All posts by Larry

The Answer

Philippians 3:9-10 English Standard Version

9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 

This is the answer to Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”

God considers us righteous because we have placed our faith in the atoning work of His Son.

What God thinks of us should be the only thing that matters.

I said yesterday that both sides judge each other. The immoral judge the moral as being self-righteous  that is a lie they tell themselves. We know we have no righteousness of our own and if there is any good thing in us, it is His indwelling Spirit.

While we have the Spirit of Truth to show us what is right we still have to make right choices. Love is a free will choice. Trying as hard as we can, we don’t always make the right choices.

We are sinners saved by grace but sinners none the less.

1 John 1:5-10 English Standard Version

Walking in the Light

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

His Word is Truth whether we want to admit it or not. The most important part of these verses is “he is faithful and just”. If we rely on our own efforts we are returning back to keeping law as a justification for salvation. That did not work in our former life, so what makes us think that it works that way now?

Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.

Accept the chastening as a sign of His love towards us when we mess up and we will.

Morality

Psalm 11:7 Amplified Bible

For the Lord is [absolutely] righteous, He loves righteousness (virtue, morality, justice);
The upright shall see His face.

Isaiah 59:14 New English Translation

Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed, honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.

The word morality is only used in these two versions of the bible. The psalm uses it to identify traits of righteousness. In Isaiah the word uprightness is translated morality.

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Morality:

See ETHICS

Nave’s Topical Bible

Morality:

See DUTY OF MAN TO MAN; INTEGRITY; NEIGHBOR

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Historical Sketch of Ethics.

A comprehensive treatment of our subject would naturally include a history of ethics from the earliest times to the present. For ethics as a branch of philosophical inquiry partakes of the historical development of all thought, and the problems which it presents to our day can be rightly appreciated only in the light of certain categories and concepts-such as end, good, virtue, duty, pleasure, egoism and altruism-which have been evolved through the successive stages of the movement of ethical thoughts.

Professors love to make things complicated. I love simplicity.

Morality is a human construct by which man judges one another to make themselves feel superior. Both sides judge the other.

James 2:4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Making distinctions is another way of saying morality is a human construct. Throughout history the needle that divides moral from immoral swings from  one side to another isolating people into smaller and larger groups. Misery loves company and so do the righteous. As society changes the scale swings back towards the moral side while decreasing the number of people judged as immoral. The bible ties morality to righteousness.

Romans 3:10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”