THEMES ABOUT SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS.
1). INTRODUCTION
The Muslim Anas Anas tries to argue on another thread that by virtue of Genesis 6:9 Noah was righteous and blameless before God and thus Paul is wrong in Romans 3:10 to say “no-one is righteous.”
What all Muslims fail to do is read Scripture in its context, to recognise that Scripture interprets Scripture and that Scripture must harmonise. And in this case they also ignore its cross references:
In the first place Paul is declaring nothing new but is echoing the Psalmist and the writer of Ecclesiastes, and acknowledges that when he says “As it is written” – here are his sources:
“The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. [2] The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. [3] All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalms 14:1‭-‬3 HCSB – see also Psalm 53).
“There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 HCSB).
“What then? Are we any better? Not at all! For we have previously charged that BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES ARE ALL UNDER SIN, [10] AS IT IS WRITTEN: THERE IS NO ONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE. [11] There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. [20] For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law. [21] But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed — attested by the Law and the Prophets [22] — that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. [23] For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [24] They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. [25] God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. [26] God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:9‭-‬12‭, ‬20‭-‬26 HCSB).
In the second place Noah was not without sin. None of God’s prophets were, except the only One who can save us, Jesus Christ.
2). GOD USED WEAK FALLIBLE SINNERS TO DISPLAY HIS POWER & PERFECTION
Consider the following:
Jacob was a cheater 😳 Peter denied his crucifixion and denied knowing Jesus ✌🏻 David covetousness led him to have Uriah killed 🤺 Noah got drunk🍷 Elisha lied 💬 Jonah ran from God 🏃 Saul consulted the witch of Endor 🧙‍ Solomon’s polygamy led him away from God 💑 Balaam was cruel to animals 🐎 Paul was a murderer 🤺 Peter denied Miriam was a gossiper 🗣 Elijah was depressed 😢 Gideon made an ephod and led Israel into idolatry 🧥 Abraham lied 👴🏻 David had an affair with Bathsheba 😍 Moses murdered an Egyptian 🤺 Nathan spoke for Himself not God 💬
So whenever the Bible speaks of people who were righteous we have to dig deeper. As we shall see in the next section, ultimately righteousness always leads to, and can only be accounted for by, the Cross.
3). COULD GOD HAVE FORGIVEN US WITHOUT THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS?
Muslims and other sceptics might argue: “Well, didn’t He forgive the Israelites before the cross?”
Answer: Yes, but only superficially and contingently.
The New Testament consistently teaches that OT forgiveness was not the same as the forgiveness that came through the Cross:
“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:1-4)
Instead of the eradication of sin, the Old Testament forgiveness merely covered over sin:
“[Jesus] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” (Romans 3:25)
Because Israel’s sins were merely “passed over,” Jesus’ atonement had to work retroactively to cleanse the sins of the OT saints:
“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:13-15)
It is only through Christ that our sins are cleansed and purified so that we can confidently enter into the presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-22). Instead, OT forgiveness was only a matter of God passing over sins, not purifying them:
“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Psalm 32:1;)
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?” (Micah 7:18)
The OT saints would only experience a “passing over transgression,” but they were also promised a New Covenant through which God would “remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).
Because their sins hadn’t been eradicated, even the deceased OT saints could not come into the presence of a God whose righteousness had not yet been satisfied by the Cross:
“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40)
Consequently, after Jesus proclaimed that “It is finished” and the veil of the Temple was torn in two, symbolizing the fact that the way into presence of God was now opened, there was a great earthquake to reinforce this lesson:
“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:51-53)
4). HOW WAS JESUS DEATH ABLE TO BE APPLIED RETROSPECTIVELY?
Because the Gospel was preached retrospectively:
“For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly realm, they might live by God in the spiritual realm.” (1 Peter 4:6 HCSB)
Not to be confused with:
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm. In that state He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison.” (1 Peter 3:18‭-‬19 HCSB)
First, (I Peter 3:18-19) to the evil angels in the “bottomless pit” (7 mentions in Book of Revelation). The Greek term here is kerusso, to herald, proclaim, as a town crier. Jesus would have been proclaiming His paying the world’s sin debt.
Second, (I Peter 4:6) Jesus preached to the righteous Old Testament souls who were waiting for access to Heaven. His shed blood freed them from their waiting place.
Greek- euaggelizo, we call it evangelize, to announce good news, glad tidings.
Note from Luke the Isaiah passage that Jesus declared fulfilled:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim FREEDOM TO THE CAPTIVES and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,” (Luke 4:18 HCSB)
Now see the sequence of fulfilment:
“He replied to them, “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.” (Luke 7:22 HCSB)
What isn’t mentioned in Luke 7:22?
No mention of the release of captives. He hadn’t accomplished that yet … because it wasn’t time for the cross at that point.
Other relevant supportive texts:
“I assure you: An hour is coming, and is now here, WHEN THE DEAD WILL HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, AND THOSE WHO HEAR WILL LIVE. Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come out — those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:25‭, ‬28‭-‬29 HCSB)
“The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52‭-‬53 HCSB)
“For it says: When He ascended on high, He took prisoners into captivity; He gave gifts to people. But what does “He ascended” mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth? The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” (Ephesians 4:8‭-‬10 HCSB)
Also check out this post for more:
□ GOD WILL BY NO MEANS LEAVE THE GUILTY UNPUNISHED: THE APPARANT CONTRADICTION OF EXODUS 34:7 10 May 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/158327186296959/
Pursuit of self righteousness by good deeds is doomed to fail. God’s standard is perfection and anything less is vanity. Can you attain perfection? Nobody can!
5). WHAT DID JESUS MEAN WHEN HE TOLD US TO BE PERFECT?
Answer: To put it bluntly, perfectionism is a hoax. We cannot be perfect! Yet many well-meaning people continue to strive for this unattainable goal. They want to exceed expectations at work, at home, at church, in sports, in hobbies, in physical appearance—and the list goes on. They have somehow convinced themselves that to be acceptable requires them to measure up to a personal or societal standard of perfection. A perfectionist mindset brings stress and can only lead to discontent and frustration. Perfectionism often involves raising the bar to absurd heights and striving in our own efforts for something that only God can do.
The point of the gospel is that we are unable to save ourselves. We all “fall short”; we all “miss the mark” (Romans 3:23). Sinners need a Savior, and that’s why Jesus came. When we trust in Him, He forgives our shortcomings, imperfections, and iniquities. We can stop striving for an arbitrary, worldly “perfection” and rest in the Perfect One (Matthew 11:28).
Martha, who was “worried and upset about many things,” probably struggled with perfectionism as she served the Lord (Luke 10:40-41). As she prepared the dinner and set the table, she wanted everything to be just right. The problem was that she was setting a higher standard for herself than Jesus was setting for her. “Only one thing is needed,” Jesus told her. Then He pointed her to Mary’s example of peace and rest (Luke 10:42).
It is true that the Bible calls us to be “perfect as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The Greek word for “perfect” here is telios. It means “brought to its end, completed, or perfect.” So, to be “perfect” in this sense is not how perfectionists so often imagine it. Rather, it is to be completed in Christ. Philippians 1:6 says that completion is the work of God. He created us, saved us, and is faithful to perfect us.
This is not to say that we have no responsibility to grow in our faith (2 Peter 3:18). We must cooperate with God’s work in us (His perfection of us)—see Philippians 2:12. This is what pursuit of righteousness means. We are called to live godly lives and to submit to God. But the focus of the Bible’s commands is not on others’ perception of us, as is so often the idol of the perfectionist. Instead, the focus is on our heart’s posture toward God.
“Just then someone came up and asked Him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life? ” “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” He said to him. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones? ” he asked Him. Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself. “I have kept all these,” the young man told Him. “What do I still lack? ” “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. THEN COME, FOLLOW ME.” When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved? ” But Jesus looked at them and said, “WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE” (Matthew 19:16‭-‬26 HCSB).
I would go further and say ONLY with God are all things possible, including being made perfect (righteous).
See this Post for more:
□ WHAT JESUS TEACHING ON BEING GOOD AND PERFECT MEANS FOR US (MATTHEW 19:16-26) 22 Aug 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/233884235407920/
6). THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS?
The short answer is: we are righteous because God counts Jesus’ goodness instead of our sins when we have faith in Jesus. We are becoming holy as we obey God more and more in our lives.
▪︎ Being righteous
Being righteous is being acceptable to God. Noah is the first person in the Bible to be called righteous: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Here we see the two aspects of being righteous: doing the right thing (being blameless) and having a relationship with God (walked with God).
In the Old Testament this is often connected to the law of God. In Psalm 1, the description of the righteous says “his delight is in the law of the LORD”. The law is about what you should do. But doing that is a delight, because it is the law of the Lord. So again, doing the right thing and having the right relationship go hand in hand.
In the final analysis, being righteous is dependent on faith. Paul strongly emphasizes this in Romans 3-5, and quotes Genesis 15:6 about Abraham to prove his point: “And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” So as Paul uses the term, being righteous IS NOT BASED ON WHAT WE DO, BUT SOMETHING WE RECEIVE WHEN WE BELIEVE IN GOD’S PROMISES. Through faith in Jesus we receive forgiveness of sins and are acceptable to God.
▪︎ Being holy
Being holy means being set apart for God. It can be used for objects (a holy altar), time (a holy day), or persons (a holy priest). All believers are set apart for God, and are therefore made holy (or sanctified, which has the same meaning). We see this for example in 1 Corinthians 6:11: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
At the same time, there is also a sense in which being made holy is not a one time event, but a continuing process. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely”. As we are living with God, we are growing in faith. More and more we are changed into the likeness of Jesus. More and more we display the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In that way, we are made holy. This process will only be complete when we are with God in heaven.
▪︎ What we are and what we become
So one way to distinguish between being righteous and being holy (perfected) is to say that we are righteous, and are becoming holy. We are righteous through faith in Christ, and we are becoming holy (perfected or sanctified) as we grow in faith in Christ. We have been declared righteous because of something that happened outside us: Christ died for our sins. This is God’s work for us. We are not contributing anything to that. We just receive God’s blessing of righteousness when we believe. We are becoming holy because something is happening in us: we are becoming more and more like Christ. This is the work of God’s Holy Spirit in us. It is still God’s work, but we are fully involved, we are living it out.
7). CONCLUSIONS
We are sinners in need of redemption. Christ alone can achieve that for us. By His atonement, we exchange our sins for His righteousness. From that moment we are like Noah declared righteous before God, because like Noah we are “walking with God” in our daily relationship with the Risen Christ; even though like Noah who got drunk, we are guilty of drunkenness and many other sins of the flesh.
So in summary, righteousness equates to our justification while being perfected is the lifelong process of sanctification, becoming holier by the work of the Holy Spirit acting upon our lives. Being made righteous is the one time event of being clothed in Christ’s righteousness, the moment we yield our lives to Him. Holiness is a work in progress which none fully achieves in our fallen sinful state, its a journey with its destination only reached in the resurrection.
Being made righteous is our deposit and guarantee upon our becoming perfected. Amen.
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