"It is because of him [the Father] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30 NIV

The battle for righteousness is a battle to correct the proper operation of the human spirit, mind/soul, and body. Of course, this includes correcting our relationship to God. Real righteousness is by grace through faith.

Romans 14:23 tells us simply that anything that is not of faith is sin. Faith comes from God. (James 1:17) Faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17) It is possible to read the Bible and not hear the word of God. (2 Corinthians 3:14)

When you are born again, your spirit is joined to the Spirit of the Almighty Creator God and enjoys a high level of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. We were designed to be connected in this way, worshiping in Spirit and in Truth. The Holy Spirit was meant to rule over the human spirit.

The word that is translated as soul is also translated as mind, heart, and life. At death, the soul/mind and spirit leave the body. The mind is the soul but not the brain. The brain is a physical entity. The brain works with chemical processes that obey chemical laws that can be examined by science.  There is no science to examine the material attributes for such things as conscience, intelligence, will, intent, rational capacity, reason, and self-control.  This current battle is largely for the mind, the soul. The enemy fights by using many clever lies. Christ fights by using the truth, which is reality.

The human spirit was meant to rule over the human mind and the human mind was meant to rule over the human body. This rulership was distorted and turned upside-down at the fall of man. Now, this disorder is being set right. We were created to be whelmed with the Holy Spirit--infused and totally engulfed with power from on high.

The human mind does not function correctly without the Holy Spirit. It is in a stupor without this anointing. Even intelligent and well-spoken people are stupid if they don't have the anointing on them. Just because a person may be persuasive does not mean that person is not speaking from a position of being in a deep deception and a stupor of the natural mind. Persons who can speak persuasively and convincingly without the anointing are dangerous to others and to themselves. The human mind alone will always come up with the wrong answer. On the other hand, when you have the anointing upon you, your mind is sharp. When the day comes that we have no impedances to the flow of the Holy Spirit in our minds, our minds will be free and totally renewed.

Jesus and John the Baptist both taught repentance. The Greek word for repentance, met-an-o-eh'-o, means to have a new mind or to change your mind. You can be transfigured by the renewing of your mind. (Rom 12:1-2) This happens through allowing God to prepare the garden of your heart and by sowing good seed into your hearts. Note that the renewing of your mind is something that God does. You can disallow it, of course.

Righteousness is closely tied to seeing things as they really are. It is closely tied to listening to God's voice rather than other voices.

Righteousness is closely tied to truth. Sin is closely tied to believing lies. Reality is truth.

That which is unreal is a lie. Lies bind us. Truth sets us free.

The difference between Reality and the Unreal is the difference between imagination that comes from our own minds and that revelation that comes from God. If we don't see reality, we live in a lie. The natural mind is deceptive enough to make us think that we have a revelation when we only have the natural mind misleading us.

The three areas we need to see in real reality are the Body of Christ, those who are not saved, and the creation.

• If we do not discern the reality of the Body of Christ, we will only know our brother and sister after the flesh.
• If we do not see ourselves as a member of the Body of Christ without any purpose or fulfillment outside of the Body of Christ, then we will only see our own flesh and walk in the way of the flesh.
• If we do not see the unsaved with the same compassion as Jesus sees them, then any interaction we have with them will be hollow and hypocritical.
• If we do not see the reality of the creation, we will wander into various kinds of covetousness, and we will respond to suffering and the challenges of life in a fleshly way.

Human attempts at righteousness, obedience, or following God's ways are futile unless the obedience is the result of Christ in us and us in Christ. Whatever is not of faith is sin. We need to rest from our own works. (Heb 4:10) God does the work. Our own works are useless. (1Cor 3:11-15, Isaiah 64:6)