Discussion 4

 

[Eze 33:12-14, 18-20 LSB] 12 "Now as for you, son of man, say to the sons of your people, 'The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.' 13 "When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he [so] trusts in his righteousness that he does iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has done he will die. 14 "But when I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and does justice and righteousness, ... 18 "When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does iniquity, then he shall die in it. 19 "But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20 "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not right.' O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways."

 

God gives Ezekial a message for the Israelites. He warns them of the destruction that comes when one depends on his own righteousness as a way of salvation.  Not one of us is so righteous that they cannot fall into great error and danger if we trust in our own righteousness instead of God and His mercy. To do so, may mean all of one’s righteous works account for nothing before God, and he shall die. The same principle worked in reverse for the wicked. In both instances, when God pronounced “he shall surely live” to the righteous or “you shall surely die” to the unrighteous, neither was an irrevocable or irreversible pronouncement.

 

Son of Man was the title or messianic reference that Jesus most often used to refer to Himself, a reference that the Jewish peoples should have clearly recognized and picked up on but, it is easier to see these things with roughly 2,000 years of hindsight to look back on. This reference goes back to the prophets Ezekial and Daniel. Matthew captured so many firsthand lessons from Jesus during His discipleship ...

[Mat 16:27-28 LSB] 27 "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and WILL THEN REPAY EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. 28 "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

[Mat 17:12, 22 LSB] 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also, the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." ... 22 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.

[Mat 18:11 LSB] 11 ["For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost".]

[Mat 19:28 LSB] 28 And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

[Mat 20:18, 28 LSB] 18 "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, ... 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

Jesus began to teach us by example, loving all He came in contact with and humbly ministering to and serving their needs, just the same as He calls all disciples (followers) of Christ to do. He broke down our misunderstandings about the law of Moses, taught us how to see our hearts the way He sees them, showed deity through fulfilling every prophesy in the Old Testament while never wavering from the will of the Father, and shattering every prediction of how he would come. Not as a soldier king come wielding all His Godly power against the might of Rome but, as a humble servant in the body of a baby, a healer of the sick, one who casts out demons, and makes the unclean, clean again. Not aggressive, not overbearing, but full of love and compassion, and willing to give Himself over fully to doing the will of the Father. The Bible clearly states not one of us as humans are good. Paul goes into much detail to lay out Christ's redemptive purpose for our righteousness and how it is unattainable without Him.

 

Romans 3

God’s Faithfulness

[Rom 3:1-8 NIV] 1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge." 5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8 Why not say--as some slanderously claim that we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!

No One Is Righteous

(Psa 14:1–3; 53:1–4 )

[Rom 3:9-20 NIV] 9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of 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, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 13 "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." 14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Righteousness Through Faith

[Rom 3:21-31 NIV] 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

 

Adam and Christ Contrasted

(Gen 3:1–19 )

[Rom 5:12-21 NLT] 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died--from the time of Adam to the time of Moses--even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. 20 God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Up to this point many people, most notably the priests, scribes, and pharisees lived lives that outwardly looked righteous; and they followed the law of Moses to the letter, but not with their hearts. Rather inside they were lawless, heartless, hypocrites. They had no love for man and no love for God. They cared only for their powerful positions and their elevated status'.

 

[Mat 23:28 LSB] 28 "In this way, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

[Mat 23:35 NLT] 35 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time-from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.

 

[Luk 5:32 NLT] 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent."

 

In Matthew 13, Jesus uses a set of illustrations known as "parables". Parables are spiritual truths told in the form of illustrations of a physical truth that it parallels with. In Matthew 13 we see Heaven being compared to a merchant looking for fine pearls and as a net being tossed out to catch all sorts of fish. This shows us that we are sought for by God, that He see us as treasured, but He will weed out His kingdom everything that causes sin and does evil.

 

[Mat 13:17, 41-43 NIV] 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it... 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. .... 

 

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

[Mat 13:44-46 NIV] 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field". 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

[Mat 13:47-52 NIV] 47 "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 "Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. 52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."

New treasures, as well as old. Gentile, as well as Jew. God's perfect plan for the world. Redemption and salvation through Him that created us, the one and only Father.  So, there's the question, "How do I get right and set myself apart for God?" The first part of Galatians chapter 3 is a good place to look to...

 

The Law and Faith in Christ

(cf. Rom 4:1–25 )

[Gal 3:1-14 NLT] 1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ's death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6 In the same way, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you." 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. 10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law." 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, "It is through obeying the law that a person has life." 13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

 

So, by faith we receive the Holy Spirit, and through spiritual rebirth in Christ (becoming born again) we become a new being.

Put On the New Man

[Eph 4:17-32 LSB] 17 Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their mind, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart. 19 [And] they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way-- 21 if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus-- 22 to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to put on the new man, which in [the likeness of] God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE [of you] WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. 26 BE ANGRY, AND [yet] DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have [something] to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such [a word] as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.

 

Through the Spirit we receive a guide who gives discernment, wisdom, spiritual fruits, and spiritual truths, many of which can be found in the epistles of the Apostles.

[Phl 1:11 NLT] 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

 

[Phl 3:8-9 NLT] 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

 

[2Ti 2:21-22 NLT] 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

 

[2Ti 4:8 NLT] 8 And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

 

[Tit 3:3-7 NLT] 3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But--"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."

 

[Jas 5:16 NLT] 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

 

[1Pe 4:17-19 NLT]

17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God's household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God's Good News? 18 And also, "If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?" 19 So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

 

[1Jo 2:1, 29 NLT]

1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. ... 29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God's children.

 

[1Jo 3:7, 10-16 NLT]

7 Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. ... 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. 11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them. 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

 

Love and grace be upon each of you, fall on each other and give comfort to those in need. Speak life, love, and truth in all you do for those are the characteristics of God. May the name of Jesus the Christ be exhalated above all other names on the tongues of men.

 

[Rev 15:4 NLT]

Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed."