righteous – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: righteous

Romans 5:7 – Unreasonable Sacrifice

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Will

For hardly for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

Truth to Learn

It’s not reasonable that anyone would die for us.

Behind the Words

The word “hardly” is translated from the Greek word molis. It is derived from mōlos, which refers to “the pain produced by hard labor.” Hence, molis refers to something that is painful or difficult. As used in this verse it is often translated as “hardly, or scarcely.”

“Righteous man” is translated from dikios, meaning “one who always does what is right in God’s eyes.”

“Perhaps” is from the Greek word tacha, meaning “probably, possibly, or perhaps.”

The word translated “good man” is the Greek word agathos, meaning “someone possessing general goodness or benevolence.” This word refers to someone who has a reputation for doing good things to and for others.

“Dare” is from the Greek talma, meaning “courage, boldness, or confidence to do something.” It is often used in a negative sense such as, “they did not dare oppose him.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that it was while we were without the ability to do anything for our own justification that Christ died for us. I like the way Matthew Henry put it in his Commentary on the Whole Bible:

He died for the ungodly; not only helpless creatures, and therefore likely to perish, but guilty sinful creatures, and therefore deserving to perish

In this verse Paul is telling us why it is so amazing that Christ would die for us. The Jews made a three-fold division of mankind around the notions of goodness and righteousness:

A righteous person was one who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses and always did what was demanded of him or her; a person who was respected and looked up to.
A good person was someone who went beyond a strict adherence to the Law. In addition to being righteous, this person was liberal in giving to others, full of love and compassion. This type of person was not only respected but admired by all.
A sinner was one who was ungodly and wicked; one who had no regard for godliness or for others.

Paul tells us that it is unlikely that anyone would be willing to give up his own life for someone else, even though that person might be outwardly religious. He goes on to say that it is possible that someone would be willing to give up his life for a good person; someone who in not only outwardly religious but kind, benevolent, and generous. The implication is that it is highly unlikely that anyone would be willing to die for sinful scumbags like you and me.

Application

Christ died for us when we were condemned and powerless to do anything about it. We were, in fact, neither good nor righteous. Do you realize how worthless, helpless, and condemned we are without Christ? Let’s all take a moment to thank God for His great love with which He loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 3:10 – No Not One!

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Will

As it is written: There is none righteous, not even one;

Truth to Learn

None of us meets God’s standard of righteousness.

Behind the Words

The words “it is written” are translated from a single Greek verb, graphō. This word literally means “to engrave,” that is, “to write.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense. This tense in Greek indicates past completed action with an ongoing effect, but the emphasis is on the effect. Hence, we could express this as “It has been written and, therefore, is now in writing.”

“Righteous” is from the Greek word dikaios. It is based on the word dikē, which originally referred to a tendency. Gradually, this word came to mean “an established standard or custom.” So, dikaios refers to someone who has met an expected standard. The standard referred to here is God’s standard of behavior, always doing what is right.

Meaning Explained

Don’t you just hate it when someone starts quoting Scripture at you, especially when you know they’re right? Well, that’s just what Paul is doing here. He is talking to Jewish Christians in Rome who very likely know the Law and the Prophets (what we call The Old Testament). He has been skillfully showing them that whether they are Jews or not, they are no better in God’s eyes than anyone else. He now drops the other shoe!

He is quoting from both Psalms 14 and Psalms 53, which are nearly identical. His quotation, which comprises verse ten through eighteen, is really a chain of quotations and paraphrases. Here’s what Psalms 53 says:

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable wickedness; there is no one doing good. God looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Every one has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is no one doing good, not even one. (Psalms 53:1-3)

Up to this point in Paul’s discourse it still would have been possible, though improbable, that some of his Jewish Christian readers might have thought themselves better than others and acceptable to God because of their lineage and their possession of the Scriptures. Now they have no leg to stand on, so to speak. Their own Scriptures clearly condemn everyone as having turned from God and having become wicked. Paul will use this and other scripture verses from the Old Testament to show these Jewish Christians that the Scriptures which had been entrusted to them by God declare even Jews to be without righteousness.

Application

Let us now stop here and consider that before accepting Christ as Savior, none of us could have stood before God innocent in any way because we haven’t measured up to His standard. When we believed His gospel message and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we were credited with the righteousness of Christ. Without this righteousness credited to our account we are all destined for hell!

In other words, without the blood of Christ, none of us deserves heaven, not a single one of us!

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Peter 2:8 – Tortured By Sinfulness

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Will

for the righteous one dwelling among them day by day, in seeing and hearing their lawless deeds his righteous soul was tormented.

Truth to Learn

Living in the midst of sin is torture for a committed Christian.

Behind the Words

“Righteous” is translated from dikaios, which is derived from dike, meaning “that which is right or just.” It refers to someone who lives by the rules and regulations set by God.

Anomos, is the word translated “lawless.” It is made up of the privitive a, meaning “not” and nomos, meaning “the law.”

The word “tormented” comes from the Greek word basanidzō, which means “an examination by torture.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verses we talked about the wickedness of Sodom and its affect on Lot. According to verse seven God delivered “righteous Lot” who had been worn down by the lustful behavior of the lawless people of the city.

Today’s verse reiterates the fact that the actions of the people of Sodom had a tormenting and debilitating effect on Lot. Peter starts off this verse restating Lot’s righteousness as if to make the point that, in spite of his constant exposure to and oppression from the acts of the inhabitants of Sodom, Lot was indeed righteous. But he was not at peace!

The verse tells us that as Lot was living among these people, day after day, he was seeing their actions and hearing them talk about them. Apparently the thoughts and actions of the people of Sodom were constantly focused on their sinful lusts. I can just imagine all their billboards and all of their television commercials were laden with sexual innuendos and overt sexuality. I can imagine their Wall Street advertisers saying, “Sex sells our products.”

Today’s society, like Sodom of old, is controlled by lust. What we see today is a world totally focused on eating, drinking, partying, and sexuality. The effects of it are all around us, from alcoholism and drug abuse to an epidemic of obesity, to the blinding lust for power and riches, to overt depraved sexuality. In 1 John 2:16 it says,

because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

It’s all around us. We are living in the midst of it day after day. Lot was being tortured by it. We all know what happens to people who are tortured, they will say and do almost anything just to end the torture. We need to be careful in our condemnation of Lot for his own perverse reasoning, offering his daughter to protect the angels. He was being tortured!

Application

The real question is, are you being tortured by what you see and hear around you today? Do the things you see and hear daily vex your spirit? Does it bother you to see blatant sexuality portrayed in movies and advertisements day after day? Are you able to keep your desires for food, fun, and sex in their proper place? Or have you succumbed to the constant barrage of sinfulness around you so that you spend more time during the day thinking about your own desires and things of the world than you do about the God who loves you?

Here’s a quick test. Compare the amount of time you spend daily fellowshipping with God (through prayer, reading and studying the Bible, and humbling yourself before Him) to the amount of time you spend in worldly pursuits or entertainment.

Ouch, that hurts!

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Peter 3:12 – Blessing Eyes, Condemning Face

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Will

Because the eyes of the lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the lord is against those who do evil."

Truth to Learn

God is watching over and listening to His righteous children, but He frowns on those who aren’t.

Behind the Words

“Eyes” is from the Greek word ophthalmos, meaning “eye.” It is derived from the verb optanomai, meaning “to see.”

The Greek word epi, meaning “on, over, or upon” appears twice in this verse. The first time it is translated “on” and the second time it is translated “against.” The reason for this is explained below.

The word translated “righteous” is dikaios, which means “one who does right” or “one who is just.”

“Prayers” is from the Greek word dēomai, meaning “to make known one's particular need.”

The word “face” is translated from prosōpon, which is made up of pros, meaning “toward” and ōps (derived from optanomai, “to see”), referring to the area of the face around the eyes. Prosopon is nearly always translated “face.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse and the previous two verses are taken from the book of Psalms where it says:

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil … (Psalms 34:12-16a)

This demonstrates that even this common fisherman (Peter) had studied and memorized the scriptures of his day. Let us not use the excuse that the Bible is too complicated or too difficult to understand as our reason for not studying and memorizing it, since this common, uneducated fisherman was able to do it!

Isn’t it interesting that the Greek translation of this Old Testament passage used the same word (epi) for the eyes of the Lord being “on” the righteous and the face of the Lord being “against” evil doers. Here’s why. The Hebrews of that day believed that having God’s eyes on you indicated the presence of His blessing whereas having God’s face on (or over) you was an indication of His condemnation and coming wrath.

If you study the book of Romans, you will find that it is because of our faith in the blood of Jesus that we have been declared righteous by God. We have this righteousness credited to us the same way Abraham was declared righteous, because he believed God. Because we believe God’s message about His Son (He died in the cross to pay for our sins, and He arose from the grave), His eyes of blessing are on us. But those who reject God’s message regarding His Son will suffer His wrath because His face is over them watching all their faithless sin.

Application

Are God’s eyes on you or is his face against you? It all depends on your position in Christ. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, His eyes are on you. Otherwise …

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 1:6 – Righteous Judgment

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Will

since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,

Truth to Learn

God will “pay back” those who cause Christians to suffer.

Behind the Words

The word “since” is translated from eiper. This Greek word is made up of ei, which is a conditional particle usually translated as “if” and per, meaning “concerning” or “with respect to.” Eiper assumes that the condition is true and therefore is most often translated as “if indeed” or “since.”

Dikaios is the Greek adjective translated as “righteous.” It is based on the noun dikē, which means “that which is right or just.” Dikaios means that whatever word it describes is the right thing, proper thing, or just thing to do.

“Repay” is from antapodidōmi. This is a double compound word made up of anti, meaning “against” or “opposing,” apo, meaning “from” or “away from,” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” When we put these all together we see that the idea of antapodidōmi is “to give back in return.” It is often used to mean “to repay a debt that is owed to someone.”

The word “with” is from para, meaning “to the side of” or “by.” Here it has the meaning “with respect to God” or “from God’s viewpoint.”

Both of the words “tribulation” and “trouble” are based on the word thlibō, which means “to press together, to squeeze, or to cause affliction.”

Meaning Explained

After opening with a typical Pauline greeting in this letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, Paul offered up thanks to God for their growth in faith and in love. On the surface, this spiritual growth may seem unusual because the Thessalonians were suffering under the persecution from those around them. However, we see that spiritual growth, like muscular growth, only comes from repeated difficult activities. Christians for whom life is easy do not grow in their faith because they have no need for God. But Christians who are suffering from persecution have to depend on God, and they grow as a result.

Paul then told them that this persecution and their subsequent growth was evidence of God’s righteous judgment because it indicated that they were being considered worthy of God’s eternal blessing. In other words, God’s decision to provide future blessing to His chosen children is the right and proper thing for Him to do.

Now Paul looks at the other side of the coin. Not only is it right to promise future blessing to those who believe God, but it’s just as right to bring judgment against those who reject God. The non-believers in Thessalonica were causing trouble for the Christians, so Paul says that it is just and proper for God to “pay them back” for the trouble that they caused His children. Not only is this a proper action for a righteous God, it is proper for a loving father to protect and defend His children.

Application

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins, then God loves you as one of His children. Not only has He promised you eternal blessing, but He has promised to “pay back” suffering to those who cause you suffering.

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 1:6 – Righteous Judgment

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Will

since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,

Truth to Learn

God will “pay back” those who cause Christians to suffer.

Behind the Words

The word “with” is from para, meaning “to the side of” or “by.” Here it has the meaning “with respect to God” or “from God’s viewpoint.”

Both of the words “tribulation” and “trouble” are based on the word thlibō, which means “to press together, to squeeze, or to cause affliction.”

Meaning Explained

Application

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:18, 19 – Summing it Up

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:18, 19

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Truth to Learn

We all deserve God’s wrath, but we can be saved from it by believing in the death of Jesus Christ as payment for us.

Behind the Words

This verse starts off with “Therefore” which is a translation of the Greek words ara oun. These two words form what in Greek is called an “inferential conjunction,” implying that the following is a summary of that which preceded it. Hence, these two verses are a summarization of what Paul has already said several different ways in the previous verses.

Meaning Explained

These verses are a summary statement of what Paul has been saying since verse twelve. He has stated this almost repeatedly since then, so we won’t belabor it further.

However, let’s do our own quick summary of Paul’s letter so far to put this all into context. He started out by declaring that God is evident to all men, but because some refused to recognize God for who He is, He gave them up to a depraved mind so as to not only do ungodly things but also to approve of others who do the same thing.

In chapter two he showed that God judges impartially, and to those who do well He will give eternal life, but to those who are self-seeking and unrighteous He will show His wrath. He also began his argument that circumcision of the flesh and obedience to the Law do not produce righteousness.

In chapter three he went on to show that in spite of circumcision, the Jews are no better than Gentiles because, as it has been written, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” We are all sinners deserving of God’s wrath. He continues by saying that the righteousness of God has been revealed, and it is the righteousness that only comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

In chapter four Paul cited Abraham as an example. He showed that Abraham was justified by faith when he believed God’s promise and his faith was credited to him for righteousness. Then, Paul went on to point out that Abraham was declared righteous years before he was circumcised. Obedience came after righteousness-producing faith, not the other way around.

Now in this chapter he points out that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, the Godly for the ungodly. And he said that we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because just as the sin of one man (Adam) caused us all to be sinners (and now there is none righteous, no not one), so the righteous act of one man (Jesus) results in righteousness (justification) being available to all men. By Adam’s disobedience all were made sinners and by Jesus’ obedience many (those who believe) will be made righteous.

Application

In spite of all your good intentions and good deeds, God says that you are unrighteous and deserving of His wrath. But, by believing in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins, He will declare you to be righteous. Do you believe?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 5:7 – Unreasonable Sacrifice

Posted on February 4, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:7

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

Truth to Learn

It’s not reasonable that anyone would die for us.

Behind the Words

The word “scarcely” is translated from the Greek word molis. It is derived from mōlos, which refers to “the pain produced by hard labor.” Hence, molis refers to something that is painful or difficult. As used in this verse it is often translated as “hardly, or scarcely.”

“Righteous man” is translated from dikios, meaning “one who always does what is right in God’s eyes.”

“Perhaps” is from the Greek word tacha, meaning “probably, possibly, or perhaps.”

“Dare” is from the Greek talma, meaning “courage, boldness, or confidence to do something.” It is often used in a negative sense such as, “they did not dare oppose him.”

Meaning Explained

He died for the ungodly; not only helpless creatures, and therefore likely to perish, but guilty sinful creatures, and therefore deserving to perish

In this verse Paul is telling us why it is so amazing that Christ would die for us. The Jews made a three-fold division of mankind around the notions of goodness and righteousness:

· A righteous person was one who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses and always did what was demanded of him or her; a person who was respected and looked up to.

· A good person was someone who went beyond a strict adherence to the Law. In addition to being righteous, this person was liberal in giving to others, full of love and compassion. This type of person was not only respected but admired by all.

· A sinner was one who was ungodly and wicked; one who had no regard for godliness or for others.

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:24 – Free Righteousness

Posted on November 23, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:24

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

Through faith in Jesus Christ we are declared to be righteous.

Behind the Words

“Being justified” is translated from dikaioō. This is based on dikaios, which as we saw in verse ten means “meeting God’s standard of always doing what is right.” The oō ending of a verb generally indicates “bringing out something about a person.” The verb is expressed here in the passive voice indicating action done to someone. So, this word means that someone is being declared righteous.

The word translated “freely” is dorean, an adverb based on the noun dorea, which refers to “a gift.” Hence, dorean means “gratuitously” or “as a free gift.”

“Grace” is translated from charis, which refers to “a favor done without expectation of anything in return.”

The word “redemption” is translated from apolutrōsis, which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and a form of lutron, which means “a ransom that is paid for someone.” It denotes the rescuing of captives (sinners) from captivity (sin) through the payment of a ransom for them.

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues on his statement of justification by faith, declaring to us that even though we are all sinners and have come short of God’s glory, we can be declared righteous (justified). Since we are all sinners, we need to be redeemed. So what does this mean? The fact that Paul used apolutrōsis instead of simply lutron implies that not only was a ransom paid for us (the blood of Jesus Christ) but, having paid that ransom, He also took us away from the captor (sin).

Here’s a deeper explanation of what this verse says.

Because of the faith spoken of in verse 22, because we believed in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, even though we are sinners, we are justified (declared righteous by God) freely (without payment on our part, simply as a gift) by God’s grace (a favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God) through the ransom that was paid for us by Jesus Christ (His blood), and we have been taken out of our captivity by sin.

Wow! Read that again!

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul said almost the same thing in a slightly different way:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Application

Paul has shown us that there is no way we could earn the righteousness that we need to stand before Almighty God. He has also shown us that we can obtain that righteousness for free simply by believing in the blood of Christ.

If that doesn’t drive us to our knees in praise and adoration, nothing will!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 3:6 – Righteous Judge

Posted on October 21, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:6

Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

Truth to Learn

Our righteous God will one day judge everyone.

Behind the Words

“Certainly not!” is from the Greek words mē genoito, which we explained in verse four. However, what we didn’t mention there is that this is expressed in the rare “optative mood,” which is a use that expresses a separation from reality as much as any mood in Greek. In other words, Paul is saying that there is no possible way that this could be reality. It is an expression that is a particular favorite of the Apostle Paul. Of the 15 times this expression is found in the Bible, 14 of them are in his writings.

The word translated “judge” is the Greek word krinō. The basic meaning of this word is “to separate or to distinguish between good and evil.” It is a judicial word that implies a trial and most often is used to denote condemnation and punishment.

Meaning Explained

Keep in mind that Paul is posing and answering rhetorical questions that the Jewish Christians in Rome would likely have expressed against his treatise on the advantages and disadvantages of being a Jew. His rhetorical question in the previous verse was,

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.)

His response to this question is, “Certainly not!” What Paul is saying is that God is in no way unrighteous in his judgment of sin even though such judgment glorifies Him. It is not wrong for God to receive glory as a result of our sinfulness; otherwise, how could He judge the world? To the Jewish mind it is an unarguable fact that God will someday judge the world.

And we Christians also know from the New Testament writings that the Creator will one day judge all sin and will condemn all sinners to the lake of fire. But we also know that those who have humbled themselves at the foot of the cross, having accepted the sacrifice of Jesus as payment for their sins, will not receive this judgment. Instead, because of our faith, we have already been declared as righteous.

Paul will talk more about this righteousness which has been credited to us later in this chapter. He will even show that such righteousness is ours through faith:

even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; (Romans 3:22)

Remember that God is holy, meaning that He is set apart from sin and sinfulness. It is part of what He is. God cannot do wrong because of His holiness. That’s why Jesus, as completely man and completely God at the same time, could not commit a sin, which is also why He was able to sacrifice His life for us – the sinless One for the sinners.

Application

Every man, woman, and child will stand before the Judge one day. Only those who are as righteous as Jesus Christ will be spared from the Lake of Fire. In just a few verses Paul will declare that none of us is righteous except through faith in Christ. Do you have that righteousness?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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