Why is there "none righteous"?

[Robert]

Q: Does a true believer, resting in Christ's finished redemptive work, produced works in harmony with God's law?

 

A:  Yes

 

Q: Do these works fulfill the law?

 

A: No!

 

Q: Why not?

 

A: "All have sinned and fall short" of God's agape (His glory).

 

Please keep in mind that God's law in not in the business of forgiveness.  Let me quote Ellen White:

 

 

The terms of the "old covenant" were, Obey and live: "If a man do, he shall even live in them" (Eze. 20: 11; Lev. 18: 5); but "cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them" (Deut. 27: 26/Gal 3:10). 

 

 

To be under law is to be under the old covenant! What is it about the law that is so hard to keep?  Many folks, even atheist, claim they are moral.  

 

To understand this lets go to Romans 7:6-10

 

6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died  ("in Christ", see verse 4) to that by which we were bound so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. 7 What shall wesay then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." 

 

 

First, notice the believer has been released from under law because he/she has accepted his/her death "in Christ" 2000 years ago.  So the believer isn't under law.  Why?  Is the law bad..is it sin?  Paul says no!  Then what's the problem?  Why can't we be under law?  Because, as we will find out, we aren't measuring up.

 

 

8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 

 

 

What did Paul mean  by "apart from the law"?  Didn't Paul, as a Pharisee, know the law?  Yes, he knew the dos and don'ts, but not the spirit of the law.  What does that mean? Read on:

 

 

9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment (the 10th) came, sin became alive and I died; 

10 and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me...

 

 

As a Pharisee Paul believed that eternal life came from obedience to God's law.  Therefore he felt "alive" apart from a greater understanding of the law through the 10th commandment.  But when the commandment was understood the law placed Paul in death row awaiting execution.

 

 

You see the 10th commandment doesn't have to do with outward performance.  The 10th demands that your thoughts be perfect.  Coveting is a thought...it is a desire.  You can do the right thing outwardly for a bad motive inwardly.  I can mow the widow's grass (a good thing), so that when she kicks the bucket she will remember me in her will (a bad motive).  In fact without Christ everything we do is based in iniquity (selfishness).  

 

 

More later...

[Scuba]

There are two types of righteousness, one is positional and one is practical. Positional righteousness is how God views us in Christ, practical righteousness are the right things we do. When the Bible says there is none righteous it's referring to positional righteousness, it's not saying that no one does right things because there are many people who do right things. Listen.

 

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

 

Notice how it says our righteousness is as filthy rags? It's not saying we have no righteousness, it's saying the righteousness that we do have is as filthy rags. This is why it's hard for some people to see their need for Christ because they are not really a bad person. The reason for this is because their goodness is coming from a tainted source. It's coming from someone who is positionally unrighteous outside of Christ. Let me give you an example. Let's say you are driving down the road and you see a bunch of men cleaning up the highway. All these men are wearing orange jump suits. No matter how much trash they pick up or how beautiful they make the road look they are still wearing the orange jump suit. They need to go before the court to have their orange jump suit removed. If they try any other way to remove their jump suit they will be subject to more time.

 

Our righteous works may look the same whether in an orange jump suit or not, it's the orange jump suit that is the issue.

 

When we turn to Christ the orange jump suit is removed and we put one a new suit. The works may still like the same but now they are accepted because we are now born of God. In Christ we are positionally righteous in the eyes of God. The good works that we do now become the fruit of the new nature we have because of the new birth. 

 

1 John John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

[Robert]

There are two types of righteousness, one is positional and one is practical. Positional righteousness is how God views us in Christ, practical righteousness are the right things we do. 

 

I believe the terms are,

 

1] imputed righteousness (our position "in Christ")

 

and

 

2] imparted righteousness (what the believer experiences)

 

The imputed righteousness is what saves.

 

The imparted righteousness proves one's faith, not his righteousness.

 

 

When the Bible says there is none righteous it's referring to positional righteousness, it's not saying that no one does right things because there are many people who do right things.

 

 

No one outside Christ can do anything good.  All they can produce is outward good works for self-centered motives.  All men can do without Christ is polluted with self-love.  That's why Christ said "without Me you can do nothing"!

[Scuba]

I believe the terms are,

 

1] imputed righteousness (our position "in Christ")

 

and

 

2] imparted righteousness (what the believer experiences)

 

The imputed righteousness is what saves.

 

The imparted righteousness proves one's faith, not his righteousness.

 

 

No one outside Christ can do anything good.  All they can produce is outward good works for self-centered motives.  All men can do without Christ is polluted with self-love.  That's why Christ said "without Me you can do nothing"!

Fruit that is acceptable to the Father is what Jesus is referring to. There are many people in the world that bare self sacrificial fruit that is unacceptable to the Father.

[LifeHiscost]

Fruit that is acceptable to the Father is what Jesus is referring to. There are many people in the world that bare self sacrificial fruit that is unacceptable to the Father.

That seems to me to be a corroborative free will effort

 

....work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure14Do all things without grumbling or disputing;…. ...Phil 2

 

God is Love!  Jesus saves!