The Standard of Righteousness

[RabbiKnife]

Be careful.

Paul clearly declared that his revelation of the Gospel was directly from Jesus himself and not the result of any consultation or reliance on any man.  It was not "personal insight," or as Paul said, "cunningly crafted arguments of men."  Paul did, indeed, turn the Old Testament scriptures and the contemporary interpretation of the Law and the Prophets on their heads at times in defining and declaring the revelation he had received. 

John likewise received direct revelation in the form of a vision and related that information, a much as he was allowed, to us in the form of the Apocalypse.

That being said, isolated hermit in the grove Christianity is about as far removed from the NT model as one can get.

[IMINXTC]

Indeed! To be clear, again: The Apostles were inspired and their decrees were commissioned by direct revelation unless stated otherwise.

[Pablo]

I understand your post and I believe that you would make a perfect minister in the local church of God.

I cannot refute anything that you have said, and will not contest any of it.

Galations 6:4  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

I do not make pronouncements for others to follow. God never called me to preach or even to teach. I have been called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and anything I say at anytime is my own personal testimony of Jesus Christ in my life.

2Co_13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

I am not trying to cause an uproar here but God speaks to me constantly each day through his Spirit and I have no recourse but to motivate others to live a life consistent with what the bible requires of them. Not doing what I say because that is my own testimony but doing what the bible tells them that they ought to do.

No one can be me. Likewise I cannot be anyone else. God may not be speaking to others and that is OK. But each person has to examine themselves and be convinced of what it is that God requires of them, and then do it. To do otherwise would be hypocrisy.

1Th_5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

The end result of all things spiritual is righteousness. A bad tree cannot produce good fruit and a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. The bible states that everything results in godly love, the hallmark of a true Christian.

1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (Love)

[RandyPNW]

It's good to be humble and have a handle on our own little role in this very large universe! I share your sentiments. We can only do so much. But whatever we do, what makes it powerful is God's word, when we live in harmony with it. Thanks.

[Quantrill]

God does not expect us to be perfect. But He does expect us to have a perfect standard, upon which to rely. Christ is that perfect standard, who has given us his Spirit. And if we live a life relying on that Spirit, it proves that we have accepted him as the right standard of righteousness.

The Law of Moses was given to Israel to establish a relationship with God, but could not provide a perfect standard for righteousness, because it was administered through imperfect priests. Because of their human flaws, they showed that their own works were flawed, and that human death remained a hindrance to unbroken relationship with God.

Christ came to fulfill Israel's hope in an eternal relationship with God. His own flawless life was not threatened by sin and death, and he could offer us his Spirit as the basis for obtaining this eternal relationship with God.

Now that Christ has come, we have an example of righteousness that is free of the curse of sin and death. We cannot attain perfection on our own, but we've been given the opportunity to live in dependence upon Christ's perfect Spirit to show our preference for God's perfect standard of righteousness.

In accepting Christ we accept God's basis for an eternal relationship with Himself. And it requires not just that we accept how Christ has lived, but that we recognize that he gave us his Spirit so that we may live a life dependent on his Spirit.

1 John 2.3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

I agree that God does not expect us to be perfect.  And that it is Christ our righteousness that we depend on.

But I do believe that the Law of Moses was and is a perfect standard of righteousness.  That man was and is imperfect, and could not keep it, doesn't matter.  The problem lies in that the law is a perfect standard for imperfect man.  Thus finding man always guilty.

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