The righteousness of God, the faith of Jesus Christ, all the believing ones, no difference

None righteous;
God provided righteousness;
How? Faithfulness of Christ:
And freely applied to each elect
No difference: this is the one and only way.

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:

Here is a wonderful passage understood by few. and messed up by many even though it declares the essence of the gospel of God.

Let us draw out four truths packed in this one verse.

1. First remember the context of this passage: The Divine Diagnosis

- "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." Rom 3:10

- All, without exception, “no, not one”, are under the just and righteous condemnation because of sin.

- Sin has brought the wages of condemnation and death.

- Without righteousness, each man stands and remains justly condemned

2. The Divine Provision

- "Even the righteousness of God..."

- This is often mistaken as the attribute of God.

- This announces the righteousness of God's own provision.

- God Himself provided the righteousness for His people who have none.

- How did He do it? What is His means or instrument?

3. The Divine Instrument

- "which is by faith of Jesus Christ..."

- This declares the means God provided His own righteousness. How did God provide the righteousness necessary for the justification and life of His people?

- Faith (a feminine noun) has the meaning of fidelity or faithfulness. Check here: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4102&t=KJV

- It is by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ in rendering perfect obedience to the complete law of God that the righteousness required by God for the justification of His people is provided for.

- John 17:4 KJV — “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”  I have finished the work speaks of Christ’s faithfulness.

- John 6:38 KJV — “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” These words declare Christ’s faithfulness.

- Righteousness is through the obedience to the law of God, sin is the transgression of the law of God; sin brings condemnation and death but righteousness secures justification and life.

- God's free and gracious provision of righteousness by Christ is remotely related to the faith or the believing act of any man in Christ. That's a popular notion, but a fable nevertheless.

- If your Bible reads. "by faith in Jesus Christ," consider burning it because you have been grievously deceived. God's provision of righteousness in Jesus Christ was prior to and independent of your faith in Christ.

- Many are also deceived when they say that "by faith of Jesus Christ" means the faith that comes from Christ to them. What use is the gift of faith to one without righteousness, i.e. still in the native state of condemnation and death?

- Faith is worked by the indwelling Spirit of adoption in the children of God, thus enabling them to believe. Gal5:22.

4. The Divine Grace

- "unto all and upon all them that believe..."

- This righteousness of God's own provision through His Son Jesus Christ is upon all the believing ones. “All them that believe” is a present active participle; a verbal noun “all the believing ones.”

- They are believing ones BECAUSE this righteousness of God's own provision by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ has been freely applied to them by God.

- Many who are addicted to soundbyte read this to mean that believing is the condition to have this righteousness bestowed upon them; that’s the popular “sola fide” fiction.

- This is plain foolishness - a man without righteousness is a man still under condemnation and death; such a man can't possibly believe in order to receive righteousness.

- Romans 3:24 KJV — Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

- There are believers because God has freely justified them by His grace. Believing is evidence of the divine grace shown.

- This is the grand statement of the Old Baptists; they understood the truth: "The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith; but the reason why they have faith IS because they are justified."

5. The Divine Impartiality

- "for there is no difference..."

- There is none righteous; by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified; all have sinned and are under the just condemnation of sin and death.

- There is only one righteousness by which sinners can be justified by God, even the righteousness of His own provision which is by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ; this righteousness is freely bestowed by God upon those still under their condemnation of sin and death; it is freely by God's grace.

- Righteousness is NOT bestowed to a man through his faith. That's a lie and sadly, so many believe it.

These are gospel truths, the good news of what God HAS DONE for His people. Believing in Jesus Christ give evidence to that divine work of grace.

May the Lord grant you understanding. Amen.

Believe lies no more.

Prosperity, or Poverty - Take heed, therefore, how ye hear

Take heed, therefore, how ye hear.
It has both great, and grievous consequences.

Brother Hin Cheong led the saints in our first worship service; he read and exhorted us from Mt 13:10-17. (I took down these notes)

Take heed, therefore, how ye hear; 

it has both great, and grievous consequences. Read on.

Matthew 13

10 ¶ And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 ¶ He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

This is addressed to God's children.

We are directed to consider three sobering truths drawn out from the passage:

1. A sublime gift has been given you

- "because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." How much do you think of this gift?

- we have been uniquely and exceedingly blessed by the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ; we have been justified, regenerated, and adopted as children of the living God; we are given the gift of the Spirit of adoption; we have been renewed and enabled to perceive the sublime mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the glorious gospel of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

- What incredible blessings have been bestowed upon us, all freely by His grace!

- What do we do this heavenly privilege, given the spiritual ability to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven?

- Will you take advantage of it unto His glory, or will it be squandered unto our own poverty and ruin?

2. An incredible incentive to utilize the gift

- "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance."

- Whosoever has the desire to utilize the spiritual gift to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

- This ability to perceive spiritual things will be blessed to understand more and greater spiritual truths.

- Of such is said, "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear."

- They shall be established and grounded in their most holy faith; they shall have great hope and assurance, and confidence; they shall not be tossed to and fro by every wind of falsehood; they shall be made teachers, to lead others unto the truth.

- Let us be found as faithful stewards of this incredible gift for the glory of God and for our own well being and usefulness in His kingdom. Don't neglect it like the wicked servants did.

3. A solemn warning against neglecting the gift

- "but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." Do you shudder at these words?

- What is it that he has not, and what is it that he has that shall be taken away?

- He has the gift but acted likes the wicked servant; he buried that gift, he does not have the faithfulness in using that gift to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

- He is slothful and negligent in hearing; he hears but is forgetful; he is hearing but not is a doer of the word. These are some symptoms of this evil among God's children.

- Consequences: "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Shudder at these words! It is worst than being inflicted with cancer!

- These will be among them that are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Take heed how ye hear!

(THANK YOU, Brother Hin Cheong)

What salvation is near to those who love God's word?

Who are they that can love God's word?
Are they not those whom God has ALREADY SAVED?
So, in what sense does their loving God's word save them? 

Temporal salvation is obtained by God's children through their "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Their spiritual well being and usefulness depend on it.

A biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology; without it, even the theologians most revered by the reformed folks end up talking gibberish nonsense.

The idea expressed in the meme above is a classic case of the mess up when one fails to distinguish the eternal salvation (freely bestowed upon the sinners while dead in trespasses and sins) from the temporal salvation that they (those whom God has already bestowed with eternal salvation, freely by His grace alone) must work out for themselves with fear and trembling.

The former makes the latter possible; the latter is in the context of the former. Only those whom the Lord has freely bestowed eternal salvation are capable of "loving God's word;" natural man is in enmity against God and incapable of perceiving God's word, much less loving God's word.

Temporal salvation is conditional; it is conditioned upon God's children loving His word through believing and obeying it; this will secure for them much blessings promised to them. God's children can make shipwreck of their faith through negligence and indifference to God's word; they will "find themselves salvation-less in affliction."

Temporal salvation is conditioned upon God's children loving His word, "teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Titus 2:12 KJV. Temporal salvation is obtained through "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV — Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Who will believe what wrath to come, and flee from it?

Who will flee, and flee from what wrath to come,
and has that wrath come to past?

"O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Mt 3:7

Who will flee, and flee from what wrath to come, and has that wrath come to past?

A biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology; it is essential to distinguish the eternal salvation that is entirely monergistic (it is exclusively by the free and sovereign activities of the Triune God alone and without the activities of man at all; preaching, hearing, and believing are all excluded) and the temporal salvation that is synergistic (it involves the activities of the redeemed in obedience to the will of the Father for them.)

The former was purposed by God, accomplished and secured by Christ, and is freely and sovereignly applied to each elect while still in his native state of sin and death; it is bestowed freely to one still dead in trespasses and sins.

The latter has to be worked out by the redeemed with fear and trembling; they having been bestowed with eternal salvation, made perfectly fitted for eternal glory are summoned to work out their own temporal salvation. This salvation requires the active participation of the redeemed; it is conditioned upon their obedience to the will of the Father for them.

The failure to make this biblical distinction between the monergistic eternal salvation by the Triune and the synergistic temporal through the obedience of the redeemed has spawned so much confusion.

(The meme below is loved and like 43 times and shared 29 times when I took the screenshot. Nearly all will take the passage as dealing with eternal salvation.

The one comment was astute; it reads "70Ad"; he understands; John was warning the fellow Jews of the impending destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD; it is a temporal destruction they can flee to save themselves from, to save themselves from being slaughtered and roasted like swines by the Roman armies (Luke 21:20). But very many believe the wrath spoken of refers to the lake of fire. Who can flee from that wrath?

Eternal wrath in the lake of fire is averted ONLY by the work of Jesus Christ ALONE that secured the eternal salvation; this eternal salvation is freely bestowed to each elect personally while still dead in trespasses and sins.

UNWILLINGNESS and REFUSAL to acknowledge the biblical distinction between monergistic eternal salvation and synergistic temporal salvation has left even the wise and erudite folks in confusion.

The "wise and prudent" putting the cart before the horse

The gospel makes sense ONLY to those whom God has ALREADY saved.
The gospel truth will save them from ignorance to truth; it makes them wise
unto the salvation that has been freely and sovereignly bestowed to
them while they were still dead in trespasses and sins

Putting the cart before the horse is one thing that even the so-called wise and prudent reformed folks are often guilty of.

In their erudite and enlightened understanding, the gospel (there are 4 Gospels but there is only 1 gospel) is the necessary instrument in the salvation of sinners dead in trespasses and sins. This is a common and popular error intimately related with the error of gospel regeneration, i.e. the gospel ministry is an indispensable instrument for the Holy Spirit to effect His work of regeneration.

Their error has so blinded them to the plain and obvious truth stated so simply in the Scriptures. What has bewitched them, you wonder.

Just consider this passage, for example.

1 Corinthians 1:18 KJV —

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

Can you see the unbridgeable gulf between Apostle Paul's declaration and the notion of the Protestant Reformation?

This declaration informs us that the gospel preaching comes to TWO categories of people: "them that perish", and to "them that ARE SAVED." These people are ALREADY there, and the gospel preaching comes to them.

There are them that ARE SAVED - by the free grace of God. They are already called out of their native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus - justified, regenerated and adopted, and indwelt by the Spirit of God, all ready and fitted for eternal glory. They were already effectually called PRIOR to the gospel message being brought to them. The gospel preaching comes to them. To these, the gospel message speaks of the power of God in saving them.

There are also them that perish - these are still in their native state of sin and death. To them, the same gospel is nothing but foolishness.

But the erudite and enlightened reformed folks declared that their gospel ministry is intended to save them that perish. Apostle Paul categorically declared that the gospel is foolishness to such.

The gospel ministry is DIVINELY INTENDED for THEM THAT ARE SAVED; only such can perceive the gospel as the message declaring the power of God in their salvation.

Such erudite minds are too smart to see their own obvious errors.

Oh Lord, open their eyes to see the truth of the gospel of Christ, AMEN.

The mirror of God's perfect law but who have eyes to look into it?

Who have eyes to look into the perfect mirror of God's law
to see the truth stated there?
God's children, or those still dead in trespasses and sins?

James 1:25 KJV — But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

The meme (taken from the Protestant Reformation page - administered by some RBs) stirs a question.

The perfect law of God is indeed like a mirror. The question is: Who has the sight to look into the mirror of God's perfect law and perceives what the divine mirror shows him - the sinner that he is?

What kind of men is able to perceive the truth declared by the law of God, for example, that "there is none righteous, no, not one" (KJV)?

- Men in their native state of sin and death, or

- Men whom God has graciously called out of their native state to that of grace and salvation?

"God gave us His perfect law..." - who is the pronoun "us" intended by Mr Baucham?

Unto whom is the law of God intended?

Unto whom is the law of God relevant?

Reformed folks firmly believe that the law is the sledgehammer intended to make the dead sinners conscious of their sins and drive them to Christ.