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Righteousness without the Law is Revealed !

Discussion in 'Other Christian Denominations' started by savedbymercy, Jan 30, 2012.

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  1. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    Rom 3:21

    21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

    Righteousness without the Law is revealed, or a Righteousness without Law, for there is no definite article in the greek here to specify any one and particular law, so what does this mean ? The WNT captures the sense very well it reads:

    But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it--

    Now many take this to mean the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses, and it does, but its not exclusive to the Law of Moses. The greek word for Law here is the word nomos and means:

    ) anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command

    a) of any law whatsoever

    1) a law or rule producing a state approved of God[Like Faith Heb 11:2]

    a) by the observance of which is approved of God

    2) a precept or injunction

    3) the rule of action prescribed by reason

    b) of the Mosaic law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents

    c) the Christian religion: the law demanding faith, the moral instruction given by Christ, esp. the precept concerning love

    d) the name of the more important part (the Pentateuch), is put for the entire collection of the sacred books of the OT

    As you can see the word has a wide application. So what is meant here ? " A Righteousness given without our Personal Obedience of any kind, without any conditions, no rule of action, no commands to be kept, no injunction or precept. Whats a precept ? Its defined as:


    a commandment or direction given as a rule of action or conduct.

    2.
    an injunction as to moral conduct; maxim.

    3.
    a procedural directive or rule, as for the performance of some technical operation.

    4.
    Law .

    Now why is this ? Because Christ the God Man Mediator has worked out and earned and established a Righteousness for all whom He Lived and Died, and that Righteousness is Imputed to them. Paul writes Rom 4:6

    Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Or without conditions to be kept !

    This Righteousness is Freely Laid to their Account, Just as Freely as their sins were Laid to His account. This is a very difficult Blessing of Grace for the natural man to receive, however the Gospel reveals to the Heirs of Promise a Righteousness of God freely imputed to them without their personal obedience being a consideration or factor, so it comes to pass by the Sole Obedience of One, many shall be made Righteous Rom 5:19

    19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

    Folks if we are Trusting in a Righteousness that we obtained by some kind of personal obedience on our behalf, then we have not the Faith of God's Elect, and are in danger of perishing in our sins lest God grant us Repentance from our Pride and Self Righteousness !
     
  2. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    Titus 3:5 He saved us not because of anything we did!



    Titus 3:5

    5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

    Those who are Truly saved, its not because of anything we have done, no good behavior, no pleasing of God. Paul says it was not because of works of Righteousness which we have done. Now what are works of Righteousness ? Well the Greek word for works here is ergon and means:


    business, employment, that which any one is occupied

    a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking

    2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind

    3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

    Notice, a work is a act or action, deed, or a thing that is done by us ! Folks if we are honest that covers a lot of territory, and thats God's Point.

    Now lets look at the word Righteousness, it is the greek word dikaiosynē and means:


    in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God

    a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God

    b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting

    2) in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due

    Also:

    righteous, observing divine laws

    a) in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God

    This also covers much territory, Righteousness, means observing Divine Laws, Keeping the Commands of God [Acts 17:30; 1 Jn 3:23] Are not Believing on Christ and or Repentance toward God commands of God ? Are they not righteous acts or deeds performed by the Mind ?

    Now many believe they are saved because they have done these things !

    The word done is the greek word poieō and means:


    to act rightly, do well

    Its the same word DO in Acts 16:30

    30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

    Now if the Jailor was saved by his act of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, then that's a contradiction to Titus 3:5, because then it must have been that he was saved because of something he did, a good right thing, a correct thing, a work of Righteousness !

    The NIV 1984 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

    NASB He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

    Many in apostate religion today believe they are saved because they believed or because they repented, or because they were water baptized, all such people are deceived, and nothing short of a Divine work of Grace can cause them to see and turn from this evil self righteous, Christ Dishonoring way of thinking !
     
  3. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    An Act of man !



    Believing is an act of man, there simply is no denying it ! Now lets define an Act !

    The Dictionary says:

    As Noun

    anything done, being done, or to be done; deed; performance: a heroic act.

    the process of doing

    As verb

    to do something; exert energy or force; be employed or operative:

    to operate or function in a particular way; perform specific duties or functions

    to produce an effect; perform a function

    to behave or conduct oneself in a particular fashion

    Now lets Look at the definition of work of Eph 2:9

    business, employment, that which any one is occupied

    a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking

    2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind

    3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

    Now, an act is a work, that cannot be denied given these definitions. Believing is something man does. Even Paul's answer to the question of the Jailor proves that. He asked Acts 16:30,31

    30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

    Paul replied with an imperative ! vs 31

    Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

    So Now, If anyone teaches or believes that they are saved from their sins because they believed, then they are claiming Salvation by their works, something they acted, they done. Such thinking is opposed to Salvation by Grace through Faith and not of works lest a man has cause to boast..
     
  4. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    The Workmanship of God !



    Eph 2:10

    10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

    The word for workmanship is poiēma and means:


    that which has been made

    2) a work

    a) of the works of God as creator

    Its liken unto the works of God in Creation Rom 1:20

    20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

    We who are True Believers are the Workmanship of God, Made or Created in Christ Jesus [ Different from being created in Adam] unto Good Works. Faith and or Believing in Christ is one of the first of good works the New Creation acts out; Faith is of a Holy Production of a Renewed Mind Eph 4:23,24

    And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;


    24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

    For Believing is a production of the Mind, which is a work according to the definition of a work in Eph 2:9. Its the greek word ergon:

    business, employment, that which any one is occupied

    a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking

    2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind

    3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

    So Believing or Faith is a activity, an act, a deed, a thing done by the renewed Mind of a New Creation, for men to take credit for it makes them their own Creators, which is taking the place of God !
     
  5. Moriah

    Moriah New Member

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    SBM,
    I would like to ask you, do you think that to stop cheating on your wife is a work? Please answer yes or no.
     
  6. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    Jesus calls Believing a Work !

    Faith or believing is an act of man, its our work, Jesus said in Jn 6:28-29

    28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

    29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

    Its also a commandment 1 Jn 3:23

    23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

    So everyone believing that they get saved because they believed on Christ, you believe in Salvation by your works, which is a denial of Salvation by Grace..
     
  7. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    You cannot "proof-text" that passage out of the context that Paul writes it to derive an entirely new doctrine.

    What he writes next refutes your position entirely.
     
  8. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    You are just refusing the Truth of scripture.
     
  9. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    What does it mean to be Justified by Faith ?



    Rom 5:1

    1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

    What does it mean here to be Justified by Faith ? To be certain it does not mean what many false teachers say it means or implies, and that is, that one is Justified before God or made Right before God because of their obedience unto faith that they place in Christ. They are erroneously teaching that mans faith or obedience is the CAUSE of ones Justification before God, and supposedly Rom 5:1 states that. However this is error and not the case because Two verses before Paul makes it clear that the Resurrection of Christ gave evidence of the Justification before God, of all those whose sins Christ was delivered to death in behalf of Rom 4:24-25

    24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

    25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

    Hence the vicarious death of Jesus Christ has fulfilled and completely satisfied all of God's Law and Justice on behalf of all those He died for and was raised again, so then they are Justified before God because of His Death of bearing their sins Rom 3:24 and Isa 53:11 and so Christ's Resurrection from the Dead proves that God's Law and Justice with all of its Righteous requirements were satisfied by His Life and Death, and all for whom He did this for, or in behalf of, are Justified of God BECAUSE OF HIS DEATH, and so they have been accepted of God, which is also Reconciled Rom 5:10. So the Causative Reason for onus's Justification before God, is not their personal faith or obedience, but the merits of Christ death, having satisfied God's Law and Justice on their behalf. So if this be True, we cannot accept Rom 5:1 to be teaching that one is Justified before God because of their exercising faith or belief in Christ, thats taking away from Christ's death's accomplishment and giving it to man ! That is Blasphemy !

    So Faith in Rom 5:1 must be understood in a declarative role, in that it makes known to all those Christ died their Justified state before God, that's why Heb states about Faith Heb 11:1

    1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

    One's Justification before God because of Jesus Christ's vicarious Death for them is a invisible reality, one physically we do not see, but God gives Faith through the New Birth to Spiritually persuade the Mind of it's Reality , hence Rom 5:1 !
     
  10. Moriah

    Moriah New Member

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    SBM,
    Did you ever answer this question?
    I would like to ask you, do you think that to stop cheating on your wife is a work? Please answer yes or no.
     
  11. Moriah

    Moriah New Member

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    Believing is the work God requires. Believing is like drinking water. What kind of work is drinking water!

    1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
     
  12. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    No, I am saying that Scripture is to be "rightly divided" and you have "wrongly divided" it.
     
  13. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    You are refusing the Truth under the pretence its not rightly divided !
     
  14. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    What does Rom 4:5 teach ?



    Rom 4:5

    5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

    Let's look at another scripture that the false teachers like to wrest to their own destruction. This scripture speaks of one's faith being accounted as righteous, but what does that really mean ? Surely Paul is not saying that ones own personal faith is their righteousness or that ones own faith is causative of their righteousness ! You see, Faith is a Grace that receives that Righteousness by which the One's Christ died for are made Righteous; Rom 1:16-17

    16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

    17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

    Paul explains in this passage that by the Gospel a Righteousness of God is revealed or made known to Faith, so if Faith receives the revelation of a Righteousness that is not it's own, but of God, then it cannot be that Righteousness. So Faith in Rom 4:5 must be understood as to its object of Faith as being ones Righteousness, which is Christ 1 Cor 1:30

    30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

    True Believers have been made Righteous or Justified by the Obedience of One, which is Christ, and not by their Faith, Paul teaches that believers had been Justified by His Blood Rom 5:9 and that they had been made Righteous by His Obedience Rom 5:19b, and so not by their own personal believing or Faith, which receives the knowledge of the blessing ! So Faith in Rom 4:5 means Christ Righteousness revealed has been accounted as Righteousness !
     
  15. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    Nope... The "truth" is the whole Scriptures of our Lord, not one passage that you pull out of context for some gain or loss.
     
  16. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    You are still rejecting God's Truth, every passage is Truth.
     
  17. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    Yes... and according to ONE of those passages, "rightly divided."
     
  18. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    Yes, I rightly divided that one passage, and you reject its Truth ! Each word of God, every verse contains a wealth of meaning !
     
  19. savedbymercy

    savedbymercy New Member

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    Rom 5:1

    Justification by Faith is the peaceful knowledge or awareness of our Gracious Justification before God because of Christ's Obedience !
     
  20. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    Faith is nothing apart from the object. We are justified "by faith" because faith receives/embraces the truth of righteouness found in Jesus Christ. The righteousness imputed by faith is the righteousness embraced by faith which is found in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

    Faith is the work of God (Jn. 6:29) simply because no man can come to Christ through faith unless they are drawn by the Father (Jn. 6:44) and being drawn is faith being "given" (Jn. 6:64-65). What is being drawn is coming.
     
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