Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. (This is in your Bibles)
[HR][/HR]
Isaiah 64:6
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Romans 3:10
As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;
(These are also in your Bibles)
Job was righteous because of this...
1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you:
he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Job simply did the right thing and lived his life according to the will of God. His heart was set on doing the right thing in accordance with the will of God.
The righteousness of Job can be compared to the righteousness of the parents of John the Baptist for they walked in the same faith.
Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luk 1:6 And
they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. Just as Abel was righteous...
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that
he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Was the righteousness of Job, Zacharias, Elisabeth and Abel as filthy rags before God? Of course not. Isaiah was crying out to God as a human being and thus generally associating himself with the rebellion of man.
Isa 64:6 is not a verse in isolation and cannot be quoted to universally support that all people, everywhere, all the time are wicked. To do that is to misuse Scripture.
Isaiah does this many times for example...
Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Had Isaiah made an agreement with hell? Had Isaiah made lies his refuge? Had Isaiah hid himself under falsehood? Of course not.
Yet anyone could snip that verse out of context and apply it in such a manner if they chose to do so.
Here is the full context of Isaiah 64:6...
Isa 64:1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
Isa 64:2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
Isa 64:3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Isa 64:5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isa 64:7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Isa 64:9 Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
Isa 64:10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Isa 64:11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
Isa 64:12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
It is very important that we be very careful in what manner we hear things. When Jesus was tempted Satan used the Scripture in a false manner. His ministers today do the same thing and they can be found very convincing.
Likewise Romans 3:10 is presented with a context that both the "nations" of the Jews and Gentiles are found to be under sin and when Paul makes the statement in Romans 3:10 he is quoting the sentiment found in...
Psa 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psa 14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Psa 14:3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Psa 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
Psa 14:5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Psa 14:6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Psa 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Psa 53:1 To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
Psa 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
Psa 53:3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Psa 53:4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
Psa 53:5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
Psa 53:6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Notice that the context of the "none righteous, not one" is in regards to the "fool" who denied God in their heart. It is those people who are filthy and work iniquity.
Notice in Hebrews 11 where it speaks of the righteousness of Abel how it connects his righteousness to faith...
Heb 11:1 Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:4
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
It was the faith of Abel that bore witness that he was a righteous man. Compare that to what Paul writes...
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith.
Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but
faith which worketh by love.
Genuine righteousness flows out of a genuine faith. Genuine faith is premised upon the heart truly being yielded to the will of God. Hence men like Job, Abel, Zacharias and others are righteous simply because they do the right thing from the heart, a heart yielded to the will of God.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and
that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
With that in mind read Romans 3...
Rom 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Paul refers to those of Jewish descent.
Rom 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
The advantage of the Jew was that they had been given direct instruction from God.
Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Does disobedience to God make faith of none effect? Of course not.
Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Rom 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Here Paul is speaking of the national unrighteousness of the Jews and how it clearly gives contrast to the righteousness of God. Yet does such a contrast being made (and how God uses this contrast) mean that God is unjust in judging sinners? Of course not.
Rom 3:6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Rom 3:7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Is Paul admitting that he is lying here? No. He is simply contrasting lies to truth, sin to righteousness. God uses sin as a contrast to His righteousness.
Rom 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
Due to God using sin to magnify His glory should be do evil that His glory may abound? No of course not. Paul is using the same sentiment here that he uses in Rom 6:1 where he asks should we sin so that grace will abound more?
Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
So now Paul asks that due to the above are the Jewish people better than the Gentile people?
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
No they are not. For both the Jewish people and the Gentile people are concluded under sin. Paul is not quoting the sentiment of Psa 14 and Psa 53 which is speaking of men in rebellion.
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Paul is speaking of the workers of iniquity BOTH Jew and Gentile. He is not speaking of the righteous, those who abide in the will of God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Paul is speaking of the workers of iniquity BOTH Jew and Gentile. He is not speaking of the righteous, those who abide in the will of God.
Rom 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Rom 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Were the mouths of Job, Abel, Zachariah and Daniel full of cursing and bitterness? See how the false teachers twist Rom 3:10 out of context? It is very easy to fool those who don't really study the context of these verses.
Rom 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
Rom 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
Rom 3:17 And the way of peace have they not known:
Rom 3:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Job 1:1 specifically states that Job feared God so CLEARLY Paul is not speaking about people like Job in these verses. Paul is speaking about the wicked people of BOTH the Jews and the Gentiles. None of them are righteous, none of them seek God, none of them do good, all their righteousness is as filthy rags.
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Sin is not imputed where there is no law (Rom 5:13).
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The law does not and cannot justify because the law only pertains to OUTWARD DEEDS and not the INWARD HEART. Thus the law gives us knowledge of sin becuause it is instructive or righteous behaviour.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Jesus Christ manifested righteousness without the law. The manifestation of this righteousness was LOVE. Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, soul and mind and that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbour as ourself. Love out of a pure heart is the bedrock of true rigtheousness.
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
The righteousness of God is by the FAITH of Jesus Christ. That is a faith that works by love (Gal 5:6) for it is love that fulfills the law (Rom 13:10). This love is upon those who BELIEVE because those who BELIEVE are abiding in the doctrine of Christ, they abide in the vine without which we can do nothing.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
All have sinned, both Jews and Gentiles.
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
The justification of both Jew and Gentile is freely by the grace of God through the redemption that is IN Jesus Christ. We must ABIDE IN CHRIST. Compare to Rom 8:2 where Paul writes how it is the Spirit of life IN Jesus Christ which sets us free from the law of sin and death. Then look up the word redemption for it literally means to be set free from bondage by payment of a ransom. The death of Christ was an offering made on our behalf whereby we could approach God and enter into Covenant (dedicated with the blood of Jesus) through repentance and faith and be restored to favour. This redemption is a MANIFEST REALITY which is implicitly connected to PURITY OF HEART.
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Jesus was set forth as an offering by which our previous sins could be expiated (passed over/washed away) when we forsake our old man (who was in rebellion to God) and identify ourselves (in word and deed) with Jesus Christ by entering into the Spirit of His life. The blood of Jesus is what dedicates the covenant we enter into with God (Heb 9:18-20) hence we are "enjoined unto God by covenant via the blood."
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
God is just in justifying us because this dynamic produces genuine purity of heart and thus God's grace is not treated as a license to rebel again.
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
This dynamic leaves no room for boasting because it is wrought directly by the work of God. All we do is abide in that work with a true heart which results in a total inward transformation.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
We are thus justified by faith (which works by love) without the deeds of the law. In other words salvation is wrought INWARD OUT as opposed to OUTWARD IN.
Rom 3:29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
This dynamic applies to BOTH the Jews and the Gentiles.
Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
God justifies BOTH the Jews and the Gentiles by FAITH.
Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Does faith void the law? No it does not, it fulfills it or establishes it. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled IN those who walk after the Spirit (Rom 8:2).
Now continue reading Romans 4 where Paul explains justification without works (works of the law) and teaches about the faith of Abraham.
It is a beautiful thing.
God bless.
