All verses below are from the NKJV.
“… everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
(1 John 2:29)
“… whoever does NOT practice righteousness is NOT of God …”
(1 John 3:10)
“He who practices righteousness is righteous,
just as He is righteous.” (1 John 3:7)
“In this the children of God and the children of the devil
are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness
is NOT of God, NOR is he who does NOT love his brother.”
(1 John 3:10)
“… whoever fears Him and works righteousness
is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:35)
“… (slaves) of obedience leading to righteousness”
(Romans 6:16)
“… slaves of righteousness for holiness.” (Romans 6:19)
God does NOT practice righteousness for BACs.
BACs must do the practicing of righteousness for themselves.
From the verses above, do we agree?
God only invites into heaven …
those who have a standing of righteousness before Him,
those whom He considers righteous.
The implication of these verses that does not sit well with faith onlyists is that one must do righteousness in order to be righteous, that is, one must first do a WORK (do God's righteousness) in order for one can be righteous. No one is unconditionally born righteous, no one is unconditionally made righteous, righteousnesss is not just an idea passed from one person to another. 1 John 3:12 the type of work one does, either righteous or unrighteous works, determine if a person is righteous before God or unrighteous. Again, the terms 'righteous' or 'unrighteous' are not terms arbitrarily, unconditionally assigned to men apart from what men do, apart from man's obedience to God.
1 John 3:10 "
whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God" The verb 'doeth' being present tense shows as long as one continues to not do righteousness he continues to not be of God. 1 Peter 3:12 "the righteous" are contrasted from those who continue to "do evil". The only solution to keep from being unrighteous/doing evil is doing righteousness.
Acts of the Apostles 10:35 "
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Is thise verse teaching one must EARN God's acceptance by working righteousness? No, working righteousness is a necessary precondition God has placed upon His free gift of accepatance, grace, mercy.
Romans 10:3 "
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." Those Jews, Paul's brethren in the flesh (Romans 10:1) were lost, unrighteous because they would not do God's righteousness. Psalms 119:172 all God's commandments are righteouness. Hence those Jews were unrighteous for they would not obeysubmit themselves in doing God's will, they would not believe, would not confess, would not obey the gospel (Romans 10:16). Does obeying God's righteousness EARN salvation? No, for God has made obeying the gospel a necessary precondition in order to receive the free gift of salvation for those that 'obey not the gosple of Christ' will be lost (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
Romans 6:16 one obeys UNTO righteousness. Impossible to be righteous apart from obeying God's will.
Objections raised:
1)
But doesn't Isaiah 64:6 say our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. This verse is speaking speicifically of Israel at a time Israel was in sin "
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" and "
for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities" therfore cannot be applied to all men universally. Isaiah 64:5 "
Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness..." Those not living in inquity but instead "worketh righteousness" God meets/helps them and does NOT count their righteousness a filthy rags.
2)
Did not Paul say none are righteous in Romans 3? The context where Paul took this OT quote speaks of those who are righteous (Psalms 14:5). Abel was righteous (Hebrews 11:4). Therefore Paul must be using the term 'righteous' in the absolute sense, that being, no man is absolutely, perfectly righteous in and of himself apart from Christ. Therefore absolute righteousness must come through Christ, those who obey Christ submitting to water baptism have all their sins washed away by Christ and as long as they continue to walk in the light all their sin are continually washed away by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7) whereby one can then stand righteous before God without sin being in Christ and clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness (Galatians 3:27) having put on Christ. When Christ died, His shed blood flowed backwards to cleanse away the sins of those obedient OT characters as Abel (Hebrews 9:15) washing away all of his sins leaving him righteous before God.
3)
"The verses don't say that"
To a faith onlyist they would not but to the rest of us they do.