The New Law and Righteousness
At
Christ's death and resurrection a change of order of priesthood brought
with it a change of law. (Heb. ch 7) The old law of Moses was a law of
works. By perfectly keeping the law one would establish righteousness
for himself. No human, in God's sight could attain to this perfection.
Therefore, Jesus Christ came to keep the law perfectly and to offer
himself as a perfect and lasting sacrifice for His people.
Therefore,
the elect in Christ look to Him as their righteousness. The New Law of
Christ operates on the principle of imputed righteousness. The command
is no longer keep the old law of Moses perfectly and live, but is
rather, have belief in the risen Savior and live. Since this belief is a
gift of God, we can take no credit of believing. God works this
revelation of Christ into the hearts of the elect making them desire His
love, His commitment, His righteousness, that allows the chosen in Him
to enter into the presence of God.
The New
Law of Christ then, is not a law of works, but rather is faith being
manifested in the elect from first faith to the end of life. The New Law
of Christ is not fulfilled by meritorious works, but rather through God
working in the elect to believe in the only righteous man, Jesus
Christ, who died and was raised from the dead for the elect. The elect
fulfill the law of Christ, not by sinless perfection, which is not
attainable, but by continuing to believe in the Savior. This faith is
continually counted as righteousness to the account of the believer.
This faith is not in itself righteousness, but counts as righteousness.
As
we note that Abraham had righteousness counted to his account at least
three times in the narrative(James 2:17-26; and then Gen. 15:6 which is
the same as Rom. 4:19-22 and Rom. 4:9-13, and also Heb 11:8 where he had
faith to go out of Egypt, which preceded siring Isaac and offering
Isaac).
We see that Abraham and all the
believers prior to the resurrection also kept that Law of faith through
the power of Christ working in them. We are not saying that the truly
righteous can be found unrighteous, or unjustified in the sight of God,
but that this righteousness CONTINUES to the end of life. The
difference between Abraham and the OT saints and the saints in the New
Covenant age was that the perfect sacrifice had not yet been offered.
Further the law of faith was hidden in the law of Moses being contained
in the types and shadows within that law of works.
Abraham
had faith reckoned prior to circumcision when he believed God that he
would have a son in old age. Paul discusses this in Roman ch 4. Abraham
had faith reckoned to his account when he offered up Isaac. This was
discussed in James chapter 2. And it is clear that Abraham followed God
and had faith PRIOR to either of these events. See Heb 11:8 and Genesis
ch 12. Who of you will reject the antinomian one and done view of
Justification and suffer with me outside the gate?
Even
the writer of Hebrews speaks in Heb 10:39 of a continuing faith to the
end, of a faith that keeps one from shrinking back to eternal
condemnation. If that faith is necessary, it is no mere sanctification,
but rather is, while not perfect, something that is doable throught the
New Law of Christ. Righteousness is reckoned to the account of the man
who keeps faith to the end. While this is ordained and guaranteed of
success in the elect, it must be carried out in action.
As
Abraham relied on the law of faith working through life with the
Redeemer to come, so are the elect in Christ to continually walk in the
Spirit, which is a command of Paul, the Apostle of the Lord. The works
resulting from this faith come from a desire for joy, a disire for
blessing, not from an attempt to earn salvation. And so it was with
Abraham. The preresurrection saints had the same faith and the same
gospel as those who have come after Pentacost. The degree of blessing is
somehow different, as explained by Christ when He said that the least
in the Kingdom of Heaven (those blessed in Christ after Pentecost [Acts
ch 2)]) was greater than John the Baptist. However the God given faith
is the same. (Heb. ch 11) The hope of future Messiah was a hope for an
eventual continuing place in the holiest of holies, which was not made
possible for them until the curtain was torn.(Mark 15:38, Heb. 10:19-20,
Heb ch 11)
The elect should not lose
understanding that though there are differences between the elect prior
to the death and resurrection of Christ and after, that there is no
change of faith and gospel. Those have been constant. Faith was present
before the law of Moses was introduced.
So
then, the Law of faith is not a law that counts the faith of the elect
as if it were a righteous work. IT IS A FALSE GOSPEL TO MAKE FAITH EQUAL
TO RIGHTEOUSNESS. IT IS ALSO A FALSE GOSPEL TO DIVORCE FAITH FROM
RIGHTEOUSNESS. Faith is not righteousness, but it is counted by God as
righteousness, as that faith is a belief in the Savior who established
His righteousness upon the cross.
And we
know that Saviour is righteous, having fulfilled the law of Moses,
and offered Himself as a sacrifice to establish the New Law of Christ
which is now out in the open. The law of faith is no longer hidden in
the law of Moses, but is revealed wholly apart from the law of Moses as
Paul states in Romans 3:21. This righteousness that is apart from the
law of course is the righteousness of the sacrifice of Christ, who
offered Himself up for the New Israel as a perfect and complete
sacrifice. It is our faith in this righteous Savior that saves the
elect. If anyone attempts to play down this faith as a vehicle for
securing righteousness for the elect, that righteousness being counted
to their accounts by faith continuing, let them be accursed.
My article brought a response. Harold said:
You
are right that Abraham had righteousness "counted" to him multiple
times. But, none of those occasions was it a justifying righteousness.
What took place multiple times was that character righteousness was
attributed/ascribed to Abraham. There wasn't made over to Abraham a
justifying righteousness until it was made over to him in the Person of
Christ on the cross of Calvary. Abraham looked forward to that grand
day, and was glad. There, on the cross, he saw his justification before
God come to pass. Do you believe this?
My response to Harold was:
But
Harold, justification is counted righteousness. That is what
justification is. I believe that the elect are justified from first
faith. Paul said that the just, or justified, shall live by faith. I
don't deny Romans 5:9, that Paul looked at justification in the past
tense, in that the elect are justified and therefore raised to a
position or STATUS or being righteous through faith.
Still, for some to say, well, now we are justified (past tense) and that is the end of it is a form of antinomianism. Christians hunger after a blessing in Christ, and therefore justification is rightly seen as a continuing process. The Apostles including Paul had no trouble with Abraham's multiple justifications.
Still, for some to say, well, now we are justified (past tense) and that is the end of it is a form of antinomianism. Christians hunger after a blessing in Christ, and therefore justification is rightly seen as a continuing process. The Apostles including Paul had no trouble with Abraham's multiple justifications.
My position regarding continuing justification differs entirely from
the Catholic view. While I believe that it is theoretically possible for
an elect person to fall away as Matthew posits, (Matthew 24:24), it
won't happen. And the elect do not fall out of grace or become
unjustified after first being justified. However, I believe the warnings
in scripture are for the elect. They are warned to believe to the end,
to not shrink back, to gird up the loins of their minds, back up their
faith with works as taught by James, etc,etc. Since the elect cannot
know the end from the beginning, as God does, the process is one of
keeping the faith to the end and this process requires walking in the
Spirit and due diligence.
My position on continuing
justification differs greatly from the Catholic view. Catholics and many
modern day protestants are believers in free will. Free will is a
gospel of works, not of grace. It is, as Paul warned in Galatians 1:1,
an accursed gospel. When applying that "gospel" of Catholicism to
continuing justification, the sense I get from Catholic writers is that
there is a righteousness that they attribute to themselves. Also
Catholics believe that one can fall out of grace. This is not true for
the elect. They can for a time live in the Spirit but not walk in the
Spirit. But continuing justification is rightly seen as a continuing
faith of forgiven and set apart people in Christ!
It is one
thing to believe as I do that righteousness is continually reckoned or
counted to the accounts of the elect, and that those accounts will
continue to the end as God keeps the elect, and quite another to believe
that this faith and reckoned righteousness is based on your free will,
and you must secure your own righteousness. We cannot forget that only
Christ is righteous, that our God given faith is only counted as
righteousness and that faith is not of ourselves, but is a gift of God.
Likewise
sanctification is a gift of God, also working through faith. But it is a
gift that does not make us righteous (remember Christ is our
righteousness) nor is it perfect in this life.
My view of
Catholicism is that it is a religion based upon works, but so is
Protestantism. But Protestantisms is more subtle. The work becomes a
long drawn out repentance instead of penance.
Both false
religions are alike when it comes to keeping a new form of the old law
by changing Saturday sabbath to Sunday sabbath or in performing infant
baptism or infant Christening in place of circumcision. My view of
course is that the true sabbath is rest in Christ, and the good works
and continual justification by faith are preordained and are put in the
heart by God who works in the elect to do what He wants.
Catholicism
is a religion of earning or meritorious works. Protestantism is a
religion of both legalistic works and of antinomianism regarding faith
to the end in teaching one and done justification.
See also:
New Covenant Theology
and:
1646 First London Confession
and:
Luther and Menno: A Failure of Protestant and Anabaptist Doctrine
and:
How to Go to Hell: Believe in the Three Uses of the Law
and:
Charles Spurgeon Prince of Law Preaching
and:
My Christian View of Israel's Purpose
and:
Sephardic Bnei Anusim Hear This!
and:
Sephardic Roots, Belmonte Jewish and More!
See also:
New Covenant Theology
and:
1646 First London Confession
and:
Luther and Menno: A Failure of Protestant and Anabaptist Doctrine
and:
How to Go to Hell: Believe in the Three Uses of the Law
and:
Charles Spurgeon Prince of Law Preaching
and:
My Christian View of Israel's Purpose
and:
Sephardic Bnei Anusim Hear This!
and:
Sephardic Roots, Belmonte Jewish and More!
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