Testing the Test of Righteousness -- 1/14/07 (Eternal Realities)

Sunday, January 14, 2007

TESTING THE TEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

There is much confusion in our world today, and that includes the religious world. Who is it that is really saved? Who is it that is truly right with God? Who is it that will indeed spend eternity in God’s presence? Who is it that has found the true life that God intended from the beginning? We all know that such questions will receive many and varied answers.

Please allow me to point out three things about our world today which make I John very applicable for our day. First of all, John wrote in the context of a spiritual system called "gnosticism." That word comes from the Greek word which means "knowledge." The gnostics taught that true salvation comes through special knowledge of God. Only the initiated could attain this knowledge. There was a certain secrecy about it, perhaps similar to groups like the Masons in our day. Practical life meant absolutely nothing to them. In other words, the way a person lived was of no conse-quence. It made absolutely no difference, for the body was not connected to spiritual matters.

Does that not have a familiar ring to it? Of course, people in our day would not be so bold as to speak like that, but the belief system of many professing Christians in our day boils down to the same thing. For many in our day, salvation consists in what you believe as true and whether or not you accept that truth. Just believe that Jesus died for your sins. There is no need for practical tests of life, because salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. In the end, this system concludes that it makes no difference how a person lives his life on this earth.

Along with the gnostic’s system, John’s letter is also set against the background of the Pharisees. While John may not have been dealing directly with Pharisaism, we cannot dismiss it, because it was such a huge concern during Jesus’ ministry. And remember that John was walking beside Jesus, as the Master dealt with the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were on the opposite end of the spectrum from the gnostics. The Pharisees emphasized the tests of life. However, they set up their own tests. We will talk some about these later. They measured a person’s spirituality by how he measured up to the tests of the Pharisees. That too has a familiar ring to it. How many religious people in our nation have their own tests of life? And we are not immune to setting up our own tests as well.

Now let me add one other factor. As far as I know, this was not an issue in John’s day, but it is in our day. There are many in our day who believe they have "salvation," even though they have nothing to do with God or His Son. Consider the humanitarians of our day. For example, right here in our county there is a tremendous emphasis on giving to United Way. People are encouraged to fund this organization which meets human needs.

A humanitarian might point out that his religion is much better than that of his Christian friend. His argument has nothing to do with his view of God. Rather, he sees it in practical terms. He notes that his Christian fried gives money to the church. To do what? To pay the utility bills, the pastor’s salary, and for the expansion of the building complex. This humanitarian points out that he himself not only gives more money to humanitarian causes than his Christian friend gives to the church, but also that a very, very small percentage of what his friend gives to the church actually goes to meet human needs. And in many cases, he can mount a very good argument.

In light of all these things, there is much confusion in our world, including the religious world. This is why we so desperately need the tests of life that we find here in I John.

Come with me to the Sermon on the Mount. And where do we find that? Yes, in Matthew 5-7. In chapter 6, Jesus deals with three tests of life which the Pharisees had set up for themselves and for others. Of course, Jesus is pointing out the fallacy of the Pharisees’ system, but in doing so we see something of how the Pharisees operated. We find the first of these in Matt. 6:1-2…
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

The second Pharisaical test of life is found in Matt. 6:5, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." And the third is found in Matt. 6:16, "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

So there we have three of the tests the Pharisees used to measure spirituality – giving of alms, prayer, and fasting. Because they did these things (and some others), they believed that they were right with God.

Before we scold the Pharisees, we must consider that the same kind of tests are set up today. In I John we have talked about the test of righteousness. Remember what we read from I John 3:7-8a, "Let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning." But that still leaves us with the question: "What is righteousness?" If we are not careful, we will be like the Pharisees and will go about setting up our own standard of righteousness. Paul, who himself had been a Pharisee, wrote about this very thing in Phil. 3:7-9…
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Paul no longer looked for "his own righteousness," which was a law kind of righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God by faith.
In some Christian circles today there is an unofficial standard of righteousness that looks something like this…

Morality + Do good to others + Outward religious acts + Favorable Comparison=Righteousness

Those terms must be defined as well. This "morality" generally speaks of being a good person. In other words, I live a clean, moral life. By that, I mean basically that I live a better life than most of those around me. Most of the elements of this morality are negative. I don’t use drugs; I don’t get drunk; I don’t make a habit out of cussing; I don’t commit adultery or murder; I’m not a thief. Yes, I am a good moral person.

I add to that the fact that I do good to others. The common phrase we like to use is this: "He’d give you the shirt off his back." And I don’t treat others badly. So how well do I treat others? Better than most people around me treat others. This aspect of comparison sneaks in at every opportunity.

In addition to my outward morality and doing good to others, I am at least somewhat religious. I go to church. I drop some money in the collection plate. I read my Bible, at least sometimes. And I pray. Though I might not be as consistent as I should be, when I compare myself with others, I do pretty good.

Do you see how easy it is for us to set up our own standard of righteousness, even if we are not fully conscious that we are doing so? This is a very dangerous thing. Listen to what Paul said in Rom. 10:1-3…
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

If you go back to the first part of chapter 9, you will read the list of spiritual advantages that Paul’s fellow-Israelites enjoyed – the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises (Rom. 9:4). Yes, they had great zeal for God, but it wasn’t according to knowledge. They worked to establish their own righteousness and refused to submit themselves to God’s righteousness. The Pharisees were the primary examples.

All of these things we have mentioned – morality and doing good to others and the performance of religious acts are good things, but they are not the tests of life. To find the tests that reveal whether or not we have the life of God, we must come to the Word of God and carefully look at what it says.

Now you may determine that we have digressed a bit this morning, as we have gone back to focus more on the test of righteousness. You thought we left the test of righteousness and had moved on to the test of love. While we may focus on love, in I John we will never leave the test of righteousness. As a matter of fact, it is amazing how these three tests – belief, righteousness, and love – are tied so closely together. Let me read just two passages from I John which emphasize the connection between the three…
1 John 3:23, "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment
1 John 4:21-5:5, "And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God

And this close connection is not new with John. Let’s go way back to the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. Now let’s read Dt. 6:4-6…
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

Do you see it? He begins with belief. In the midst of a pagan world, where people worshipped many gods, he affirms the belief that the Lord our God is one Lord. And then he moves to love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." And then what? Verse 6, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." Which words? The words "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…" He goes on to say that after these words are in your heart, teach them to your children throughout the day, and keep them before your eyes, and post them on your doorposts and gates. We see in this foundational passage of scripture these three great tests of life – belief, love, and righteousness. And we note how closely they are linked together. We also see that the first and primary command is love.

Now the Pharisees knew this passage of scripture very well. They quoted it every day of their lives. But somehow they were able to twist it to fit their own schemes. We can do the exact same thing, if we are not careful. In order to help us not do that, I want to give us two principles that will help us to understand the test of righteousness.

First, we must understand righteousness to mean obedience to the commands of God. It is this truth that will prevent us from setting up our own standard of righteousness. In I John we see this emphasis of obedience to the commands over and over again. The word commandment(s) is found fourteen times in this little letter. Let’s read again from I Jn. 2:3-6…
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He does not say we can take comfort in the fact that we adhere to a system of morality and a religious program that we ourselves establish. No, the key is in keeping His commandments.

Let me take you to a scripture passage that you may not have thought of in this light. Let’s come to James 2. Most of you know Jms. 2:17, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James is not in conflict with Paul. While Paul was fighting against those who said you had to earn salvation by doing good works, James is opposing those who say, "Just believe, and it doesn’t matter how you live." In his argument, James presses home the point that genuine faith will result in good works. But if that is as far as we go, we are left with a problem. How do we define those good works?

That brings us to the last part of the chapter. Let’s read James 2:21-25…
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

As I understand this passage, the context demonstrates that James uses the term "justify" in a different way than Paul used it. In James’ usage of the word, we might think of the term "vindicate." In James’ thinking, a person’s faith is vindicated by his deeds. That is, his deeds prove that his faith is the real thing, and not some counterfeit.

Now comes the question. When James looked in the scripture for illustrations of works which vindicated true faith, why did he choose these two – Abraham offering his son Isaac upon the altar and Rahab hiding the spies? What is to prevent us from substituting what we consider to be our good works? I am convicted that James chose these illustrations because they were acts of obedience. For now, let’s just deal with Abraham and Isaac. Why was Abraham’s act a demonstration of genuine faith? Because it was an act of obedience. It certainly wasn’t something Abraham wanted to do. He would have never chosen to do such a thing. The only reason he went to Mt. Moriah is because God told him to go. He went in obedience to the Lord’s command.

Please hear me. We must always link righteousness with obedience to God’s command. This is the first principle I want to establish concerning the test of righteousness. However, that still leaves us with a problem. Could the Pharisees not say that they were obeying God’s commands in that they prayed and gave alms and fasted? Did God not tell them to pray? You might be surprised at the lack of commands to pray found in the Old Testament. It seems that the Lord certainly wanted His people to pray, but He didn’t just give them a command, "Pray." While there are a couple of specific commands to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and to pray for the city in which they were held captive (Jer. 29:7), it is shocking how little the Old Testament commanded them to pray. Nevertheless, they would have told you they were being obedient to the Lord’s command. They would have said the same thing about the giving of alms and about fasting. While the term "alms" is not used in the Old Testament, there are commands about caring for the poor and the like. And concerning fasting, the only commands to fast (which I found) came through the prophet Joel, as he twice said, "Sanctify a fast" (Joel 1:14; 2:15). The fasting Joel called for was in response to the sin of the nation. The Pharisees, on the other hand, boasted of their individual and regular fasting, implying that their fasting made them better than others (see Luke 18:9-14).

The Pharisees were well acquainted with the scriptures, having memorized long passages and having given their life to studying God’s law. Nevertheless, they had much difficulty in rightly dividing God’s Word. They had a habit of majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors, as reflected by what Jesus said in Mat 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." While they were big on fasting, it seems they forgot all about what the Lord said in Isaiah 58, particularly verse 6, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

The Pharisees had set up their own standard of righteousness, though they claimed to be obeying God’s commands. But the truth is, they saw those commands as a list of rules to be rigidly followed. Their prayer came out of a sense of duty. It was not so with David, who said, "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up" (Ps. 5:3). David’s prayer came out of a heart of devotion to God. The Pharisees gave alms, but it was out of a sense of duty rather than compassion. They fasted, but their fasting was not out of a sense of mourning and brokenness, as we see all through the Old Testament.

If the Pharisees had trouble sorting out the commands of God’s Word, might we also have that difficulty? Study alone will not alleviate the problem. We must have the Spirit of God guide us into all truth. He must enlighten our minds and hearts, that we may be obedient to the will of our Lord.

The second principle concerning the test of righteousness is this: Righteousness can never be separated from love. As a matter of fact, righteousness begins with love. We saw this in Deut. 6:5, where the Lord gives us the command to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength. The mere following of commandments will never be true righteousness unless it proceeds from a heart of love.

Why is that? It begins with the centrality of the command to love. Remember when the Pharisee, who was an expert in God’s law, came to Jesus and asked Him, "Master, which is the great commandment of the law"? What was Jesus’ response? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." There it is again—the very first and primary commandment is to love God.
No one can be obedient to God and not love God.

However, you will recall that Jesus didn’t stop with the first and great commandment. Although He wasn’t asked for a second commandment, He gave it, saying, "And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets" (Matt. 22:34-40). According to Jesus, it is impossible to obey the law of God and not love both God and neighbor.

Here is the point – obedience to God’s commands can never come from a mechanical checking off of a list of regulations. Obedience is grounded in love. At the same time, love is indeed obedience to God.

Conclusion

Mark it in your mind and heart – righteous living is obedience to God’s commands, proceeding from a heart of love. Keeping a set of rules will never pass for practical righteousness.

This leaves us with a couple of very important questions. First of all, how do we define love? And secondly, how are we to understand the relationship between love for God and love for man?
I trust you have been meditating on I John 4:19-20…
We love him, because he first love us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?

Another question that has already come up is this: What is the meaning of the term "brother" in I John? Is this referring to our Christian brothers and sisters, or to our fellow-man in general. Lord willing, we will begin dealing with these questions next week.