Chapter 4 - Righteousness unto Holiness

Chapter 4 - Righteousness unto Holiness

Chapter one revealed God’s motive for creating man: to be God’s family. Understand that Lucifer used man’s vulnerability to persuade all of God’s creation that he was mightier than God. The result was that Satan tricked man into betraying God.

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most high.” (Isaiah 14:13-14 KJV)

We read an explanation of what the essence of God’s statement to the serpent meant by the examination of the Hebrew language concerning that statement[1]. A mental battle would ensue between the offspring of Satan[2] and the offspring of Eve[3]. Man had relinquished the authority he was given by God over the earth to Satan in their disobedience to God. But man would reclaim it. To be more precise, one man as the Hebrew word “zera” indicates[4].
God demonstrated the concept of atonement in covering Adam and Eve with skins of animals whose innocence paid the price of atonement for Adam’s and Eve’s guilt. The life blood of the guilty was required in man’s state of worthlessness. They were no longer able to fulfill the role of family as they had become obedient to Lucifer.
Chapter two discussed the institution of atonement and a small portion of what the law required for atonement.

Lucifer must have thought God to be some sort of idiot. God had just made Lucifer’s work incredibly light with the administration of all sorts of regulations and procedures for atonement.

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10 NIV)

That is, until God Himself put on the flesh of sinful man and perfected it by causing it to be completely obedient to Gods law. This flesh, Jesus, became a part of the law of God, an atoning sacrifice.

By perfecting the flesh that He dwelt in[5], God completely defeated the hold that Satan had on it. In offering it as an atonement sacrifice he made a relationship with God available to all of mankind. Jesus became the fulfillment of the law. Christ adequately atoned for sin, because He was a man. The writer of Hebrews wrote:

“But these sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:3-4 NIV)

Now that we have an atonement offering in Christ, what does it bring us? It brings us Status. We are now in a right relationship with God. We are at peace with Him; “at onement”. We are justified, as if we ourselves had lived a life that successfully fulfilled the requirements of God’s law.

In chapter three we acknowledged that God had tallied up all that Abram’s life consisted of: belief, “aman” and “checed”. We came to the realization that it was not for faith alone that God had

“…‘counted’ it to him for righteousness.”
(Genesis 15:6 KJV)

Remember that “counted” in Hebrew is “chashab”. Chashab has the idea of looking to the characteristic qualities of Abram.

Looking at the things discussed in the last chapter concerning Abram’s character and how it is reflective of God’s character, we can verifiably argue that Abram believed God long before Genesis 15:6[6]. His righteousness was not faith alone, but also his desire for God’s purposes.

In the remaining chapters of this book, the reader will notice that the righteousness of Abram is exhibited as an illustration to future generations that faith is what our righteousness depends on. What God is looking for in the members of His family is what elevated Abram to Abraham, Father of Nations. He exemplified what is central to God’s character: “aman”, “checed” and faithfulness. These are the trademarks of God’s family. They are what God expects of us if we will be called holy. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord[7].

What is “holiness” in relation to “righteousness”? Most people consider the two to be synonymous with “salvation”.

The New Testament language says that “righteousness” is the Greek word dikaiosune: investiture with what is just or what causes one to be just or in a right relationship with God.
How does one have a right relationship with God?

Jesus said, “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”[8] So, it is by our relationship with Jesus that we have a relationship with God.
This would bring us to another question:
How do we have a relationship with Jesus?
If we look to the red letters of the Gospel again, we find that Jesus gave us a “new commandment”. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”[9] It is right about here that righteousness makes the shift to holiness. Initially, when we are saved, we are sanctified (holy). But it is only initial sanctification (desire to devote yourself for God’s purpose). It is here that our relationship with God begins. But, to be a sanctified believer in Christ, we have to own the relationship. How do we do that?
Our relationship with Jesus is largely dependant on our relationships with other people. Not just some people. But all people. This is seen in studying Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31-40. It reads:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father: take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you?

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (NIV)

So, we have a relationship with God made available to us by accepting Jesus as Christ. And then we go on to do good works to be considered holy, Right? Not exactly. We need to be certain that we understand exactly what the formula is for having a relationship with God.

First, love God.
Second, to demonstrate our love for God, we must love Jesus.
Third, our relationship with Jesus is greatly dependant on our relationships with one another. Why? The answer is in understanding “holiness”.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap (righteousness – as presented in Romans 6:19) leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life”. (Romans 6:22 NIV)


Holiness from the Greek:

Hagiasmon – being set apart; having moral purity, consecrated.

To be consecrated is to be set apart for God’s purposes. What is God’s purpose for creating man? It is to be His family. Holiness is not just good works. The outgrowth of holiness encompasses a lot of things which are characteristic of belonging to the family of God.
Looking back at what Jesus said in Matthew 25, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”. My understanding of the word ‘least’ is to say those who have not yet come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He used the word ‘brothers’ indicating understanding that God had created man to be God’s family.

Holiness recognizes that all men were created to be God’s family. The trademark of God’s family is love. Jesus gave us this command in John 13:34, 35. He said that he was giving us a “new command”. It is new by way of replacing the old, The Law. Jesus fulfilled the law and became The Atoning Sacrifice for man. So, essentially, the Law has been abolished. Now, we are free to have an abundant relationship with God. It has been made available. Jesus tells us that our relationship with God will be through the love of His family. Paul testifies to this in Romans 13:10 when he says “love is the fulfillment of the law”.

Salvation, consecration, sanctification, atonement, perfection, holiness, and righteousness all mean the same thing to many people. They are thought to be synonymous with going to Heaven. More accurately, they are the process of pursuing a relationship with God.
Christendom has the same problem today that Paul addressed nearly two thousand years ago; ignorance.

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3 NIV)

People are just not willing to do the work needed to differentiate the terms listed above[10] as specific terms of salvation process. For this reason, they allow themselves to develop the wrong perspective on salvation.

Righteousness is the condition or state of being in a right and justified relationship with God. Through Christ as the atoning sacrifice, we are now clean of all of our transgressions. As a gift they were taken away by our faith in Christ’s atoning ability. But acceptance of Christ atoning work is not complete devotion to God. It is not holiness.

How do we move from “righteousness” to “holiness”? No one says it more clearly than James.

“Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17 KJV)

A common response to James is:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NIV)

However, now that we have a right relationship with God in the way that Adam and Eve had before they discovered disobedience, what will be the preserving element?

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Paul tells us that by our acceptance of Christ we are changed; it is intended by God that we do good works.
Paul writes that the fruit of the spirit, our ‘good works’ is:

“Love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

Did you catch the significance of the last part of verse 23?

“Against such things there is no law.”

Paul says something very similar to the Romans:

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8 NIV)

After we have obtained a right relationship with God, the preservation of our relationship with God is love. This is the life of holiness; being devoted to God’s family.

If salvation were simply a matter of faith, Jesus would not have given the command to “love one another as I have loved you”.[11] James would not have said “Faith without works is dead”.[12] And above, Paul would not have been concerned with fulfilling the law.

A Pharisee asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. Jesus responded:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All of the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV)

Jesus quoted from Leviticus 19:18 in verse 39 above, as He does in John 13:34 and John 15:12. He emphasizes it because He wants us to understand that the social ordinances of the law are encompassed in love. If we keep the commandment to love one another we fulfill the social aspects of the law.

Love is a social obligation among the family of God. Jesus can only fulfill this requirement of “love one another” on His own behalf because it is directed to the individual. His atoning work does not cover us here. We are responsible for seeing that this “new command” or new law is fulfilled in our lives. Jesus does not tell us specifically because He was forbidden to speak to the Jews in plain logic. (We will find out why in the next chapter.) Paul says in Romans and Galatians that the law is complete if you fulfill the law to love. James, in James 2:8 calls it a “royal law” quoting Leviticus 19:18.

The simple rule of do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is replaced with another very simple rule, love. It is a “royal law” because it is what binds us as family in the kingdom of Heaven.

[1] Genesis 3:15
[2] “Offspring of Satan” would be anyone whose influence can be used by Satan to obscure or misdirect the Gospel message. Jesus referred to the Devil as being the father of the Pharisees and the religious leaders, (John 8:44) The Pharisees and the religious leaders had good intentions. But out of ignorance, and perhaps some influence from the Devil, they were attempting to snuff out the ministry of Jesus and the Gospel. They were obedient to Satan’s cause, Hence the phrase, “your father, The Devil”; Genesis 3:15 …and between ‘your offspring’ and hers.
[3] Chapter two, page 3, First full paragraph after the definitions of ‘painful trial’ and ‘suffering’.
[4] Chapter two, page 4, Last paragraph-“zera”
[5] Hebrews 5:9 …and, once made perfect, became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
[6] Abram believed the Lord, and he credited to him as righteousness.
[7] Hebrews 12:14
[8] Jon 14:21b
[9] John 13:34, 35
[10] Salvation, consecration, sanctification, atonement, perfection, holiness, and righteousness
[11] John 13:34; 15:12
[12] James 2:17