Featured 2 Peter

You are adding words to the Scriptures when you stated, "there is none righteous means there is none who are righteous at all times."

NOT a single time does the Scriptures even hint at such a meaning. "There is none righteous" means at no time in the life of a human is there anything or anytime they are of their self righteous.

ALL righteousness comes from God. Romans 9:

30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;​

Gentiles DID NOT pursue righteousness, so their human faith has NOTHING to do with being "credited" by God. For they do not pursue (have no faith to pursue, care not in the pursuit).

Paul goes on to express that righteousness is gifted from God in Romans 10:

3For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.​

JEWS who were given the very oracles of God did attempt to "pursue" but using human faith "seeking to establish their own righteousness." They failed, for true righteousness is gifted by God.

You place your view upon the failed human expression of faith. That in some manner human hope can conjure up enough effort to get God's attention in which He then will examine to see if it meets some unknown level in which He then will credit that person with righteousness.

Such thinking is in violation of where faith comes. For "faith COMES by hearing..." it is not something conjured up as a human attribute. Faith comes by hearing "the word of God." It does not come by any other means. It is not naturally available, and not naturally expressed.

Yet, you persist in presenting some human ability as the catalyst to get God to respond.

The Scriptures present the human ability is not the catalyst to get God's response in either salvation nor in purpose, but the human ability is ALWAYS that which follows God's selection and God's actions. Without fail, there is not a single redeemed of the ancients that were not reluctant and that were not busy doing other life tasks.

Yet, in spite of life examples of the ancients, in spite of numerous threads and posts, you obstinately persist in presenting some human capability of getting God's righteousness to be credited.

God doesn't "will His grace to be given to those He credits His righteousness!"

His unmerited favor is His FIRST expression of those He has ALREADY chosen for His purpose.

God's grace is commonly distributed to all, those evil and those good. Such is not impartial and such is not earned.

Yet, there is NOT a single one righteous, not one.

Therefore, God, without regard other than for His purpose, selects those for the fulfillment of His cause, and proclaims them as His. Therefore, they are righteous. Not by the expression of human values and faith, but according to His mercy, and according to His purpose. His faith implanted in them, His righteousness covering (crediting) the human unrighteousness.

 

One of the problems with the word "credit" as used in Romans 4 is that in the modern terms it is as if something is charged against an account and then there is a determination of that "owed."

"The old account was settled long ago..." presents a picture of account books of heaven that records debts unpaid, that cannot be paid, and no ability by humankind to pay the debt is available. There is certain Scriptures that can be used to support this thinking as an accountant might consider.

Yet, there is more to this word, "credit," and it is more often neglected.

The Scriptures present not only the accounting, but the careful consideration and thoughtfulness, the reasoning and drawing conclusions as a part of this word, "credit."

When God credits, it is not upon whim, or as some response to outside influence. It is that which He has carefully considered, thoughtfully reasoned and drew certain conclusions concerning the account.

Not long ago, I sat with a banker. A friend who is skilled in examining accounting and looking to find areas in which errors of entry were made. He did not look at the bottom line, but examined the entries, the processes, even remarking as to how at times the entries were frenzied and others far more relaxed. He would reflect upon how the events that shaped the entries effected the appearance of the entry.

The final judgment shows this same presentation.

The books are opened, and every man judged according to the deeds done in life. The relaxed times and the frenzy are all accounted. Every person is judged by the accounts in these volumes of entries in the books.

But there is another book. A single book. A book in which names were recorded. There is no place given where names were added or taken out. Even though Scriptures record some asking for such, no record exists in which such action took place. The Scriptures state that He is faithful, even when humankind are not.

A remarkable event occurs.

It matters not when, where, or how one lived. It mattered not what they considered important and what that person believed was correct.

All accounts were examined, and only those in the single book stood without error.

All are already condemned, yet those in the single book were credited as righteous, without error.

Therefore, one may reflect on how carefully planned, how directly purposed and how marvelously glorious God presents the accounts, the debits and credits, and that which He has done far above, abundantly above, in order to present one as having all account balances paid in full.

 

You claim others used deflection, and you did that very well in this post.

You deflected from the focused meaning of 2 Peter by inappropriately diverting attention to spellings, definitions, names, and claiming something is ambiguous when it wasn't.

I congratulate you on demonstrating how to post deflection.

Just so that you and the casual readers may not be taken by deflections, but appropriate reflection, here are three sources of the opening of the passage of 2 Peter, followed by a short step-list beginning with "received (obtained)."

2 Peter 1:

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: (ESV)

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: (NASB)

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (KJV)​

It matters not what good translation is used, they all state the same focus.

The focus is on the faith. The faith was:

1) Received (obtained). The faith was not accrued by human effort, nor was such faith innate in human capacity, nor was the faith an ability of the nature of the human.
2) Same kind (like precious) - of equal value, of equal standing, of the same quality, that of particular value.
3) By - the source of
4) righteousness of (our) God - excluded any lesser source
5) And - connecting word showing additional information
6) Savior (Saviour) - specific action done for those incapable in themself of achieving.
7) Jesus Christ - the name of the Savior and the office held.
​

It is impossible for the reader to draw any other conclusions than those seven points concerning "the faith" of which the Apostles and believers have.

There is NO "ambiguous phrase," nor was it necessary to write about definitions, names, spellings or whatever for what could be taken as a personal agenda against those that you disagree.

Please try not to display so blatantly what you accuse others of doing.