because they think it is more fun, but they don't realize that rebellion and lack of discipline actually makes things harder for them.

Again as stated above, realizing how good God is, how truly you have no goodness on your own, and how all the good things you have come from Him, keeps you from having pride in your own actions and from striving in your own strength to impress God and others.

Realize that following Jesus and having a meaningful prayer life centered on Him, while avoiding sin, learning from our mistakes, and using and multiplying what God has given us (good stwardship) are the main goals.

Stewardship in Action:

In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the person who doubled their talents from 2 to 4 heard the same exact words ("well done, good and faithful servant") as the person who doubled them from 5 to 10.

That means it's all about stewardship and what you are doing with what you have been given. It's not about what I am doing compared to anyone else. The church has a major problem with comparing ourselves against each other and this often leads to feelings of either pride in those who outwardly appear to be doing much, or feelings of condemnation and rejection in those who do not feel like they are doing very much (but perhaps they still are, just not in a flashy way).

To put it simply - a housewife who is managing her home in a godly way and doing the best she can to raise those kids godly and take care of her family and her home, could hear the same exact words that someone like Billy Graham heard when he entered heaven - "well done good and faithful servant."

(Not only that - but the Bible also says to those who have been given much, much will be REQUIRED (Luke 12:47-49).

Ultimately, this is what matters most to God:

where are our hearts in relation to loving and serving Him and others, and what are we doing with what we have been given?

Some additional information on unrepentant sin:

Several terms describe different nuances of living in habitual, unrepentant sin:

1. Impenitence – refusing to repent

• Hardness of Heart – becoming so accustomed to sin that your conscience is "seared," making you indifferent to the need for repentance.

2. Antinomianism – using grace as a license to sin

• from the Greek anti (against) and nomos (law)

• believing that because one is saved by grace, they are under no obligation to obey moral laws

3. Presumption – living in habitual sin while presuming upon God’s mercy

• "I can keep doing this because God is obligated to forgive me anyway."

4. Licentiousness (or Lasciviousness) – lack of moral restraint

• Frequently used in older Bible translations (like the KJV) and by theologians like Jude.

• Turning the grace of God into a justification for "lewdness" or "sensuality." It describes someone who has "thrown off the reins" of moral behavior.

5. Carnality – a "Carnal Christian"

• A believer who is living according to the "flesh" (sarx) (their heart’s sinful/natural desires) rather than the Spirit

• While they may have faith, their life is characterized by habitual patterns of the world rather than the fruit of the Spirit.

6. Apostasy – total rejection of the faith

• While not all habitual sin is apostasy, theologians often argue that persistent, unrepentant sin is the "slippery slope" that leads to a falling away from the faith entirely.