Obedient Steps of Faith – BT17:  Obedient Work of Faith is NOT WORKS for righteousness

 

 

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The Greek Septuagint Old Testament (OT) uses the noun pistis for trusting-relying-faith only 26 times (0.11%) (a) as compared to 296 times (3.7%) in the NT, or the verb form pisteuo only a 43 times (0.19%) in the OT (b) compared to 222 times (2.8%) in the NT.  Total OT usage is 69 times (0.29%) compared to 518 times (6.5%) in the New Testament (NT).  That means the NT use of “faith” words is 2141% more than the OT!  Clearly the emphasis of the NT is completely-different-in-kind than that of the OT!

 

<Notes> a) Deuteronomy 32:20; 1 Samuel 21:2, 26:23; 2 Kings 12:15, 22:7; 1 Chronicles 9:22, 31; 2 Chronicles 31:12, 18; 34:12; Nehemiah 9:38; Psalms 32:4; Proverbs 3:3; 12:17; 14:22; 15:27; Jeremiah 5:1, 7:28, 9:3; 15:18, 35:9, 39:41; 40:6; Lamentations 3:23; Hosea 2:20, and Habakkuk 2:4, b) Genesis 15:6, 42:20, 45:26; Exodus 4:1, 8, 14:31, 19:9; Numbers 14:11, 20:12; Deuteronomy 9:23, 28:66; 1 Samuel 3:21, 27:12; 1 Kings 10:7; 2 Kings 17:14; 2 Chronicles 9:6, 24:5, 32:15, Job 4:18, 9:16, 15:15, 31; 24:22, 29:24, 39:12; Psalms 26:13; 77:22, 105:12, 115:1, 118:66; Proverbs 14:15, 24:24; Isaiah 7:9, 28:16, 43:10, 53:1; Jeremiah 12:6, 25:8, 47:14; Lamentations 4:12; Daniel 6:23; Jonah 3:5; and Habakkuk 1:5.

 

Here’s a more extreme statement from a scholarly work about unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace:  “There is no word in the Hebrew OT that can represent all the meanings of charis grace in the NT (118 verses), and in the OT Greek Septuagint charis itself is practically used only as a translation of the Hebrew chen (favor) or ratson (acceptance) in such passages as Isaiah 60:10 and Psalms 44:3, or chesed (kindness or mercy) as in Exodus 20:6, etc.  That is because technically, salvation by grace in the NT is opposed to the OT doctrine of salvation by works (a), or what is the same thing, by Law (b) – i.e. men and God are thought of as parties to a contract-covenant, to be fulfilled by each independently.  Most of the legislation seems to presuppose some idea of man as an entity quite outside of God.  But the promise is made that the God who has manifested Himself as a forgiving Father will in due time take hold of His children to work IN them actual righteousness (c).” <Notes> a) Romans 4:4; 11:6, 2 Timothy 1:9, b) Romans 4:16, 6:14; John 1:17 “The Law was given through Moses, but [singular] unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace and [singular] Truth came-into-being through Jesus Christ”, c) Isaiah 1:26; 4:3-4; 32:1-8; 33:24; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 36:25-26; Zechariah 8; Daniel 9:24; Psalms 51:10-12.

 

Paul said whether you obeyed the Torah Law of conditional-favor or not, it counts (a) for absolutely-in-fact-NO thing (b) because the circumcised Jew or uncircumcised Gentile (c) are both made/declared righteous by pistis trusting-relying-faith alone (d) by “God’s charis unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace as a charismati grace-gift through the redemption…in Christ” (e), having been resurrected into a new creation by trusting-relying-faith (f), and “the promised Spirit (g) is received by trusting-relying-faith” (h).  <Notes> a) is strong, forceful, robust, sound, able, serviceable, b) Galatians 5:6, c) circumcision is the identifying seal of the Law for a Jew, d) Romans 3:30, e) Romans 3:24, f) Colossians 2:12, g) Luke 24:49; Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:13, h) Galatians 3:14; cf. v. 3:2, 5,

 

Furthermore, the “free grace-gift of God” is “zoe genuine-life everlasting in Christ” (a) when we are “made/declared righteous by trusting-relying-faith…by His blood …. saved by His zoe genuine-life . . . a free grace-gift …the unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace of God …the free grace-gift by that unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace of the one man Jesus . . . receiving the abundance of unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace and the free grace-gift of righteousness . . . through one man Jesus (b). The “promise relies on trusting-relying-faith that it may rest on unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace” (c), having “obtained access by trusting-relying-faith into this unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace” (d).  You can see that faith and grace go together as unique to the NT.  <Notes> a) Romans 6:23, b) Romans 5:1-17, c) Romans 4:16, d) Romans 5:2.

 

So the emphasis of the NT is trusting-relying-faith in God’s unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace for righteousness and no longer on the works of the Law for righteousness as was the OT (a):  “The gospel ongoingly exists-as the enabling-power of God for salvation to everyone who is routinely/habitually having trusting-relying-faith, and only “in/by it the righteousness of God is revealed ek out-from ‘trusting-relying-faith eis toward-and-reaching-the-goal-of trusting-relying-faith (b) just as it is written, ‘The righteous [ones] shall indeed zoe genuinely-live ek out-from trusting-relying-faith” (c) for “NOW the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God dia through-the-realizing-channel-of trusting-relying-faith in Jesus Christ [given] for all who have trusting-relying-faith” (d), for “it is evident that absolutely-in-fact-NO one is justified/made-declared righteous before God ek out-from the Law but-instead ek out-from trusting-relying-faith in Jesus Christ” (e).  For more about grace vs. works, see Grace-Gifts – BT2 and about faith vs. works, see Only 2 Commandments – BT1.

 

<Notes> a) Galatians 2:16, 21, 3:11; Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:20, 28, b) “faith to faith” is a common Greek structure for one level to another, from one step to another, like “glory to glory” in 2 Corinthians 13:8, c) Romans 1:16-17, d) Romans 3:21-22, e) Galatians 2:16, 3:11.

 

Again Paul says in regards to the Law:  “At the present time there is a remnant, chosen by unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace.  But if it is by unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace, it is absolutely-in-fact-NO longer on the basis of ergon ‘works/doings;’ otherwise unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace would absolutely-in-fact-NO longer be unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace” (a), exactly because “to the one who ergo ‘does/works,’ his wages are absolutely-in-fact-NOT counted as unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace but as his due.  And to the one who does in-possibility-NOT ergo ‘does/work’ but routinely/habitually is having trusting-relying-faith in Him who justifies the ungodly, his trusting-relying-faith is counted as righteousness” (b).  Here the context is the ergon ‘doings/works’ of the Law as a Jew (c).  Paul says: “You have been saved by-the-means-of unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace dia thru-the-realizing-channel-of trusting-relying-faith – and this is not your own doing; THIS is the grace-gift of God, absolutely-in-fact-NOT a result of ergon ‘doings/works,’ so that no one may boast” (d).

 

<Notes> a) Romans 11:5-7, cf. Romans 9:27; Acts 15:17, b) Romans 4:4-5, c) Romans 3:20, 27-28, cf. Galatians 2:16, d) Ephesians 2:8-9:  The Greek neuter “THIS” pronoun doesn’t point back to feminine “grace” or “faith” but to the entire phrase “saved by grace dia thru faith” – a common argument of Paul’s – not through our works!

 

Faith in Jesus is the only saving ergon ‘doing/work’ – see Logos Word of God – BT5.  The Jews asked:  “What must we ongoingly poieo make-to-do/work, in order to ongoingly be ergazomai working-to-accomplish the ergon ‘doings/works’ of God?” (a).  Jesus answered: “This is “the ergon ‘doing/work’ . . . that [does not] perish, the [work] for the food that routinely/habitually meno ‘abides, remains, lives’ [unto] zoe genuine-life everlasting, which the Son of Man will give to you . . .This is the ergon ‘doing/work’ of God:  that you ongoingly have trusting-relying-faith eis toward-and-reaching-the-goal-of Him (Christ) whom He (God) has sent.”  Compare the first part of a 2-part commandment of God in 1 John 3:23 – see Logos Word of God – BT15.  <Notes> a) John 6:27-29.

 

Righteousness only comes from trusting-relying-faith in the “Holy and Righteous One” (a), otherwise there is “none righteous, no, not one . . . all have turned aside . . . for ALL have sinned and/coupled fall short of the glory of God” (b).  However, “Christ Jesus became to us wisdom from God, righteousness – both holiness/sanctification and/coupled redemptive-salvation” (c).  <Notes> a) Acts 3:14, 7:52, 22:14, b) Romans 3:10-23, c) 1 Corinthians 1:30.

 

Despite Paul having been a leading Pharisee of the Law, Paul “counts pas ALL ‘kinds of a class/portion/kind of’ things [He lists his past training] a complete-loss . . . counting them as excrement-rubbish in order than I may trade-to-gain Christ and/coupled be found IN Him, [thus] in-possibility-NOT having my own righteousness which [is] ek out-from [the singular] Law but instead that [is] dia through-the-realizing-channel-of trusting-relying-faith of/belonging-to Christ, the righteousness ek out-from God on the basis of The-Trusting-Relying-Faith” (The Christian Faith) (a). In fact, “Christ is the telos consummating-ending-aim of the Law eis toward-and-reaching-the-goal-of righteousness to everyone routinely/habitually having trusting-relying-faith” (b).  Now Christians can “be filled-to-completion with the fruit of righteousness that comes dia through-the-realizing-channel-of Jesus Christ eis toward-and-reaching-the-goal-of the glory and praise of God (c). <Notes> a) Philippians 3:8-9, b) Romans 10:4, c) Philippians 1:11.

 

We must have faith in Christ’s atonement for our sins:  “We are justified/made-declared-righteous by God’s unconditional-loving-favor-of-grace as a grace-gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation (a) dia through-the-realizing-channel-of trusting-relying-faith in/by His blood eis toward-and-reaching-the-goal-of [singular] showing-forth of the righteousness of Him (God), because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. [It was] pros motion-toward-to-reach [singular] showing-forth the righteousness belonging-to Him in the present time eis toward-and-reaching-for-the-goal-of Him to-ongoingly-be [singularly] just and/coupled routinely/habitually justifying [the one] ek out-from trusting-relying-faith of/belonging-to Jesus.  Then what becomes of our boasting [as Jews]?  It is excluded!  By what kind of law?  By a Law of works?  No, but by the Law of trusting-relying-faith.  For we hold that one is justified by trusting-relying-faith apart from works of the Law” (b).  By the baptism-immersion of the Holy Spirit during saving water-baptism (c) for “one baptism” (d) we “belong to Him” (e) as “completely-different-in-kind New Creations” (f).

 

<Notes> a) the nouns hilasterion or hilasmos and verb hilaskomai speak of the atoning-sacrifice that transfers our sin onto the Messiah as the perfect ‘Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world’ so that His righteousness is transferred to us.  This was ritually and symbolically practiced on the Ark of the Covenant’s Mercy Seat on the Day of Atonement each year as conducted by the High Priest, who is now Jesus, b) Romans 3:25-28, c) Romans 6:3-6; 1 Peter 3:21, d) Acts 2:38, 19:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5, e) Romans 8:9, f) 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15.

 

Jesus is “a merciful and/coupled faithful High Priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (a).  How?  “He IS-defined-as/exists-as the propitiation for our sins, and/but not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (b).  Actually, “This IS-defined-as Unconditional-Love:  absolutely-in-fact-NOT that we have unconditionally-loved [with ongoing effects] God (that’s the OT Law) but instead that He already unconditionally-loved us kai and-specifically already sent the Son of/belonging-to Him, a propitiation for the sins of/belonging-to us (c). <Notes> a) Hebrews 2:17, b) 1 John 2:2, c) 1 John 4:10.

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Faith is discussed 2141% more in the New Testament than the Old, Grace is a New Covenant reality the opposite of Law in the Old Covenant, The promises rely on faith in Christ NOT works of righteousness, There is NOW only a Work or Law of Faith for obedient righteousness, There is NOW only a Work or Law of Love for obedient service, Christ is the END of the Law for righteousness received NOW by faith, Righteousness is NOW by grace thru faith in Christ’s propitiation-exchanging our sin for His righteousness