Chapter 7 - Perspective

This is the last chapter in this series. The most important thing in life is to love the Lord and love one another. "The only thing that matters is faith (in Jesus Christ) expressing itself in love" (love for one another).
To find the study guide for this series, look in the right hand margin for "My Other Blogs"

A woman was reading her Bible as she sat waiting for a bus. The man next to her asked, “Do you believe everything that you read in there?”
The woman responded, “Of course!”
“Well, how can you explain that a man was swallowed by a whale?” Then he added, “A whale’s throat is no larger in diameter than a grapefruit!”
“I can’t give you an answer, but I will ask him when I get to heaven,” she responded.
“What if he is not in heaven?” the man inquired.
“Then you ask him!” exclaimed the woman.

Perspective is the key to understanding the alternative in this story, isn’t it?
This entire book has been dedicated to developing the correct perspective between righteousness and holiness. Now, ask yourself, “What is my perspective on salvation? Do I consider salvation to occur at the end of my Christian journey, or do I consider salvation to be the beginning of my relationship with God?”
In asking the question, “What is salvation?” you may be given the following answer: “A turning point from the path toward death to a path of life”. This answers the question. But, it does not help someone to have a complete understanding of salvation. You then asked, “Why is there a path to death?” The answer will be something like, “Because, we are borne into sin nature”. You are forced to be more inquisitive. You still do not have an understanding of what salvation is because now you have to understand what sin is. So, you ask and get this: “Desire to live life for ourselves and not for the purpose of which God created us, which is to be His family.
Christendom has come to a place where understanding what God wants for us (to be His family) has been skewed by a wrong perspective on what salvation is.
In chapter four, righteousness and holiness are defined. Righteousness is having a right relationship with God by investiture with Jesus’ righteousness.
God desires a relationship with us. However, prior to the atoning work of Jesus we first had to fulfill the requirements of the law to have atonement for past sins. After the Day of Atonement, present or future sin barred mankind from having a relationship with God. God will not forgive man’s desire to live for him self rather than the purpose for which God created man if there is no atonement. God requires us to show ourselves to be what He created us to be. He gave us the opportunity through Jesus Christ. Then we demonstrate our membership in the family of God by doing good works.

“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17 NIV)

Paul referred to us as having been justified, as if we were never guilty of failing to have lived up to God’s standard which was given in the law. Literally, we who have been justified through faith in Christ Jesus have been set free (saved) from being judged by the law.

“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
(Romans 8:1-2 NIV)

What is the “law of the spirit of life”? Paul said:

“..if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:13-14 NIV)

If we are sons of God (family), we ought to have love for one another. Jesus commanded this, saying,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34 NIV)

Having love for one another is how we are seen by God to belong to him as members of His family. God demanded that we separate ourselves from the ways of the world,

“..be holy because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44 NIV)
As if God is saying:
“I do not live by the standards of men. If you want membership in this family, you will live by my standard!”

Holiness, membership in the family of God looks like this:

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10 NIV)

“Holiness” is to be separate from what is common to the world. “Holiness” makes reservation for God’s use. The King James Version refers to God’s holy people as “saints”[1]. It is this holy body of believers who will find the most intimate communion with God. Because, holiness is having, or owning the relationship with God that salvation through Christ makes possible. “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22 NIV)

God has said “...be holy because I am holy.” If “holiness” is to be separate from common use, then God’s character is uncommon to man’s sinful nature. Paul said that “love is the fulfillment of the law”[2]. So, love is a large part of what it means to be holy. We will be considered holy if we keep this command to love one another and sanctify ourselves for God’s use.
Ephesians 2:22 tells us that the body of believers, having been justified from the condemnation of the law, is where God plans to make His dwelling. God will not inhabit a body that is unholy.
Before we can be holy, we must have met the conditions set out for us. That is the law; because the law has shown us what sin is (Romans 7:7). We must be declared righteous (justified) before any effort to be holy is recognized.
This is what Paul means in saying:

“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)

If we understand salvation as the “justification that is given through investiture with the righteousness of Christ, then we understand that we are saved from the condemnation of the law. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith”.

Faith in whom?

“But what does it say? ‘ The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart’; that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is
Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-9 NIV)

Remember what the definition of “righteousness” is? Righteousness is investiture with what causes one to be in a right relationship with God. Our faith in Jesus as The Christ is our righteousness, our salvation.

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25 NIV)

Now, add Ephesians 2:10 to the reading of Ephesians 2:8, 9:

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

The above passage gives a lot of trouble to people because of their perspective on salvation. People who see salvation coming at the end of their journey will think that accepting Jesus Christ is all that is needed to gain passage into Heaven. They see it as the “ticket” that guarantees them passage to heaven when they die. People who understand holiness will know that works are a requirement of the New Testament. That is, the new covenant, literally a new law. But, even for these people, there is a falsehood being taught among them as to what works are.
“Works” does not mean people must scourge themselves, climb the steps of Basilica of Saint John Lateran on their knees or lye on a bed of nails. Perhaps people misunderstood Paul when he spoke of beating his body into submission[3]. Or, being worthy to be called an apostle due to the seemingly countless sufferings he endured[4]. The “works” Paul speaks of in Ephesians 2:10 are the type of works that sign the signature of God’s family. God said we were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God purposed in advance of creating us, that we would be identified as members of His family by our first having faith in Jesus to atone for us. Then in our love for one another, evidenced in our works.
After being saved from the condemnation the law brings, we are required to do good works. This is the “Way of Holiness” that was prophesied in Isaiah 35:8:

“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in the way; wicked fools will not go about on it.” (NIV)

This “Way of Holiness” begins after we are made justified, then through “works” spoken of in Ephesians 2:10. Paul makes clear that prior to grace, “works” will not save a man from the law of condemnation. He discusses the direction from which this “highway” comes and where it is going in his letter to the Romans in chapter six.

Romans 6:15 :“Law to grace”

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but grace?” (NIV)

Verse 16: Grace to obedience, obedience to righteousness

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – Whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (NIV)
(“Slave” for anyone in Paul’s day (Jew or not) was an easily understood metaphor. When you are slave, there is nothing you can do to change your situation. No amount of working, striving, doing can change your situation. Someone from outside your situation would have to make the difference and rescue you. This is salvation).

Verse 19: Righteousness to Holiness

“I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” (NIV)
(Paul is talking process here, not essence. He is saying “Look, the outgrowth of your rescue from slavery to sin is a change in lifestyle and pattern – what you were meant for from the beginning – holiness).


Verse 22: Holiness resulting in Eternal Life

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap (righteousness) leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (NIV)
(John 17:3 comes to mind, also)

Look again at the definitions for “righteousness”[5] and “holiness”[6] in chapter four. Apply their meaning to Romans 6:16, 19, and 22. Understanding “righteousness” and “holiness” is the key to understanding what your perspective on salvation should be.
It is through faith in Christ that we are” saved” from the judgment that will certainly come to those who have not sought atonement through the blood of Jesus. By this freedom we are called to holiness. We will be judged by what we do, not by the law.

“God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done’. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”
(Romans 2:6-8 NIV)

To truly seek a relationship with God should be the Christian’s desire. This, in fact is what is meant to be saved: to have the relationship available. We no longer fear the condemnation that comes from the Law. However, Building this relationship is met out in this physical plane. Here, we allow holiness to reign in every aspect of life and fulfill our obligation to love one another.
One very important piece of information in having the correct perspective on salvation is in Romans 2:6-8. It is in “seek[ing] glory”. This is not what you may think. This is not The Glory that God told Moses could not be seen by man. The “glory” spoken of here, is in reference to your state of existence in The Kingdom of Heaven. Glorification (in this use) is being given a new body. It is to be made perfect. This is such an important thing to understand when one begins to think or speak in terms of salvation. We should understand “salvation” as being saved from the condemnation brought by the law. Our inability to live by the law is what condemns us (This is what Luther thought. Many are not sure it is necessarily what Scripture teaches. Though, Luther’s thinking is the most common understanding in evangelical circles. Even still, in my opinion, it is widely misunderstood by the church). Salvation from condemnation is what we receive in our investiture with Christ. Salvation (investing in the righteousness of Christ) is our justification before God. Accepting Christ as our atonement causes God to see us as righteous, by the account imparted to us for our faith to accept the atoning work of Jesus Christ. We then have a relationship with God made available in our relationship with Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus comes as a result of our faith in Jesus and our love for one another. Having love for one another is the cornerstone of holiness. There are many ways in which we are holy. But, without love for your fellow man, holiness does not exist. Without holiness, God is waiting for you to reciprocate in your relationship with him. Salvation allows you the privilege to come to God. Holiness allows you to own the relationship with God.

In response to being asked, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus replied:

“’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 the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22:36-40 NIV)

The importance of interpersonal relationships can be seen in Jesus’ description concerning The Day of Judgment as told in Matthew 25:31-46:

“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? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit 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.’
Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’
He will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

It is interesting that these people who received their inheritance seemed to not be aware of what is required for eternal life. They were not aware that in having faith and caring for a fellow man’s needs that they were establishing a relationship with Jesus. Seeking eternal life (self-seeking as Paul says in Romans 2:8) was not their motive. It is either that they overflowed with love, or that they learned to love as they were obedient to Christ.
As for those who Jesus called “cursed”, they seemed to have thought that they served Jesus. They called Him ‘Lord’. Jesus declared:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evil doers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)

You may want to ask, “How is it that these people have the Holy Spirit by which they were empowered to prophecy, drive out demons and work miracles?”
Answer:

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
‘When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men’.” (Ephesians 4:7-8 NIV)

The people in this passage do call Jesus Lord. They believe in Jesus’ ministry and obviously the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So God recognizes them as righteous. They had faith. With that, they received gifts for the edification of the church.
So what was lacking?
Jesus said to them, “I never knew you.” Could it be as Paul says in Romans 2:9, these people were “self-seeking”? Could it be they sought to do these works in an effort to secure eternal life? In their selfishness, they were not seeking a relationship with God through holiness. These people did not consecrate themselves for God’s use?
Paul says:

“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached..” (Philippians 1:15-18 NIV)

“If anyone confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord (which these people in Matthew 7:21-23 do) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead that person will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-9)


We know what justification is: righteousness. Only, it is not our righteousness. It is Jesus’ righteousness. Through God’s plan to atone for all of humanity, we can by faith invest in the work of Jesus to atone for us. His blood covers us. Covered by His blood, God will not see our inability to pattern ourselves by the standard of the law. It is the law that causes us to know what sin is.

“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet’.” (Romans 7:7 NIV)

God said “Be holy because I am holy” [7] The law demonstrates what is unholy!

“I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” (Romans 7:10-12 NIV)

The law condemns us because we can not be holy. But, because Jesus atones for us, by investiture with His righteousness, we have been justified and free from the law which would certainly put us to death. From here, though we are not able to be completely holy by ourselves, we live our lives in the righteousness of Christ and pursue holiness as a relationship with God, Jesus and all men.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2 NIV)

We can now apply Romans 2: 6-8. In Romans 2:6-8 Paul says we will be judged according to what we have done. Christ gives us the opportunity to draw near to God. This is what it means to be saved from ‘the law of sin and death’. But, with out doing, ‘works’ we have no relationship with God. The beginnings of our relationship grow stagnant. The relationship never grows, only recedes.

In our works, we show ourselves to be the family of God, signing our membership with love.

What about the thief who was crucified on Jesus’ right at Jesus’ crucifixion from Luke twenty-three? If holiness follows righteousness and is determined by our works, why did Jesus promise the criminal that he would be with Him in paradise that day? What opportunity did the criminal have to do good works?

The testimony of most will fade with the years after they’ve left this world. However, this man who hung on a cross next to Jesus still testifies from Golgotha!
First, he repented of his wrong:

“We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.” (Luke 23:41a NIV)

He confessed with his mouth that Jesus is Lord (as Paul told us that we must do in Romans 10:9):

“Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

The evidence of the thief’s believing in his heart that Jesus would be raised from the dead is also revealed in this passage. More significantly, Jesus acknowledged the thief’s sincere belief as the thief testified to the lost, (the lost gathered at the crucifixion) concerning the identity of Jesus, The Christ:

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42 NIV)

Testimony is a vehicle by which we convey our love for mankind. When we testify of God and the work of Jesus Christ, we, in essence are saying that our desire is God’s desire: to see God and man united as a family.
By now, your perspective on salvation should be “the beginning of a relationship with God”.
By grace we are able to have a right relationship with God. Literally, we are righteous. It is only by atonement that we are saved from the condemnation of the law. This atonement comes from Christ. Our investiture with the righteousness of Jesus is how we can be called justified.
God called us to be holy as He is Holy. The standard of holiness is the law. It is where righteousness begins and holiness can be observed by God. If we are not able to fulfill the law we have no holiness. However, Jesus makes us right with God so we may pursue a holy relationship with God.
How is holiness accomplished? Holiness is reached through our relationship with one another. On this physical plane, our faith and our interaction establishes a relationship with Jesus who mediates for us that we may go before God and look on His glory without the fear of having the memory of our existence blotted out.
By fulfilling the law of having love for one another and living a life according to holiness we will be glorified.

“And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30 NIV)

What does predestined mean? It refers to you.
God planned to redeem even the gentiles before the birth of His people Israel. He predestined gentiles before He called to Abraham; before He blessed Shem and cursed Canaan (from whom gentiles come, and not excluding descendants of Japheth). God indeed saw you and your need to be redeemed long before Adam sinned.

[1] Ephesians 3:8
[2] Romans 13:10
[3] I Corinthians 9:27
[4] II Corinthians Chapter 11
[5] Chapter four, page 3, second paragraph
[6] Chapter four, page 5, first paragraph
[7] Leviticus 11:44