I just reread
yesterday's study and there is so much in there, so much to think about. Let's
start at the beginning-
"But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you." Matt. 6:33.
The beginning of
this lesson speaks about God's righteousness. We go on to learn (BIBLICALLY)
that God's righteousness is found in His ten moral laws- the Ten
Commandments. Further we discover that
those Ten Commandments are interdependent upon one another, and much more
spiritual than the mere reading of them at first implies. We discover that the
whole of our lives- every act we commit is either in keeping with the Ten
Commandments- the Righteousness of God, or not keeping the Ten Commandments,
and therefore not partaking in the Righteousness of God.
If this sounds all
wonky to you, please read the study from yesterday again (included at the end
of my thoughts in this study) . I see no
point in simply re-writing (copying) what was already written. I'm basically summarizing
and expounding on the main study.
Remember these
verses- we recently studied them in some depth-
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Is it any wonder
that the WHOLE duty of man is to Fear God, and keep his commandments? Is it any
wonder that EVERY WORK, EVERY SECRET THING- good or evil will be brought into
judgment?
If we are to SEEK
FIRST the kingdom of God and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS- what we are truly seeking,
actively seeking- is to keep the Ten Commandments that reveal the righteousness
of God. Christ tells us more than once
to 'keep his commandments', that the saints 'keep the commandments and have
faith in Him'.
Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
IF
YOU
LOVE JESUS
YOU WILL KEEP
HIS COMMANDMENTS.
Did He say those
words lightly as something to be dismissed?
What do you mean when you say to someone- If you love me…. You really mean if you love me, don't
you? Sure you can make a joke about
that, telling your loved one if they love you they'll get you that drink from
the kitchen. But you won't mean it, you
know they love you even if they don't get up and go get that drink. But would you joke like this… If you love me you'll have no other
lovers. Would that be just a joke to
you, or something you really mean?
Christ wasn't joking
when He said if we love Him we will keep His commandments.
Seek first… seek
first…
Actively seek. When you are seeking something you are
actively out there looking, right? When you seek your glasses you aren't going
to sit in one place and hope they magically appear. If you lose your car keys you don't just look
for them half-heartedly, do you? If you lost a child you'd stop at nothing
looking everywhere for that child. You
seek earnestly for the things that are important to you. If our Savior tells us to SEEK something
first, before all other things, shouldn't we listen?
Seek FIRST the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and we know His righteousness is found in
His ten moral laws.
So we have to seek
our SAVIOR and HIS way of life, the life that comes from following His laws-
the laws of life.
In this study as
mentioned above, those ten commandments truly do encompass our lives we are
either living them or not living them at any given moment.
Is it true we are to
love God and have no other God's before Him?
Php 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their
belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
People will make
their own bellies their god! If this is true, and it can not be otherwise, then
what other things can people make their gods?
Any earthly thing minded more than heavenly thing is in danger of being a
person's god, this is truth!
So when people claim
to love only God and only have Him as their God and no other- could they be
deceiving themselves? The truth could be they have many gods before God,
minding many earthly things.
This lesson goes on
to talk about our total inability to keep the law of God perfectly. To read such truth without going on to the
hope we have in Christ, can be a bit frightening.
It's true our righteousness is as filthy rags. We are to seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness- Jesus tells us to do this, just as Jesus tells us if we love Him we will keep His commandments. We know that our Savior would NOT ask the impossible of us. He would make it POSSIBLE for us to do as He asks of us. Seeking first the KINGDOM; if we LOVE HIM… we cannot keep a single law without the love of CHRIST in us! That thing we call being good and obeying the commandments mean nothing without Christ's love.
It's true our righteousness is as filthy rags. We are to seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness- Jesus tells us to do this, just as Jesus tells us if we love Him we will keep His commandments. We know that our Savior would NOT ask the impossible of us. He would make it POSSIBLE for us to do as He asks of us. Seeking first the KINGDOM; if we LOVE HIM… we cannot keep a single law without the love of CHRIST in us! That thing we call being good and obeying the commandments mean nothing without Christ's love.
Tomorrow we are
going to delve deeper into all this, by the grace of our LORD.
We have a good
foundation here, a foundation built upon God's truth and only His truth.
May we continue to
study and seek Him first and foremost!
May He be our Righteousness!
All through His
love, through His grace, through His mercy!
*******
(Yesterday's study -
not expounded upon)
But seek ye first
the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you." Matt. 6:33.
The righteousness of
God, says Jesus, is the one thing to be sought in this life.
Food and clothing
are minor matters in comparison with it. God will supply them, as a matter of
course, so that anxious care and worriment need not be expended on them; but TO
SECURE GOD'S KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS SHOULD BE THE ONLY OBJECT OF LIFE.
In 1 Cor. 1:30 we
are told that Christ is made unto us righteousness as well as wisdom; and since
Christ is the wisdom of God, and in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily, it is evident that the righteousness which He is made to us is
the righteousness of God. Let us see what this righteousness is.
(((1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God
is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption))))
In Ps. 119:172 the
Psalmist thus addresses the Lord: "My tongue shall speak of Thy word; for
all Thy commandments are righteousness." The commandments are
righteousness, not simply in the abstract, but they are the righteousness of
God. For proof read the following:—
Isa 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look
upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the
earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in
like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not
be abolished.
Isa 51:7 Hearken unto me YE THAT KNOW RIGHTEOUSNESS
THE PEOPLE IN WHOSE HEART IS MY LAW fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be
ye afraid of their revilings.
What do we learn
from this?—That they who know the righteousness of God are those in whose heart
is His law, and therefore that the law of God is the righteousness of God.
This may be proved
again, as follows:
"All
unrighteousness is sin." 1 John 5:17.
"Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the
law." 1 John 3:4.
Sin is the
transgression of the law, and it is also unrighteousness; therefore sin and
unrighteousness are identical. But if unrighteousness is transgression of the
law, righteousness must be obedience to the law. Or, to put the proposition
into mathematical form:—
Unrighteousness =
sin. 1 John 5:17.
Transgression of the
law = sin. 1 John 3:4.
Therefore, according
to the axiom that two things that are equal to the same thing are equal
to each other, we have:—
Unrighteousness =
transgression of the law which is a negative equation. The same thing, stated
in positive terms, would be:—
Righteousness =
obedience to the law.
Now what law is it
obedience to which is righteousness and disobedience to which is sin? It is
that law which says, "Thou shalt not covet;" for the apostle Paul
tells us that this law convinced him of sin. Rom. 7:7.
(((Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God
forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust,
except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.))))
The law of ten
commandments, then, is the measure of the righteousness of God. Since it is the
law of God, and is righteousness, it must be the righteousness of God. There
is, indeed, no other righteousness.
Since the law is the
righteousness of God—a transcript of His character—it is easy to see that to
fear God and keep His commandments is the whole duty of man. Eccl. 12:13.
Let no one think
that his duty will be circumscribed if confined to the ten commandments, for
they are "exceeding broad."
"The law is
spiritual," and comprehends a great deal more than can be discerned by an
ordinary reader.
"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." 1 Cor. 2:14. The exceeding breadth of the law of God can
be realized only by those who have prayerfully meditated upon it. A few texts
of Scripture will suffice to show us something of its breadth.
In the sermon on the
mount Christ said: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of
the judgment; but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother
without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to
his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say,
Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Matt. 5:21, 22.
And again: "Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery; but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Verses 27, 28.
This does not mean
that the commandments, "Thou shalt not kill," and, "Thou shalt
not commit adultery," are imperfect, or that God now requires a greater
degree of morality from Christians than He did from His people who were called
Jews. He requires the same from all men in all ages. The Saviour simply
explained these commandments and showed their spirituality. To the unspoken
charge of the Pharisees, that He was ignoring and undermining the moral law, He
replied by saying that He came for the purpose of establishing the law, and
that it could not be abolished; and then He expounded the true meaning of the
law in a way that convicted them of ignoring and disobeying it. He showed that
even a look or a thought may be a violation of the law, and that it is indeed a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
In this Christ did
not reveal a new truth, but only brought to light and unfolded an old one. The
law meant just as much when He proclaimed it from Sinai as when He expounded it
on the mountain in Judea. When, in tones that shook the earth, He said, "Thou
shalt not kill," He meant, "Thou shalt not cherish anger in the
heart; thou shalt not indulge in envy, nor strife, nor anything which is in the
remotest degree akin to murder."
All this and much
more is contained in the words, "Thou shalt not kill." And this was
taught by the inspired words of the Old Testament; for Solomon showed that the
law deals with things unseen as
well as things seen,
when he wrote:—
"Let us hear
the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments; for
this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl.
12:13, 14.
The argument is
this:
The judgment passes
upon every secret thing; the law of God is the standard in the judgment,—it
determines the quality of every act, whether good or evil; therefore, the law
of God forbids evil in thought as well as in deed. So the conclusion of the whole matter is that the
commandments of God contain the whole duty of man.
Take the first
commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The apostle
tells us of some "whose god is their belly." Phil. 3:19. But gluttony
and intemperance are self-murder; and so we find that the first commandment
runs through to the sixth. This is not all, however, for he also tells us that
covetousness is idolatry. Col. 3:5. The tenth commandment cannot be
violated without violating the first and second. In other words, the tenth
commandment coincides with the first; and we find that the Decalogue is a circle having a
circumference as great as the universe, and containing within it the moral duty
of every creature. In short, it is the measure of the righteousness of God, who
inhabits eternity.
This being the case,
the correctness of the statement that "the doers of the law shall be
justified," is obvious. To justify means to make righteous, or to show one
to be righteous. Now it is evident that perfect obedience to a perfectly righteous
law would constitute one a righteous person. It was God's design that such
obedience should be rendered to the law by all His creatures; and in this way
the law was ordained unto life. Rom. 7:10. But for one to be judged
"a doer of the law" it would be necessary that he had kept the law in
its fullest measure every moment of his life. If he had come short of this, he
could not be said to have done the law. He could not be a doer of the law if he
had done it only in part. It is a sad fact, therefore, that there are in all
the human race no doers of the law, for both Jews and Gentiles are "all
under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; there is
none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth
good, no, not
one." Rom. 3:9-12.
The law speaks to
all who are within its sphere; and in all the world there is not one who can
open his mouth to clear himself from the charge of sin which it brings against
him. Every mouth is stopped, and all the world stands guilty before God (verse
19), "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (verse
23).
Therefore, although
"the doers of the law shall be justified," it is just as evident that
"by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight;
for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Verse 20. The law, being "holy,
and just, and good," cannot justify a sinner. In other words, a just law
cannot declare that the one who violates it is innocent. A law that would
justify a wicked man would be a wicked law. The law should not be reviled
because it cannot justify sinners. On the contrary, it should be extolled on
that account. The fact that the law will not declare sinners to be
righteous,—that it will not say that men have kept it when they have violated
it,—is in itself sufficient evidence that it is good. Men applaud an
incorruptible earthly judge, one who cannot be bribed, and who will not declare
a guilty man innocent. Surely, they ought to magnify the law of God, which will
not bear false witness.
It is the perfection
of righteousness, and therefore it is forced to declare the sad fact that not
one of Adam's race has fulfilled its requirements. Moreover, the fact that to
do the law is simply man's duty shows that when he has come short in single particular
he can never make it up. The requirements of each precept of the law are so
broad,—the whole law is so spiritual,— that an angel could render no more than
simple obedience. Yea, more, the law is the righteousness of God,—a transcript
of His character,—and since His character cannot be different from what it is,
it follows that even God Himself cannot be better than the measure of goodness
demanded by His law. He cannot be better than He is, and the law declares what
He is. What hope, then, that one who has failed, in even one precept, can add
enough extra goodness to make up the full measure? He who attempts to do that
sets before himself the impossible task of being better than God requires, yea,
even better than God Himself.
But it is not simply
in one particular that men have failed. They have come short in every
particular. "They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
Not only so, but it
is impossible for fallen man, with his weakened power, to do even a single act
that is up to the perfect standard. This proposition needs no further proof
than a restatement of the fact that the law is the measure of God's righteousness.
Surely there are none so presumptuous as to claim that any act of their lives
has been or could be as good as if done by the Lord Himself. Everyone must say
with the Psalmist, "My goodness extendeth not to Thee." Ps. 16:2.
This fact is
contained in direct statements of Scripture. Christ, who "needed not that
any should testify of man; for He knew what was in man" (John 2:25), said,
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil
things come from within and defile the man." Mark 7:21-23.
In other words, it
is easier to do wrong than it is to do right, and the things which a person
naturally does are evil. Evil dwells within, and is a part of the being.
Therefore, the apostle says, "The carnal [fleshly, natural] mind is enmity
against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Rom. 8:7, 8. And
again: "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would." Gal. 5:17. Since evil is a part of man's very
nature, being inherited by each individual from a long line of sinful
ancestors, it is very evident that whatever righteousness springs from him must
be only like "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6), compared with the spotless
robe of the righteousness of God.
The impossibility of
good deeds proceeding from a sinful heart is thus forcibly illustrated by the
Saviour: "For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do
not gather figs, nor of a bramble-bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the
good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man
out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of
the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Luke 6:44, 45. That is to
say, a man cannot do good until he first becomes good. Therefore, deeds done by
a sinful person have no effect whatever to make him righteous, but, on the
contrary, coming from an evil heart, they are evil, and so add to the sum of
his sinfulness. Only evil can come from an evil heart, and multiplied evil
cannot make one good deed; therefore, it is useless for an evil person to think
to become righteous by his own efforts. He must first be made righteous before
he can do the good that is required of him, and which he wants to do.
The case, then,
stands thus:
1. The law of God is
perfect righteousness; and perfect conformity to it is demanded of everyone who
shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. But the law has
not a particle of righteousness to bestow upon any man, for all are sinners,
and are unable to comply with its requirements. No matter how diligently nor
how zealously a man works, nothing that he can do will meet the full measure of
the law's demands. It is too high for him to attain to; he cannot obtain
righteousness by the law. "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified [made righteous] in His sight." What a deplorable condition! We
must have the righteousness of the law or we cannot enter heaven, and yet the
law has no righteousness for one of us.
It will not yield to
our most persistent and energetic efforts the smallest portion of that holiness
without which no man can see the Lord. Who, then, can be saved? Can there,
then, be such a thing as a righteous person?—Yes, for the Bible often speaks of
them. It speaks of Lot as "that righteous man;" it says, "Say ye
to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruit
of their doings" (Isa. 3:10), thus indicating that there will be righteous
persons to receive the reward; and it plainly declares that there will be a
righteous nation at the last, saying: "In that day shall this song be sung
in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for
walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth
the truth may enter in." Isa. 26:1, 2. David says, "Thy law is the
truth." Ps. 119:142. It is not only truth, but it is the sum of all truth;
consequently, the nation that keeps the truth will be a nation that keeps the
law of God. Such will be doers of His will, and they shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven. Matt. 7:21.--
Christ and His
Righteousness - E. G. Waggoner
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF
GOD.
*******
No comments:
Post a Comment