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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
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Depending upon the Holy Spirit for all you do?
Read through the following study by Tenchi for more on this topic
https://christianforums.net/threads/without-the-holy-spirit-we-can-do-nothing.109419/
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How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
Join Sola Scriptura for a discussion on the subject
https://christianforums.net/threads/anointed-preaching-teaching.109331/#post-1912042
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Self-righeousness
- Thread starter Kathi
- Start date
It is common for a Christian to think they are,or can be,righteous in and of themselves.In the New Testament Jesus and the apostle Paul came down hard on those who tried to live in self-righteousness.The Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector Luke 18:9-14 has some good words to say.Jesus spent a lot of time warning His disciples about the danger of self-righteousness.
smaller
Member
Paul was pretty clear about righteousness in relationship to having any of his own:
Philippians 3:9
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
And that the righteousness of Christ is something we are all presently in waiting for:
Galatians 5:5
For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Jethro Bodine
Member
Sadly, what it does say about self righteousness has been made into an excuse by so many to have little to no righteousness.
As Protestants we are trained to hear 'righteousness' in terms of our legal standing before God, and not so much in regard to our obligation for our faith to also make us righteous in what we do.
J
jocor
Guest
Pizza
Member
Another Jethro profundity. :yes
Gee, that last sentence almost SOUNDS like being self-righteous. I must be reading you wrong. "We MAKE ourselves righteous by meeting an obligation to our faith?"
Jethro Bodine
Member
The expected and obligatory outcome of faith in God is to do righteous things:
"...brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live..." (Romans 8:12-13 NIV)
"13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." (Romans 6:13 NIV)
"...concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds." (Titus 3:8 NIV)
"10 ...we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works..." (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)
"...faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6 NIV)
"...I will show you my faith by what I do." (James 2:18 NIV)
We were given the righteousness of God to do righteous things. New creations do new things--the things of God. That is what God expects of us. There's no self righteousness in that since we do those righteous things because we have been given the righteousness of God via the Holy Spirit. We do not do those things in order to attain righteousness--that would be the self righteousness condemned in scripture.
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All our rightiousness are as filthy rags to God. Yes we should do good and love others out of the Love for the truth. But no amount of good deeds or successful avoidance of transgressions equate to any rightiousness on our behalf. The true Rightiousness we have is the imputed rightiousness of Jesus and that is gained though us believing Jesus and trusting in the Atonement He secured for us.. We can be at peace when we know We havebeen gifted all the rightiousness we need to stand perfect before the LORD on the day of Judgement..
J
jocor
Guest
Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1 John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1 John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
The bolded "righteousness" spoken of in these verses is not the imputed righteousness of faith, but the righteousness that results from doing righteous things as a result of such an imputed righteousness.
Malachi
Member
And one may add that this doing of righteous Christian acts is in fact the work of God the Holy Spirit within the believer (Philippians 2:13).
Self-righteousness is the teaching of all false religions (Romanism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc.) in that each person is to make their absolute best effort to be righteous, and thereby gain salvation (of one kind or another).
But God tells the Christian that "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" because (1) they are always tainted and (2) they do not have their origin in God the Holy Spirit. Therefore God firstly imputes the absolute righteousness of Christ to the believer and, secondly, enables the saint by God's own power to do righteously. And faith without works is dead.
Doulos Iesou
Member
This text is very often misused to apply to the works believers do today. I certainly don't think that God views the works he predetermined I should walk in to be filthy rags.
Indeed, the verse just prior to this contradicts the interpretation.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
Isaiah 64:5 (ESV)
You see within the context he is talking about the disobedience of Israel and how they had been away from God and turned to idols. That even their good works are filthy rags due to their hypocrisy.
This is not what Scripture says.
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 1 John 3:7 (ESV)
Those who practice righteousness, are righteous as Christ is righteous. John is saying this to counter the idea that people who continue to live in the same pattern of sin, and have no good works are saved.
Don't be deceived.
It is Christ's Death Burial and Resurrection that are imputed to the believer, in that we are joined in union with him so that his death and his resurrection have caused us to die to sin and be raised to newness of life to serve God in the Holy Spirit.
The righteous requirement of the law is met in US who walk according to the Spirit. Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the Law, which was to be a guardian until the Messiah came, through which the promises were fulfilled. It actually does matter according to Scripture if one bears fruit and is righteous.
We are in good standing with the Lord, because we know that he who began a good work in us will see it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.
Those who bear fruit and are on the road of sanctification should feel confident, those who have no fruit and simply appeal to Jesus' righteousness should fear.
Remember, those who practice righteousness are righteous.
Doulos Iesou
Member
It's not about our own efforts to become righteous. People need to expand their vision beyond the salvation aspect and look to the purposes of God in that he is restoring humanity and has inaugurated his Kingdom and now works through us the Church. He has given us the Holy Spirit who is now transforming us and conforming us into the image of God's Son.
This Scripture illustrates it well.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)
We should work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Why? Because God is the one who should be working in you, both to will (that is choose to do good) and to work (actually doing the good) for his good pleasure (his transformation of his people is for his joy and glory).
Deborah13
Member
:amen Good post.
Well if you are relying on your own rightiousness then so be it jocor. I know ther only way to Eternal life with Jesus is via his forgivness for my sins. Others can believe and make their attempts to earn eternal life with God by their rightiousness. But i sincerly believe they shall fail.
Doulos Iesou
Member
You're actually mistaken. It helps if you take the time to listen to others rather than just generalize and mischaracterize.
My own perspective is much more nuanced than that, I just disagree with the doctrine of Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, it just doesn't fit with Scripture.
Doulos Iesou
Member
Good works are necessary, but it is only through Jesus that we can be saved and by his grace. However, his grace isn't just to forgive, but to empower us to be conformed into his image by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's why all the warnings in Scripture are in regards to looking to one's fruit, what are they sowing, not the genuineness of a particular faith confession.