Jesus Is The Standard, The Way, The Truth, and the Life, and the Righteousness.

Personal Thoughts on Biblical Issues.

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Jesus said in John 7, speaking to the Jews in the Temple:

^16 [c]Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. ¹⁷ If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. ¹⁸ He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. ¹⁹ Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” (I bolded verse 18 because many of Armstrongism are speaking from themselves, seeking their own glory, trying to convince people of who they are.)

 It's really amazing that he was speaking to Jews who honestly believed they were "keeping the Law" properly. But here, he counters some opposition within the Temple. Note that this was preached in the middle of the Feast - when they thought they were observing the Law properly in the keeping of commanded convocation.

It's even more interesting that Jesus told the Jews "why do you seek to kill Me." Of course, the Jews didn't understand where Jesus was coming from - they then accused Jesus of having a demon, not understanding what He was saying.

Jesus then told them plainly. He said "I did one work, and you all marvel." He then said that Moses gave the Jews circumcision - but not really Moses, but the fathers - and they have no problem doing circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the Law of Moses is not broken. And yet there's Jesus, who does a righteous act of making someone completely well on the Sabbath. Jesus then clarifies exactly what He is saying: "Don't judge according to appearance - but on what is righteous."

There's a big lesson here when it comes to Armstrongism - which was based almost totally on appearance. How you dressed, what you did, how you did it, when you did, and the list goes on and on. If it appeared this way or that way - there were spies in the congregations to report such appearance so that it does not soil the "appearance" of the Church.

Jesus however had a different way of looking at it.

Jesus said judge on what is righteous, and what is not - even to those who were under the Law, because Jesus had not yet risen yet. This was said even when the Law was in full effect! The New Covenant was already in His blood - and he was teaching a new and unique way to live.

So what's righteous then? How do you judge on what is righteous?

Righteousness is first and foremost not found by the "works of the Law". Jesus Himself said that not one of the Jews was "keeping the Law", even though they thought they were. Even in the days when the Law was in full force, as Jesus was talking to those who were under the Law, he was stating that the Law itself does nothing to make one declared righteous. The answer is elsewhere, because all the Law does is make someone aware of their sinful selves.

Romans 3:20: "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin."

God, through Jesus, then, made him - Jesus - who had no sin to BE that sin for us so we would then be able to become the righteousness of God. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 - "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Judging on what then is righteous - would be to furst understand what Jesus has enable through His becoming sin for us, and establishing the grace of God that gives salvation to all: To say "no" to ungodliness and fleshly passions, and to live and do right. 

Titus 2:11-12 - "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."

Doing right is defined in Matthew 25: Living a life in love and in service to people in need. Feeding the hungry, visiting the jailed, helping the sick, the orphans, the widowed, the poor. The righteousness that God is talking about is given only through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Jew AND Gentile alike, apart from the Law. This is why it's so important to die to sin and to live Christ.

Herbert Armstrong always preached "Sin is the transgression of the Law". But Righteousness is not obtained by the "keeping" of the Law. Romans 8 says there is no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ - for the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the Law of Sin and Death. In other words, the cycle of death that transgression of the Law in the Old Covenant always produced, and that Herbert always said came up to bite you if you transgressed the Law - why you always feared you would "never make it". You always had to "obey the Law" even though it was - as Jesus said - impossible to do.

The difference is the appearance of righteousness, the new system of judgement that Jesus used when it came to works - that angered the Jews so maddeningly. The system of Jesus was simple, even under the OT Law: "It's not how it appears in accordance to the Law. It's how righteous the act is."

In the New Testament - Righteousness is fully made known and is given through faith in Christ to all, regardless if one is a Jew (who had the Law) or Gentile (who did not have or observe the Law).

Romans 3:21 - "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile."

Dying to sin and living to righteousness was no longer judged by the Law - but by living for righteousness in all that you do, WHENEVER you do it!

1 Peter 2:24: "“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”"

In fact - Christ is the culmination of the Law. This means the Law completely culminated - reached its purpose - in the Person of  Jesus Christ to enable the revealing of righteousness to all.

Romans 10:4: "Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." 

So what then is the bottom line?

Galatians 2:15-16 "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

It is not about the appearance of Law Keeping - since not one person can keep the Law, especially since it had been rendered totally obsolete with the destruction of the Temple. The judgement now is about righteousness, faith, and goodness in Jesus - or, as scripture says: Righteousness, peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit - THAT'S the Kingdom of God (Romans 14:17) - not about the physical, or some sort of dictatorial Government under the Law of Sin and Death. There is, therefore, NO Condemnation, for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the Law of the Spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus has set you FREE from the Law of Sin and Death. (Romans 8).