The Mangling of Ephesians 2:8-9

[glorydaz]

The writer in Heb 6:4-7 makes the statement. Allow me to correct you in exactly what I must be saying: "OSAS is refuted by Hebrew 6 AND Eph 2:8-9 is mangled by the OSAS hermenuetic at every point in this discussion!" That is ALL I said in my post other than the quote from Hebrews. If the text scares you - you are not alone, brother. I did make the point about God's mercy and God's severity.

Why should it scare me? "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Paul says, "therefore" referring back to all he has spoken of in the first 5 chapters. He's telling the Jews that they need to put aside all those things pertaining to the law and go on to Grace. Put aside those ideas of repentance from dead works...the yearly sacrifices, the blind faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms (as opposed to the one baptism of the Holy Spirit), etc., if God will permit. Paul sees they are having a hard time letting go of their idea of grace plus the law, instead of grace alone. This is clearer in Heb. 10.

Those once purged of sin have no more conscience of sin...they are dead to sin, it has no more dominion over them...their sins have been removed. As Jesus is our high priest, he made one sacrifice for all sin one time.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

The continuing sacrifices year after year were fine when it was a lamb. But a continuous repentance for sins that are now covered by the Lamb of God would be crucifying our Lord again and again. It would put the Lord to open shame were He to lose any the Father had given Him. That's why Paul uses the words "impossible" and "if".

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Blessings come on those who are the Lords...cursings on those who aren't.

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Those who are kept by God are walking in the Spirit have the witness in themselves. They are safe so long as they continue in faith. Those who are walking in the flesh are in enemy territory, gd. Their problems are guanranteed to increase over time. From this group some will recover, other will be lost. Many are called but few are chosen.

But believers have been called and chosen. Those who are kept by God are those who LIVE...have LIFE through the Spirit. All flesh walks in the flesh at times...even the spiritual man. The Lord keeps all the Father has given Him...by His power, His faith, and by His Lordship in the believers life. Yes, those following after the flesh are walking in enemy territory, and they will be out of fellowship with the Lord. But He will never leave nor forsake us. He will faithfully chasten them until they return to His fold. They will not be lost...He loses none.

I would suggest you look at the difference between "walking after the flesh" and living after the flesh. When we're born of God, our life is IN CHRIST. Those who LIVE after the flesh shall die, and those who LIVE after the Spirit will not. Because we're in Christ, we're no longer in the world. Our citizenship is in heaven. The law of sin and death no longer holds us in bondage. We aren't under the same laws we were under before we were saved. Christ condemned sin in the flesh for believers. It has no more hold over us. Even when we forget that, Christ does not. Our LIFE is still in Him.

Do you have appropriate passages for those who are walking in the flesh?

You seem to specialise at applying scriptures applicable to those who are walking in the Spirit to those who are walking in the flesh. Maybe the way forward would be to for us to talk about either those walking in the flesh (where we disagree) OR those who are walking in the Spirit (where we are likely to agree).

The natural man lives after the flesh...He does not have the Spirit and cannot know the things of God.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

[glorydaz]

Indeed, but if our relationship with God is based upon credits and debits, and I am credited an infinite amount, no matter what I do on the debit side will NOT change the end result. Sanctification is really not something to bother with. Why avoid sin? It all magically bounced off my teflon coated soul...

There is no need to reconsider, since there is no infinite debits. The Grand Accountant in the heavens is "forced" to take me up to Him in heaven???

It is blasphemous, honestly...


....why bother becoming mature, when our relationship with God is all about credits and debits??? Once Christ covers our credit side, we can do WHATEVER we want!!!

Our relationship with God is not based upon credits and debits. God sees into our heart...he knows whether our repentance is genuine. Our sins are forgiven. We are sinners when God picks us up. He gives us the Holy Spirit in order to transform us into the image of Christ. Don't you believe God is able to give us a heart of flesh that thirsts after righteousness? He says He will do that. If we don't love God, we aren't His. If we don't hear His voice, we aren't His. If we don't feel sorry when we sin, we aren't His.

Why avoid sin? Love of God, for one, and because it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. As any believer can attest, God is faithful to chasten us, unrelentingly, until we obey His voice. We aren't talking about some sit-in-the-armchair father here, we're talking about God who will engineer our circumstances until we come begging for mercy. We become mature through trials and adversity...we grow because God has ordained it to be so.

 

[glorydaz]

Again, why does God go through this, IF we are legally covered and God does not look at our lifestyles, etc., anymore? Our credits are infinitely positive. What is ironic is that those of the "alien righteousness" crowd do not ACTUALLY believe that God has the ability or power to CHANGE us. I believe He does change us, transform us - and we, from the bottom of our hearts, begin to repent, just as all the other righteous men in Scriptures.

Now it's "alien righteousness"? What? You can't give the glory to Jesus Christ?
You are able to walk boldly into the Holy of Holies based on your own righteousness, Joe? Really?

Not for GD or Dave. They consider themselves still filthy rags. NOTHING they do is seen of any value. God has done nothing to change GD and Dave, except pretend they are something they aren't...

This is what we call "legal fiction". GD and dave are declared righteous, but in reality, they are not. Frankly, it is a foolish thought.

I am sorry if I sound harsh, but I have been arguing this for weeks and I am tiring of obstinate persons who refuse to address key questions and go back and repeat stuff already refuted. It is not valuable conversation, it is just advertisements for people who don't know any better about the reality of the
foolishness and anti-Scriptural ideas...

The natural man does not understand spiritual matters. You make that clearer with every word you speak.

No, we are being perfected - and this is important to God. Thus, there IS NO alien righteousness. God looks at US!!! WE are judged, not Christ's righteousness. Were WE pure of heart? Were we meek and humble??? ThaT is what God will judge us upon. that criteria.

We will be judged on whether we believe in Christ and His work on the cross.

Were we meek and humble? You can say that with a straight face?
If you're still being perfected, Joe, how can you come before God.
He will have NO iniquity before His face.

So why then, the alien righteousness? You, and the rest, are trying to straddle both sides of the fence when it is convenient. It is utterly contradictory, back and forth.

Does God care if I sin - and why, if I am covered with a righteousness that is not mine and hides my sin, completely?

This reference to "alien righteousness" is blasphemy against Jesus Christ. You're just lucky that isn't the one unforgivable sin...although it could well be, since you're denying you need the righteousness of Christ to cover up all those sins of yours.

Yes, your sin is hidden completely if you're saved. It's removed, but only if it's replaced by the righteousness of Christ. Otherwise you're just like the heathen....you need to be raised with Christ, too. Can you do that yourself? God cares if you sin....He wants you to be conformed to His image. The first step will be to take away that desire for your own anything. You are not your own...you've been bought with a price. If you aren't willing to deny self with all it's boasting of personal righteousness (and it must have to be yours if it's not Christ's) then you haven't really taken the first step into the rest God gives to those who are His.

 

[jasoncran]

we all have sinned willfully after salvation. that is what i have done, i dated and had sex with a man. knowing full well that is was wrong.

therefore i must not be saved.

Hi jasoncran,

Do you attend a fellowship?

i have been since 96. that was the point. i did repent since and have turned away from being bi.. according to your interpretation of that verse that wasnt possible. i dont want to be bi again at all.

 

[Adullam]

The issue here seems to be the doctrine of immunity from judgment for Christians. I asked a believer recently if he, as a Christian, was responsible for his own sins...he said he was not.

This is the problem. We have lawless Christians running around acting irresponsibly...because they don't believe they are responsible for their own actions. Is Jesus truly responsible for the actions of those who claim Him as their saviour?

Today in Iraq we have countless mercenary contractors who act above the law, dealing out their own brand of justice at will without fear of responsibility for their actions. They are immune from prosecution. This has served to increase hatred for the West among those who become victims of the whims of the over-protected and over-armed. Is this not a sign of the times?

 

[jasoncran]

no, sin has consquences and any christian who can honeslty say that he isnt responsibile for his sin,is lying. he or she aint a child of god.

we sin after salvation,yes. but we strive to cease to sin repeately.

the problem is when we think that we have to be total perfect, we cant change ourselves.

christ's blood covers us, but that doenst mean that is a license to sin. instead it means that we can rest in him and when we do sin we Will want to repent as that hurts our daddy. If we sin willfully and dont feel bad when we do it then we are liars and never came to the knowlwdge of God.

the other way that we add our works isnt the truth either. our works arent for salvation but rather to glorify the lord. the cross is sufficient for the cleansing.
when i was sick and gotter better do i show the symptoms of being sick? no. when we are saved we are healed and need not to act like a sinner.


when those that believe in eternal security say that we are a sinner saved by grace, that is the truth. we have done nothing of merit to get in the kingdom and we are stated that we are unworthy. that being said we dont have to act like we used to. we are merely acknowledging how base we are in comparison to the holiness of God and that we cant to make it without the empowerment of christ.

 

[glorydaz]

The issue here seems to be the doctrine of immunity from judgment for Christians. I asked a believer recently if he, as a Christian, was responsible for his own sins...he said he was not.

This is the problem. We have lawless Christians running around acting irresponsibly...because they don't believe they are responsible for their own actions. Is Jesus truly responsible for the actions of those who claim Him as their saviour?

Today in Iraq we have countless mercenary contractors who act above the law, dealing out their own brand of justice at will without fear of responsibility for their actions. They are immune from prosecution. This has served to increase hatred for the West among those who become victims of the whims of the over-protected and over-armed. Is this not a sign of the times?

We have "professing Christians" doing all kinds of things. The Lord will say, "I NEVER knew you". Never is about as strong as you can get. He is not saying, You once followed me, but you fell away or you didn't obey. It isn't the Law that keeps people in line, it's LOVE.

Believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for what they have done. It will be based on how we have run the race set before us. Our sins have been forgiven...sin is what separates us from God. The wages of SIN is death. It's our sin that Christ took on the cross. When our Lord returns, He brings His rewards with Him. Will we hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant?" I submit, those who have been quickened by the Spirit, and raised into newness of life, have been given a heart to love and follow the voice of our Shepherd.

We desire to please Him in all things...we hate sin and we thirst after righteousness. Wide is the road, but narrow is the gate...you're looking at the roadway and thinking all those have entered into the gate. They haven't. Remember, we will know them by their "fruit". The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...a person can't manifest those atributes in their own strength.

If we don't have a heart to serve the Lord, we aren't His. Plain and simple.

When God gives us a clean heart, He puts His Spirit within us...and causes us to walk in His statutes, and keep His judgments, and do them. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

That doesn't mean that when we fail to obey we revert back to an unsaved condition. Those who are the Lord's actually hunger and thirst after Him....He causes us to. We're like heroin junkies...we NEED to be connected to the source of LIFE. (Sorry about the analogy, but I only use it as an example of the desire we have for the Lord). Jesus is our life and our sustenance. Those who haven't had that work done on their heart have never yet entered in. They are still striving to enter through the narrow gate by all sorts of means. Trying to drum up righteousness from somewhere...not knowing they have to lay down self for the knife to do it's work.

 

[stranger]

Do you attend a fellowship?

jasoncran wrote:

i have been since 96. that was the point. i did repent since and have turned away from being bi.. according to your interpretation of that verse that wasnt possible. i dont want to be bi again at all.

hi jasoncran,

That verse? Are you referring to Heb 6:6? A little clarity please.

 

[jasoncran]

Do you attend a fellowship?

jasoncran wrote:

i have been since 96. that was the point. i did repent since and have turned away from being bi.. according to your interpretation of that verse that wasnt possible. i dont want to be bi again at all.

hi jasoncran,

That verse? Are you referring to Heb 6:6? A little clarity please.

yes, and if you read two verses down he wasnt talking about those that are saved , he was talking about those that go to a church and see and know that theres a god and they refuse to repent.

 

[francisdesales]

You continue to refuse to answer the question. Cconsidering I have asked this for about 10 days, I'll have to presume there is no answer. Sanctification is meaningless to you, SINCE "Christ's perfection covers you". there is no reason to believe, no reason to have faith, no reason to have love or repentance.

Brother, you have no idea how your scheme destroys Christianity as it was conceived.

How difficult is that to understand? I know what it is, but if the "perfection is accounted to us", what more is left to do? ADD to perfection???



Really, it is sad - that you cannot admit this.

I have answered this, Joe.

No, GD, you have not told me WHAT IS THE PURPOSE of sanctification, IF we are covered with a perfect righteousness. Think about it. WHY do we need to be made holy HERE if God only sees Christ's perfection???

No, you have not answered it, not addressed it. You merely tell me it exists, without detailing the "WHY"... The Truth does not need to be ignored, nor is there a contradiction. That is what you are doing. Ignoring the question and not realizing the contradiction as a result.

Until you figure this out, there is no point in addressing the other fallacies you put out... I will stick to one argument at a time for you...

 

[Adullam]

The issue here seems to be the doctrine of immunity from judgment for Christians. I asked a believer recently if he, as a Christian, was responsible for his own sins...he said he was not.

This is the problem. We have lawless Christians running around acting irresponsibly...because they don't believe they are responsible for their own actions. Is Jesus truly responsible for the actions of those who claim Him as their saviour?

Today in Iraq we have countless mercenary contractors who act above the law, dealing out their own brand of justice at will without fear of responsibility for their actions. They are immune from prosecution. This has served to increase hatred for the West among those who become victims of the whims of the over-protected and over-armed. Is this not a sign of the times?

We have "professing Christians" doing all kinds of things. The Lord will say, "I NEVER knew you". Never is about as strong as you can get. He is not saying, You once followed me, but you fell away or you didn't obey. It isn't the Law that keeps people in line, it's LOVE.

Believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for what they have done. It will be based on how we have run the race set before us. Our sins have been forgiven...sin is what separates us from God. The wages of SIN is death. It's our sin that Christ took on the cross. When our Lord returns, He brings His rewards with Him. Will we hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant?" I submit, those who have been quickened by the Spirit, and raised into newness of life, have been given a heart to love and follow the voice of our Shepherd.

We desire to please Him in all things...we hate sin and we thirst after righteousness. Wide is the road, but narrow is the gate...you're looking at the roadway and thinking all those have entered into the gate. They haven't. Remember, we will know them by their "fruit". The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...a person can't manifest those atributes in their own strength.

If we don't have a heart to serve the Lord, we aren't His. Plain and simple.

When God gives us a clean heart, He puts His Spirit within us...and causes us to walk in His statutes, and keep His judgments, and do them. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

That doesn't mean that when we fail to obey we revert back to an unsaved condition. Those who are the Lord's actually hunger and thirst after Him....He causes us to. We're like heroin junkies...we NEED to be connected to the source of LIFE. (Sorry about the analogy, but I only use it as an example of the desire we have for the Lord). Jesus is our life and our sustenance. Those who haven't had that work done on their heart have never yet entered in. They are still striving to enter through the narrow gate by all sorts of means. Trying to drum up righteousness from somewhere...not knowing they have to lay down self for the knife to do it's work.

This is true on the part of Christ. But Christian character is something we are fashioned into through trials and obedience. We have to actually become holy not just possessed by holiness. God makes it easy for us at the beginning....but we can't remain babies forever. We must be purged of every desire that a man can have that is not His. Not all will continue on the narrow way. Not all get through the basic training that is in Christ. Hence, the need to persevere, be honest and trust the Lord.

 

[glorydaz]

You continue to refuse to answer the question. Cconsidering I have asked this for about 10 days, I'll have to presume there is no answer. Sanctification is meaningless to you, SINCE "Christ's perfection covers you". there is no reason to believe, no reason to have faith, no reason to have love or repentance.

Brother, you have no idea how your scheme destroys Christianity as it was conceived.

How difficult is that to understand? I know what it is, but if the "perfection is accounted to us", what more is left to do? ADD to perfection???



Really, it is sad - that you cannot admit this.

I have answered this, Joe.

No, GD, you have not told me WHAT IS THE PURPOSE of sanctification, IF we are covered with a perfect righteousness. Think about it. WHY do we need to be made holy HERE if God only sees Christ's perfection???

No, you have not answered it, not addressed it. You merely tell me it exists, without detailing the "WHY"... The Truth does not need to be ignored, nor is there a contradiction. That is what you are doing. Ignoring the question and not realizing the contradiction as a result.

Until you figure this out, there is no point in addressing the other fallacies you put out... I will stick to one argument at a time for you...

You mean until I can explain it to your satisfaction. LOL

The purpose of sanctification...here you go.
Sanctification is the process of being conformed into the image of Christ.
We can't be expected to run a relay race when we're still riding around in a stroller, now can we?

Why? Because we are not perfect, we are only declared perfect.

In order to gain access to Almighty God, we must hide in Christ. Yep...not ony covered with His righteousness, but hidden from His sight. That should make you jump out of your chair and type a tirade of capital letters. :biglaugh We are dead...and our life is hid with Christ in God. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

We escape the curse of the law by being hidden in the "firstborn" brother. The only way for Jacob not to be cursed, was for his father to mistake him for Esau. Everything from the OT is a picture...you just have to look. God is not old and blind, but He when He looks at us, He sees Jesus.

 

[glorydaz]

This is true on the part of Christ. But Christian character is something we are fashioned into through trials and obedience. We have to actually become holy not just possessed by holiness. God makes it easy for us at the beginning....but we can't remain babies forever. We must be purged of every desire that a man can have that is not His. Not all will continue on the narrow way. Not all get through the basic training that is in Christ. Hence, the need to persevere, be honest and trust the Lord.

Sanctification is a life-long process. Yes, we are fashioned through trials; trained, if you will, to obey the voice of the Lord. It's sad to see a Christian not going on to maturity, but it does happen. Our Father, however, is longsuffering, and He never gives up on His own. Some will have to sicken and even die to keep them from falling too deeply into sin....others are chastened so sorely my heart goes out to them.

There are some who have believed unto salvation, but may be weak and feeble in their walk. Are we the judge? Did we see into their heart when God gave them a heart of flesh? Could God possibly see something in them we don't see? Of course He can. Man looks at the outward things, but God sees the heart.

The gate is straight, and narrow is the way, but those who enter in are kept by the power of God.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Is God able to keep all those He's given to the Son?

It's the will of God that Jesus will lose NONE....who then can lay any charge against the elect?

And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

 

[francisdesales]

The purpose of sanctification...here you go.
Sanctification is the process of being conformed into the image of Christ....

You want it both ways, don't you.

WHY must I be conformed to Christ if I am completely covered?

What don't you get about this??? Why must God conform me WHILE completely covering me? What is the point of erecting a legal fiction IF I am being conformed - and this conforming varies with all men?

It is clearly going to be one or the other. Not both.

Either God, as a loving Father, will look upon our imperfect efforts to seek Him and repent (through the Spirit's promptings within us to do so, so it is not our ALONE seeking) and declare us just, because we ARE just - in His eyes,

OR,

God merely says we are just, while ACTUALLY looking ONLY at Jesus' perfection.

There is no reason to "conform" us if we can sin mightily and then call upon Christ's covering.

We are not "declared perfect". We are declared JUST. There is no reason for God to LIE!!!

Where is your biblical backing for us being declared perfect? Another unbiblical invention...

Your scheme is inconsistent and unbiblical, and thus, no one who respects God's Word could accept it, once they actually think about it and move beyond mindlessly repeating it.

 

[Mysteryman]

The purpose of sanctification...here you go.
Sanctification is the process of being conformed into the image of Christ....

You want it both ways, don't you.

WHY must I be conformed to Christ if I am completely covered?

What don't you get about this??? Why must God conform me WHILE completely covering me? What is the point of erecting a legal fiction IF I am being conformed - and this conforming varies with all men?

It is clearly going to be one or the other. Not both.

Either God, as a loving Father, will look upon our imperfect efforts to seek Him and repent (through the Spirit's promptings within us to do so, so it is not our ALONE seeking) and declare us just, because we ARE just - in His eyes,

OR,

God merely says we are just, while ACTUALLY looking ONLY at Jesus' perfection.

There is no reason to "conform" us if we can sin mightily and then call upon Christ's covering.

We are not "declared perfect". We are declared JUST. There is no reason for God to LIE!!!

Where is your biblical backing for us being declared perfect? Another unbiblical invention...

Your scheme is inconsistent and unbiblical, and thus, no one who respects God's Word could accept it, once they actually think about it and move beyond mindlessly repeating it.

Hi

What did Mary die of then -- the hiccups ? :rolling If she was set aside from original sin, and in Adam all die. Mary had to die for an ungodly reason, correct ?

 

[francisdesales]

What did Mary die of then -- the hiccups ? :rolling If she was set aside from original sin, and in Adam all die. Mary had to die for an ungodly reason, correct ?

One more instance of trolling will be reported to the Moderators...

 

[Adullam]

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Prov. 20:11

 

[Drew]

The purpose of sanctification...here you go.
Sanctification is the process of being conformed into the image of Christ....

You want it both ways, don't you.

WHY must I be conformed to Christ if I am completely covered?

What don't you get about this??? Why must God conform me WHILE completely covering me? What is the point of erecting a legal fiction IF I am being conformed - and this conforming varies with all men?

Indeed.

And gd tends to be very selective about which texts from Romans 8 she accepts as written, and which ones she reworks. So, here, she embraces the bit about being conformed to the image of Christ. And yet she takes Romans 8:10-13 text, and re-works the english to suggest that Paul cannot be talking about believers when he writes of people getting life based on walking according to the Spirit.

 

[LaCrum]

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Prov. 20:11

Isaiah 64:6 “…all our righteous acts are like filthy ragsâ€

Do you know what the Hebrew word for filthy rags was? Menstrual rags. Or dirty, used tampons if you want to bring it into the 21st century. That is how the prophet Isaiah described our righteous acts. Our righteous acts don’t bring us into right standing with God, only his Son’s blood spilled on our behalf has the ability to do that.

Understanding that Justification and Sanctification are two distinct and separate processes, one which must happen for the other to begin, is not that hard of a concept to understand. It's time to ween from the milk and chew on some solid food.

 

[francisdesales]

Isaiah 64:6 “…all our righteous acts are like filthy ragsâ€

Paul understood this verse differently than those of the totally depraved mindset...

8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And 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

Merely following the external letter of the Law was an effort to apply righteousness to oneself. As the Pharisee at prayer in Luke's Gospel, he went BEYOND the letter of the Law, fasting TWICE a week. But look at his attitude, La Crum. He was arrogant, thinking he was righteous in God's eyes by what he did WITHOUT the proper internal dispositions of the heart. He was not circumcised of the heart. Now, note the tax collector in the same Gospel. He prayed with a true heart of repentance - and WITHOUT ANY ALIEN RIGHTEOUSNESS APPLIED, the man was declared Just by God!!!

What is as filthy rags is the Pharisaical mindset that merely doing external works kept one good in God's eyes, freeing one to be socially unjust towards others. To lust after women. To call a brother bad names (this is all in Mattew 5-7). Filthy rags are man's efforts to call oneself just without true repentance and humility.

Since it is God who enables anyone to do good (according to Jesus), you are saying that the work of Jesus in me is a filty rag... Quite interesting...

Understanding that Justification and Sanctification are two distinct and separate processes, one which must happen for the other to begin, is not that hard of a concept to understand. It's time to ween from the milk and chew on some solid food.

That's according to Protesatant theolgoy, not the Bible. BOTH are processes.

The Bible states that ABraham was considered righteous and just in God's eyes during three separate incidents in his life. James 2 refers to Genesis 22. Romans 4 refers to Genesis 15. And Hebrews 11 speaks about being made just in God's eyes during Genesis 12...

In addition, the Bible interchangeably used the words "justify" and "sanctify".

They are practicallyl synonymous with each other, since when one is being made holy, they are indeed righteous and just in God's eyes. No need for God to pretend, madam...