Discussion 12/29/22 

What is it to be holy and righteous?   Part 1

When first coming to faith in Jesus, one of the things i struggled with the most, was my inability to understand how I could be righteous or holy. God is righteous and holy therefore, how could we ever claim to be. I mean I've done so much bad stuff in my past; things that are unholy and unrighteous so, how could I expect to be the opposite. The truth is, I was just ignorant of the scriptures. I don't mean that in any kind of derogatory way, just in the most basic of ways that I was lacking the knowledge of the scriptures. It was no surprise; I wasn't the most diligent disciple when I first began my walk with Christ. I had not read any more, than what I had read along with Sunday preaching, and when you're not hitting many of them that can leave you confused on what you hear. Years later God has blessed me with the ability to continually want to study and for that I praise Him, because in that time of study I came to know my Lord and myself better. In turn that allowed me to begin having signs of growth, understanding, and maturity. That doesn't mean I became perfect but, that I strive to listen to the Spirit that fills me and push to be obedient to my Lord and Father. To be more of a servant and less about personal gain. To be less and allow Him to be more. That is when God can do His most abundant works through us. When we give ourselves over to Him. At that time the atoning blood washes away all our sins and we become a new creature, born of the Spirit. The old is dead and we begin our walk, in holy righteousness. Not because of anything we did but, because of what He did for us. You can't work for it, buy it, or steal it. You can only accept it through your faith in Jesus our risen Lord and King, and by the abundant grace that he has showered over us. It is through that, in which we become holy and righteous.

Holy by biblical definition is being set apart for God. Now this can be anything items, places, days, and yes, even people.

Now being righteous however, means that in which to be made right with God.

So how do we know what things are holy and if we are made right with God? We will look at this in detail as we look to what God tells us in His Holy inspired scripture. Now being that this is a newly set up site and we are sure to have believers new to the faith, I think it is important to know that Jesus and the Holy Spirit, (two of the three persons of the Godhead or Trinity) are not new to the New Testament. Meaning they didn't just show up on the scene when Jesus was born. They have in fact existed from the beginning of time. The three persons in one God. All equal parts of God but, all distinctly different.

[Gen 1:1-2 LSB] 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Right on the first page of the Bible we can see the Holy Spirit there with God the Father in the midst of creation. Now the apostle John would go on to tell us in depth of Jesus's presence,

[John 1:1-5 LSB] 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

The NLT has,

[John 1:1-5 NLT] 1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Knowing just these few verses lets us begin to understand God's master plan a little more and we can begin to see when the things in the Old Testament and we can see when Christ appears in the Old Testament and how all the many prophesies about Him in the OT appear in the NT.

 

That being said the first time we experience either of the ideas of holiness and righteousness are at the end of the creation in Genesis chapter 2.

[Gen 2:1-3 NLT] 1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Here we see God resting on the seventh day when He finished HIs work, and He proclaims this day Holy.

It didn't take long after Adam and Eve being thrown out the Garden of Eden, and Cain slaying Able before the world became filled with wicked people. So, filled that God decided to destroy His creation and begin anew. In Genesis 6:9 we are introduced to Noah, and we are told...

[Gen 6:9 NLT] 9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

God again affirms this with Noah a chapter later...

[Gen 7:1-3, 5 NLT] 1 When everything was ready, the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs--male and female--of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. ... 5 So Noah did everything as the LORD commanded him.

 

Later we are told,

[Gen 15:1-18 NLT] 1 Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." 2 But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir." 4 Then the LORD said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir." 5 Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!" 6 And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. 7 Then the LORD told him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession." 8 But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?" 9 The LORD told him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half. 11 Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away. 12 As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, "You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 15 (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) 16 After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction." 17 After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 18 So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day and said, "I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River--

 

The hard part of having faith is sometimes having to commit to things we find strange that the Lord has commanded us to do in His name. Abraham and many other patriarchs didn't live to see the promises God made to them, but He kept them. As Christians when things get hard (and they do), that is when we trust in Jesus and push through the obstacles that we thought would prevent us from glorifying His name. And that is what we are called to do, serve and love so that the Father may be glorified through these things, for it is through His grace that these good works flow. Moses had trouble with this also, he grew up raised by Pharoah, highly educated. Yet He claimed to be a terrible speaker to the Lord, and God gave him his brother Aaron to speak for him.

[Exo 3:1-15, 17-22 NLT] 1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. 3 "This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it." 4 When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied. 5 "Do not come any closer," the LORD warned. "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the LORD told him, "I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt." 11 But Moses protested to God, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 God answered, "I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain." 13 But Moses protested, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?" 14 God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you." 15 God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations. ... 17 I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live."' 18 "The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our God.' 19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth."

[Exo 4:1-20 NLT] 1 But Moses protested again, "What if they won't believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'The LORD never appeared to you'?" 2 Then the LORD asked him, "What is that in your hand?" "A shepherd's staff," Moses replied. 3 "Throw it down on the ground," the LORD told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. 4 Then the LORD told him, "Reach out and grab its tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd's staff in his hand. 5 "Perform this sign," the LORD told him. "Then they will believe that the LORD, the God of their ancestors--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob--really has appeared to you." 6 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. 7 "Now put your hand back into your cloak," the LORD said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. 8 The LORD said to Moses, "If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. 9 And if they don't believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground." 10 But Moses pleaded with the LORD, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." 11 Then the LORD asked Moses, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say." 13 But Moses again pleaded, "Lord, please! Send anyone else." 14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses. "All right," he said. "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. 15 Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. 16 Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. 17 And take your shepherd's staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you." 18 So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. "Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt," Moses said. "I don't even know if they are still alive." "Go in peace," Jethro replied. 19 Before Moses left Midian, the LORD said to him, "Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died." 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God.

For a chapter and a half of Exodus, Moses struggles with not only his calling from God but, he even struggles with his faith and being able to trust God at the beginning, yet we know God counted Moses as righteous after meeting Him on that holy ground at Mount Saini. Ground set apart for the Lord. Yahweh would go on to instruct Moses in the ways which he should petition Pharaoh to free His people the Israelites chosen through Abraham's descendants. even Pharaoh with his hardened heart could see that God is the one throughout all of this that is righteous and makes righteousness possible for us. 

[Exo 9:27 LSB] 27 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I have sinned this time; Yahweh is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked 

 

God would go on to lead Moses and the Israelites out of the bondage and oppression of their Egyptian captors, though the Red Sea, and into the wilderness to Mount Saini, where He would begin to teach the Law to Moses and how to instruct the Israelites. Sacrifices were also introduced into the Law, as a way to teach Israel in how to remain holy and righteous in the sight of the Lord. In his infinite wisdom we begin to learn holy and righteous truths. Things like,

[Exo 23:6-9 LSB] 6 "You shall not cause the justice [due] to your needy [brother] to be turned aside in his case. 7 "Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not justify the guilty. 8 "And you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just. 9 "And you shall not oppress a sojourner, since you yourselves know the soul of a sojourner, for you [also] were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

 

[Deu 6:1-14, 20-25 LSB] 1 "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded [me] to teach you, that you might do [it] in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 "O Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do [it], that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you, [in] a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 "Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! 5 "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. 9 "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 10 "Then it will be, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and good cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you will eat and be satisfied, 12 then beware, lest you forget Yahweh who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 "Yahweh your God you shall fear; and Him you shall serve; and by His name you shall swear. 14 "You shall not walk after other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, ... 20 "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What [do] the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments [mean] which Yahweh our God commanded you?' 21 then you shall say to your son, 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and Yahweh brought us from Egypt with a strong hand. 22 'Moreover, Yahweh showed great and calamitous signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household; 23 But He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.' 24 "So Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God for our good all [our] days and for our survival, as [it is] today. 25 "And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to do all this commandment before Yahweh our God, just as He commanded us.

 

[Psa 34:19 NLT] 19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

[Psa 94:19-23 NLT] 19 When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. 20 Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side--leaders whose decrees permit injustice? 21 They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide. 23 God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The LORD our God will destroy them.

 

[Psa 112:1-10 NLT] 1 Praise the LORD! How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands. 2 Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. 3 They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever. 4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. 5 Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly. 6 Such people will not be overcome by evil. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. 7 They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them. 8 They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. 9 They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor. 10 The wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

 

[Pro 2:20 NLT] 20 Follow the steps of good men instead and stay on the paths of the righteous.

[Pro 4:18 NLT] 18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

 

All of this is made possible because... [Psa 145:17 NLT] 17 The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. We know that God hates sin and cannot be in the presence of it. That being said He calls us away from it and to Him.

[Pro 15:29 NLT] 29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.

[Pro 13:21 NLT] 21 Trouble chases sinners, while blessings reward the righteous. 

Now this is not to sound like a prosperity verse. We will also suffer tremendously for our faith we are told, but the blessings are so much more than the possessions and lusts for material things or health and wll being. We get to be children of God, granted salvation through Jesus Christ who gave His live for humanity, and we also receive our inheritance of eternal live in the presence of God. So, live for Jesus, love for Jesus, and spread the Word of Christ to anyone willing to listen. Growing in spiritual maturity, love, and wisdom are key to success in our walk with God.

 

[Pro 29:1-27 NLT] 1 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. 2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. 3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted. 4 A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. 5 To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet. 6 Evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy. 7 The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care at all. 8 Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger. 9 If a wise person takes a fool to court, there will be ranting and ridicule but no satisfaction. 10 The bloodthirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them. 11 Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. 12 If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked. 13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common--the LORD gives sight to the eyes of both. 14 If a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever. 15 To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. 16 When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall. 17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad. 18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. 19 Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded. 20 There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. 21 A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel. 22 An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. 23 Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. 24 If you assist a thief, you only hurt yourself. You are sworn to tell the truth, but you dare not testify. 25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice comes from the LORD. 27 The righteous despise the unjust; the wicked despise the godly.

 

[Pro 11:9, 31 NLT] 9 With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. ... 31 If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?

 

[Pro 9:9 NLT] 9 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.

 

So, give love, share wisdom, and most importantly put God first and in all you do. Remember faith and believe go hand and hand with obedience. We won't be perfect, but we try to strive to all we can to please our Father, just as our Lord Jesus did. As Psalm 119, a psalm of King David (a righteous man, but not a perfect man) says....

[Psa 119:7, 106, 137 NLT] 7 As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! ... 106 I've promised it once, and I'll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations. ... 137 O LORD, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair.

 

This will be a multi part discussion due to the depth of understanding God gives us into these two characteristics... Holiness and Righteousness. 

May the Lord's love and grace flood upon you all and may we all be convicted of our sins when we wrong the Lord and allow us to turn to Him and repent to the One who already knows your heart. Bless you all in the name of Jesus!

[Psa 140:13 LSB] 13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will abide in Your presence.