Here is Rob Rufus's first session from the Sydney Glory and Grace Conference."God is always in a good mood - He's never going to be angry with you again since the Cross! It's not just Reinhard Bonke who can say; "Africa will be saved". Rob Rufus can say; "China will be saved!".
Go to Romans chapter 4. I wanted to come here and speak on the demonstrations of the Spirit's power - the glory of God and special anointings and how to help us move in the glory of God. I didn't really want to teach on the gift of righteousness and the revelation of grace. So many people are down-loading off our website. We have 30, 000 downloads a month - that's actual messages primarily on the gospel of grace. So I contend that there is a "Grace Revolution" going on in the earth today. People don't realise that they are going to be surprised by what's going on in the earth. There is a grace revolution and it's going on in the earth. There is a grace revolution going on and it's not going to stop.
God will bring down every illegitimate, religious control government and subject it to the kingdom of God and the government of His peace! So there is a revolution - it's not a gentle, quiet reformation - it needs to be lead by people of great boldness who factored in the guarantee of rejection and being misunderstood - despite that we are going to go forward! So I didn't want to preach on this - it draws enough flack as it is. I thought I would be nice! God however spoke to me and said; "Take the first 2 sessions and lay a foundation on the revelation of righteousness as a gift". Even for those who are listening on the website, I felt God say; "You need to lay the foundation again for this conference and this specific time". Upon which He will build awesome demonstrations of His power.
Every revival (and I have studied many) most of them have only lasted 2 to 3 years and they were very intense but everyone that I have studied came to an end because the control of man came back in and laws and rules and regulations came back in. People say; "It is because sin came back in". No it wasn't about sin coming in because if sin had stopped the revival then the revival would never have started because revivals come when there is a lot of sin. Revival is the mercy of God breaking in and mercy prevents us getting what we do deserve and grace gives us what we don't deserve - a revival!
Revivals come to an end because Galatians 5:1 comes to an end or Galatians 5:4 where Paul says; "You have been alientated from Christ - you that have been living and moving in the Spirit - now you want to maintain your standing of righteousness through the keeping of the law". He says; "You have fallen from grace". Today it's taught that if you fall from grace then you have fallen into sin!
But Paul the apostle meant if you have fallen from grace then you were going back under the law and back into self-righteousness rather than living in the gift of God's righteousness.
This is taught all over the world - even in the business and corporate world. "He fell from grace". They mean - he did something wrong and got the disapproval of the company. When a Christian falls into sin - "Ah he fell from grace". Well Paul never called falling into sin - falling from grace. Paul said that you go under law then you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4). You have been alienated from Christ and He is no longer of any value to you. How can you fall from grace by falling into sin? The Bible says that where sin abounds grace does much more abound! How can you falling into more abounding grace make you fall out of grace? I will say it once at the beginning and I hope I never have to say it again;
I am against sin, I don't like sin, I don't want sin in my life. Do you understand?! In our modern Church we have to qualify that because we have received a mixture of law and grace. For so long that people don't recognise the New Testament now when they see it. A mixture of Old Testament and New Testament has been taught for centuries and embraced by the church. So when they hear the message of grace, the message Paul preached, it is so radical that they say; "That is too radical!". I say; "Yes! It's radical! So what's your point?!". Do you know how radical the law is?!
You cannot mix law and grace because they will mutually neutralise each other. You will make Christ of no value if you mix them and you will not see signs and wonders.
Paul says; "Who has bewitched you?". The miracles have dried up, you have gone into the works of the flesh and you have got more sinful in your behaviour. By the way when you get back under law - you get into more sin! It's not the preaching of righteousness as a gift and grace and freedom that brings license to sin but it brings license to live in victory over sin and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is amazing to hear; "Watch out the grace message will bring a lot of sin!". The people are sinning without a license! People sin in law churches and people sin in grace churches. If you are going to sin, it's better to sin in a grace church because you will not be destroyed under condemnation. You will be restored! But if you want to sin in a legalistic church - don't tell anyone because if you are swimming with the sharks, you don't tell anyone you are bleeding!
Grace doesn't inspire people to sin more - it just gives you hope because everyone is struggling with son somewhere here and there. None of us - I haven't met one Christian who doesn't sin. We all pretend they are around. But I haven't met one! Paul the apostle said; "Not that I have attained yet". So this great apostle hadn't got to the place yet when he didn't sin yet altogether. But we pretend that they're on the planet somewhere and we are the horrid ones because we haven't arrived yet! A few pretend that we have arrived and preach like they have arrived. It makes everyone feel so bad. I like Joyce Meyer - she is so open and honest about her failures and her mistakes and her sins. Isn't it refreshing!? So God said; "Preach on the subject" and I argued and said I wanted to preach on the manifestations. He said;
"Son you preach on that later. You do a 2-part series this morning".
I want to tell you this, this is really not about law and grace. Whenever you hear this about law and grace - it is not - it is really about who controls the Church. Does the Holy Spirit control the Church or does man control the Church? Does hierarchy control the church, does programme, does organisation, does talents and the religious pedigrees of man control the Church? Does sophisticated theology control the Church or does the power of the living God rush through the Church in signs and wonders and miracles?
The number one reason why there aren't signs and wonders and miracles in every church is law. Condemnation. It brings the control of man! Condemnation is an effective insulation to the power of God. You lift condemnation off by preaching God's gift of righteousness and there is now therefore NO condemnation. None. Not one little bit. Not some. NO condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus!
When that message of faith in righteousness is preached and the people believe it - THEN the power of God immediately begins to flow in signs and wonders.
A few weeks ago I was up in my roof top in Hong Kong and I was making a BBQ and I had a visitation from God - that's the only way I can describe it. God literally came and like Peter invited him to a BBQ. Only I was having a real BBQ with real red meat! But anyway the Lord came and visited me on my rooftop and spoke audibly to me and said; "Son I want you to stop trying to impress me. You don't need to anymore because there's nothing you can do that will impress me so just relax. Stop trying to impress people as well - don't do that anymore. I want you to allow Me to impress you". Then He spoke for about half an hour to me non-stop and I asked Him a whole lot of questions and He answered them. But He said;
"Please son, tell My people to give up trying to impress Me and please tell them and ask them - will you allow God to impress you? You know son, you know when man went to the moon? And the world was so impressed? I wasn't that impressed!".
I thought; "Lord what's that got to do with what You're showing me?". He said; "I want you to know that I wasn't even slightly impressed. The angels around Me were yawning! I created the moon - it's just a little speck in the galaxy expanding at the speed of light! All man's attempts to be religious and holy and zealous doesn't impress Me at all! All man's self-righteousness is like filthy rags and it stinks like dung!". Paul said that in Philippians 3. "It doesn't impress Me - it's yucky! Man thinks I am rewarding him for all his zeal and holiness - I am not impressed with it at all. I am impressed with the righteousness of Christ that He gave the Church but a whole lot of people not impressed with My Son's righteousness that came as an irreversible, unconditional gift - simply received by faith. So they're not impressed with it! They are saying it's the way you get into the kingdom and it's only access in and then after that you have to do performance to stay righteous".
They do not understand the completeness they have in Christ through the gift of righteousness. They have lowered imputed righteousness down to an entrance into the kingdom and then they feel you've got to add to the human practical righteousness for daily living. He said; "Son there is no such thing as practical righteousness - there's my gift of righteousness and then there's self-righteousness". There isn't imputed, imparted and impacting righteousness. There is just imputed righteousness - my gift of righteousness and My Word in the New Testament speaks nothing of imparted or impacting righteousness. Only the gift of righteousness! That's all!
He said; "My Church is so busy trying to impress Me but I am the Bridegroom!". A Bridegroom - the husband - it is his right to show off His biceps and flex His chest and show how hairy his legs are and show how strong he is. There is something wrong with a beautiful petite bride trying to flex her biceps and show off her hairy legs and show how strong she is! He said; "I am quite disgusted by that - here I am trying to show off My biceps and My muscles and My miracle power and My righteousness and My bride isn't looking! She's so busy trying to show off her biceps and her legs and her righteousness!". He said; "It's rather strange! She's the Bride!". But the bride is saying; "Hold on Lord - You will find me more attractive if I was just a little bit more holy and obedient and then you would find me attractive".
He said; "Tell My Bride that she is so unbearably attractive and I can't wait to kiss her and put My arms around her. She is clothed in the garments of My salvation but she keeps taking them off and putting those ugly clothes on of her own self-righteousness! She's got My breastplate of righteousness on her chest but she wants it to be her self-righteousness efforts and her performance and what she does for Me! She has forgotten it is all about Me and what I do for you! You are the Bride! Will you just sit still long enough so I can impress you?".
There is such fear in man to do this because you see - we men are part of the Bride of Christ. Many of you believe that much of the Church is working so hard to impress God that they're not allowing Him to impress them. If God comes and impresses us with the gift of righteousness that He gave us, then you will never again go into that frantic, striving stuff again. You will enter into a rest that is supernatural.
For 3 and a half years I have been attacked daily by demons in Hong Kong - my wife and I. We've fought to stay alive at times. We've had demons come into our room and speak audibly to our heads and push me into the bed and say they are going to kill us. So I say; "In the Name of Jesus Christ - shut up" and then a big white light flashed across the room - it was the whitest and brightest light I had ever seen with my eyes open. I jumped up and the Presence of God filled the room - I opened the curtains to see if there was an electric storm but it was a clear sky - no storm. The light of God came. There's just been one attack after another with little breakthroughs here and there.
2 weeks ago when God spoke this about not impressing Him I have entered into daily rest - it's not one of those temporary things - I can feel a shift has taken place in my spirit and I really don't feel what people think or say - I am not worried about it. It's just so wonderful to know I don't have to impress man. I don't have to impress God. He wants me to give Him permission to impress me. The God who created the heavens and the earth, who can raise the dead and do anything - He says;
"Please son, give Me an opportunity for Me to impress you".
We have seen increased miracles and are just beginning. How many of you believe that the older brother really knew the Father?
How many of you are so sick and tired about people speaking about kingdom and theology and church and church pattern and principles of the Kingdom and yet you never feel the honey of heaven on their words or that they have just come from the realm of glory and there is deep intimate love because they know Jesus better than they know another human being on the planet?
I am not convinced that many people going to heaven will meet a stranger there because they don't know Him. John Wesley's last words before he died were; "I am ready to go - for 50 years I have known and walked with this one Jesus. He will not be a strange Jesus that I meet on the other side". The older brother was working so hard to impress the Father that he didn't have a clue Who the Father was. His younger brother went out and spent all he had prematurely - the inheritance of the Father and spent it on prostitutes. Now I didn't say that! Jesus said it! He came back with the smell of the pig sty on him and the Father ran to him and put His arms around him, kissed him and put the ring and best robe and sandals on his feet and had a fatted calf celebration party.
And the older brother was MAD! Then he said; "All these years I have been working so hard for you - you didn't even give me a goat!". The Father turned to the older brother and said;
"Everything I have is yours!".
But he was working so hard to impress the Father that he didn't have a clue who his Father was. He was full of self-righteousness - aren't you glad that the prodigal son met the Father first? Not the older brother! Because if he had met the older brother he would never have had the guts to go a step further and meet the Father.
Many prodigals are trying to come home right now and are coming into contact with the older brother. From the pulpit or in the pew and they are not making it through! There needs to come a grace revolution! This man came from prostitutes! Now I have never been with prostitutes - I have never had sexual intimacy with any woman in my entire life except my wife for 33 years so I am not promoting sin. But Jesus said prostitutes!
The control spirit wants to put obligation on people. I want you to look at Philippians 3. I know some of you discern a little attitude on the inside of me. In our wonderful humanistic corrupted wisdom idea of what unity is - people think unity is not offending anyone and not having attitude but it is amazing to me that Paul the apostle who wrote in Ephesians 4 what unity is - the unity of the Spirit and unity of faith - that Paul rebuked Peter publicly. He said; "Peter you are not acting in line with the gospel and you are leading these Gentile believers back under law". So Paul had a bit of attitude!
But real Christians today don't have attitude - you know you need to have attitude! The truth sets you free! God is going to encounter us today in manifestations of power throughout this week - He will encounter you and me in awesome ways! I said to Fini and Isi that He is going to encounter us so much I am actually frightened.
But if you do not have an encounter of truth - that encounter will not last long. If you have a revelation of the gift of righteousness that God wants to bless you and it's not about your performance but His then the encounters you have will last for the rest of your life. But if you don't understand this revelation of righteousness then the revival will only be 2 or 3 years and then it will wane and people will unwisely, stupidly and foolishly say; "Oh that was the season and now it has ended. The season of revival should never end - it is from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory and of the government of peace there will be no end!". The book of Acts started in glory and it was never meant to end!
It only lasted 300 years and then 1000 years of darkness and what was the reason for that darkness? They took away the revelation of righteousness as a gift and imposed self-righteousness on the church and then the man that had to bring the church out of 1,000 years of darkness had to get a revelation that the just shall live by faith and we are justified in getting righteousness by faith.
Martin Luther - heaven knows what he had to go through and we can criticise his understanding of the Jews and he opened the door for the Jews to be persecuted under the Nazi regime. But he didn't understand some things because you see he had light for that time hundreds of years ago. Can you imagine the spirits of witchcraft and the Jezebel spirits that came at him? We are talking about a time of inquisition when you could be burnt alive or stretched by the Church! Science and art was stopped by the Church because it contradicted the church's idea that the universe was spinning around the earth.
Galileo and others who got scientific knowledge that the galazy was not spinning around the earth and the Church says; "If you write about that then we will kill you".
So the revelation of the gift of righteousness does not only set the people of God free - it releases creativity, arts, science and was the birthing of human rights and freedom and freedom and eventually democracy into the Western world.
That is what Luther was contending for.
Right now the major attack of the revival is not trying to stop this revival! The devil's major attack is to hide and obscure the fact that you are the righteousness of God through grace and glory alone because if he can hide that, he will let the revival start and run for 3 to 4 years and then bring laws, rules and regulations and condemnation on it and already man is trying to stop this revival using law and rule and quenching the grace message.
They don't know what they are fighting! They are fighting Almighty God and they are about to have a head-on collision like Paul did on the road to Damascus! Paul was going to go and bring back bound Christians and he wanted to put them in prison. He was on his way breathing out threats and slaughters and God slapped him to the ground and knocked the "S" off his name and put a "P" there. He became the greatest champion of grace and wherever he went there were revivals and they always lasted until the circumcision party or the control freaks came in and began to say; "Yes saved by grace - it's so wonderful this Gospel BUT grace + ... look at that sin in your life - look where you are coming from - look where you have fallen short there! Watch out! The Lord won't bless you - you had better do more and give more and say more and be more holy! God can't bless you if you don't!".
No that is Old Covenant teaching. Jesus + anything = NOTHING! Jesus + even good things = NOTHING! Jesus + nothing = the fullness of the Kingdom of God because it is in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3). Notice the attitude of Paul. I haven't called anyone a "dog" yet. A lot of people have called me that affectionately!
(Phil 3:1); "a safeguard for you". Why is Paul saying that what I am saying is a "safeguard"? What does the Church need to be safeguarded from? The sin and wickedness in the Church? Well the Church does need to watch out for that but Paul isn't going to write about that stuff but it is actually "evil men" that we need to be safeguarded from. He defines who "evil men" are. They are actually nice people. They are very sincere - some of them - but he still calls them "evil".
They will be moral and upright men with great religious pedigree but he will say they are evil becuase they are trying to impress men with their self-righteousness and then trying to impress God and put on the Church a performance pressure that will stop the glory of the New Covenant manifesting.
You can go and live under Old Covenant glory if you live perfectly for a while then you will see the glory - if you don't you will see fire, brimstone and death and it will kill you for the law was designed to kill you. It is a fading glory.
If you live in the gift of righteousness however you are living in an unfading glory because it is not to do with your righteousness and everything to do with His righteousness.
You are listening so well and I feel such an open heaven here. You may be thinking; "Let's just do the stuff and do the wiggle!". That doesn't have to wait till I am finished - that can happen while I am speaking! Let this truth be the foundation for everything God manifests this week. I am asking you to get attitude - I am not asking you to be rude or unkind or divisive or rebellious - I am asking you to be like Paul the apostle. Just have some standing on this! He goes on to describe what the Church needs to be safeguarded from.
(Philippians 3:2) - He is going to describe what those "evil men" are. "Those mutilators of the flesh". So he is saying circumcision. It may not mean the same to us today but then if you got circumcised it was Jesus + the keeping of the law and human performance.
We have people today who say; "No I don't live under law" but they do because anything that pressurises you to perform to earn the favour or blessing IS law and IS Old Covenant.
"Watch out for those dogs - those men who do evil - those mutilators of the flesh for it is we who are the circumcision (he is talking about a circumcised heart) - we who worship by the Spirit and who glory in Christ Jesus and who put no confidence in the flesh although I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to have confidence in the flesh - I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel - the tribe of Benjamin - a Hebrew of Hebrews and in regards to the law a Pharisee. As for zeal - persecuting the Church and as for legalistic righteousness - faultless".
Say that with me. "As for legalistic righteousness - faultless". You could not fault Paul. He had a righteousness that was externally looking like he was keeping the law perfectly. He says it himself! But he says it is very evil and the Church must be safe guarded from people with external legalistic righteousness and morally correct. He says it is dangerous and we should not be impressed with it! The second half of Romans 7 says that while Paul appeared to be legalistically perfect and righteous - inside he was filled with confusion and condemnation and guilt and controlled by the principle of sin.
He was thinking "Look at this legalistic righteousness - I am sure you can't see the ugly things happening in my heart! But externally I am convincing everyone else how holy I am. Can You check this out God?". And God says; "Yes I can and it smells like poo". Paul is about to tell you that is true. Legalistic righteousness smells like poo to God! When I got these revelations a few years ago I just decided to let it all hang out and think "God You can see everything so there's no condemnation with my failures, mistakes, flaws and sins". The more open and transparent you are the more hope there is for you to grow in holiness. Look what he says here.
(v6); "But whatever was to my profit I now consider it loss for the sake of Christ - what is more I now consider everything loss ... for knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for who's sake I consider them rubbish". The Greek word there is "excrecio" or poo! Lord I haven't had a lustful thought - I haven't kicked the cat this week - I haven't done anything wrong - I have been God - Lord I deserve a move of God!". He says; "What you deserve is a big bunch of poo dumped on your head - that stinks! That is Old Covenant and there is a fading glory on that and you have been bewitched!".
Bewitching religious demons of Jezebel have deceived you and you are in rebellion against heaven if you think you can earn the blessing of heaven by your faultless righteousness!
"What is the point of My Son dying on the Cross if you are not impressed by that?! Shall I tell you what I think about your righteousness?! Poo!". You go to some places where there is a zeal to try and get God to move and you think; "He's not moving and there's no signs and wonders and then you think what is that I smell?!". Let me move on. "I've lost all things ... to be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own". This is a man who was killing people for having a righteousness of their own! "That comes from the law but that which is through faith in Christ". The righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings and becoming like Him in His death".
You will never know Christ through your own righteousness but through the gift of righteousness but through the gift of righteousness you will know Him and you will also know the supernatural power of the resurrection. In this righteousness you will share in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. You will be conformed to Him like unto His death. To be conformed unto His death is described in Romans 6 and it means you have died completely to the penalty of sin.
(Romans 6:4) "Died to sin". Well I haven't met a Christian yet who has died to sin - it's not a verb but a noun. In (Romans 6:9-10), it says; "Just as Christ died once to sin so likewise you have died once to sin". Christ died to the whole penalty of sin.
You can be conformed to the death of Jesus Christ - when you came into Christ, you were given a righteousness from God and from that moment there was no penalty for sin ever hanging over your head again!
What is "sharing in the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ"? He came to His own and His own received Him not. They called Him from the devil - of Beelzebub. They called Him all kinds of things. They said that Paul was anti the law. Paul was not anti the law!
Paul was for the law - for the purpose of what the law was for. He knew the law was to lead you to Christ and strip you of arrogance and pride and self-righteousness. The law was to curse you and to crush you and condemn you so you would be led to Christ. Once you came to Christ, Galatians 3 says you are no longer a prisoner of the law - you have been released from the law. Romans 7 says you have died to the law that you may belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:4) says that Christ is the end of the law to them that believe that a righteousness may come APART from the law. Paul was not against the law! He was against what people were teaching the law was for. It doesn't bring righteousness - it just brings self-righteousness.
People always tell me - please don't apologise for going on. But I am sensitive! I freak out in long-winded meetings! As you are receiving this word - this grace - this revelation - what I have seen is that people sat in church for many years like me and did not understand grace. I preached on grace for many years and really thought I understood it. I didn't understand it! Because when I finished preaching a series on grace at Coastlands or at Victory Faith Centre then the next few weeks I would balance it with preaching on your performance and what you had better do now.
If you take all the "Have-to's" off God's people then the New Creation nature spontaneously rises up with a whole lot of "Want-to's".
I make it clear to our people that I can no longer preach out of Malachi 3 and tell people if they don't tithe they are under a curse. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law that the blessing of Abraham may come on the Gentiles by faith! When we say; "When you tithe you will open the windows of heaven" - well yes if you are under the law go ahead and do it. But Christ Jesus when He repented on our behalf for our sin - when did He do that?! At the Jordan River. What was John's baptism - a baptism unto repentance for sin. John said; "You should not be baptised by me - You should baptise me!". And Jesus said; "No I want to be baptised to fulfill our righteousness". So who was He repenting for? Not Him - He was perfect!
He was repenting for the sin of the world and when He did that, the heavens were opened and they have never closed since.
Do you know when it closes over people's lives? Not God closing it but the devil closing it over people's lives - witchcraft spirits closing it over people's lives? When people get put under law and are told that your failure to tithe can reverse the Cross and can close the heavens and the law is given more credibility than the blood of our Saviour. It gives the devil an empowered darkness to close the heavens over our lives. People say; "Rob's preaching a message that give people a license to sin". I want to challenge those people - come to our church in Hong Kong and you will find that the majority of our people tithe faithfully.
I have to take the risk that they wouldn't because I told them if you don't tithe - you are NOT under a curse. You are under the blessing of Abraham. "I am?!". Yes - it is a risk to preach this message! You know why!? Because you lose control over the people but you know Who get's control? The wonderful Holy Spirit and then He guides people into all truth and you can see back in Genesis 13 that Abraham tithed! Abraham tithed 430 years before the law ever arrived! Did Abraham's tithing open the windows of heaven? No - the first time he tithed was to Melchizadek and the Bible says he was already very rich and his enemies were being put to flight! He had authority over his enemies and he was called a friend of God and he hadn't tithed once! Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. So he tithed! City Church International tithes! I tithe!
Why? Not to open the windows of heaven but because they are already open through grace. I am a partner with God and I am investing into eternity. Paul says; "Rightly divide the word of truth lest you be ashamed". As I flew to Hong Kong, the audible voice of God came to me and said;
"Son you are starting again - starting with 5 people and no one knows who you are in the city. You are a nobody. You are in the best place you could imagine. Now any pollution you put into the stream will be in that stream for a long time. You are starting a pure fountain here. Son, up until now you have preached a mix of law and grace. David and Saul. Ishmael and Isaac. Spirit and flesh. Faith and human effort. Old Covenant and New Covenant. Law and grace. It doesn't matter what people say because they will say a lot - but I want you to preach just grace - just the New Covenant- just mercy - just faith - just anointing - just spirit - just the finished work of the Cross - just David - just Isaac. It doesn't matter what people do. Just stay faithful to the New Covenant and you will see!".
And we are seeing! God got me on God channel to preach to hundreds of millions of people this grace message last year. He opens the nations because the Bible says that it is not through law that God made Abraham and his offspring heirs of the world but through a righteousness that is apart from the law and that is by faith.
We can talk about global influence but until we get into a revelation of righteousness God won't make us heirs of the world.
I had the privilidge as a little boy from Pinetown, South Africa - to preach to hundreds of millions of people in most countries of the world - the message of grace. I promise you - if you preach this message then the controllers will froth at the mouth but those who are being controlled will absolutely love and worship God and so appreciate you.
Here is an Iraqi pagan man living 430 years before the law. The law only came later not to be added to - not to make us righteous but to increase sin because all were dead in first Adam. People don't go to hell because of their sin essentially. They go to hell because of first Adam's sin just as people don't go to heaven because of their righteousness but because of the righteousness of last Adam. All were dead in first Adam's disobedience.
Seperated from God but men and women didn't know it and that is why the law came to make sin increase. (Romans 5) says that the law was added to increase sinning. You keep law on people and you will increase sin! The law is outside behaviour modification - it gives you legalistic, faultless righteousness through an appearance to people but inside it doesn't change anything.
So Abraham 430 years before the law - an Iraqi, an idol worshipper, a sinner and in disobedience and so was his wife - he is old yet God appears to him!
God manifests! I want to prophesy this because it is already happening throughout China and happening in the Muslim world - God is going to suddenly appear to total pagans and say; "I am El-Shaddi - I am the God of the New Covenant! I am not counting your sins against you!".
There is only one sin that that Jesus Christ couldn't die for and that is the sin of unbelief. It is the only sin that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of. He is not convicting the world of sinning but of one sin - the sin of unbelief because there is only one sin that can send men to hell and that is unbelief in what Jesus Christ did because Jesus Christ could not die for that sin. Abraham was living in a dispensation called the New Covenant before the law. Jesus Christ died on the Cross to confirm the covenant made with Abraham - a covenant of grace and faith. Nothing to do with performance to get the blessing but the blessing coming only through faith! He comes to a sinning, lost, disobedient Iraqui in his 70's and says;
"I am El-Shaddi - the God that is more than enough. I am everything in Me for more than your needs. I am a nursing mother and will nurse and nuture you. I will be robust and powerful for you. I am El-Shaddi and I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great and you will be a blessing to all nations and all those that bless you, I will bless. All those that curse you, I will curse. All nations will be blessed through you!".
AND ABRAHAM DIDN'T ARGUE!
He hadn't been to Church yet and he hadn't been under law and grace preachers! He didn't say; "I am not worthy Lord - I am a pagan and I have sinned and there's still stuff in my life that I have got to deal with - dysfunctions - and God I haven't done one obedient thing for You!". You know what the Bible says?
Abraham believed God. He said; "Lord impress me. I am ready to be impressed!". And the Bible says that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. God did not come to Abraham and offer him righteousness - He offered him BLESSING! Because God found a man who believed that God is desirous to bless us - God said that kind of faith I declare as righteousness!
I weep sometimes for the Body of Christ to see the zeal in God's people and they get a revelation of grace and see His righteousness and then someone talks them out of it and says; "Yes that's true but ...". And balances it! It's gone! They act happy at Church and they act happy and one day they go out and commit adultery. The legalists are always safe because when someone sins under their ministry they can says; "Oh we told them not to sin". But when someone sins under grace ministry they say; "Oh it is the fault of the message". You can't win with a spirit of reasons. Don't debate or dialogue with it. Don't come down - you are involved in a great work. When you won't come and dialogue then the enemy will change to the next tactic which is to intimidate you and threaten you with isolationism. No man can isolate you because God has included you. No man can take away your inheritance because God gave it to you!
