Righteousness that Works

[Christ4Ever]

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has [something] to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, Romans 4:2-5 NKJV

The word works in the scripture can have one of two connotations. It can mean religious duties or actions done in an effort to gain a right standing with the Almighty (i.e., make us righteous). Or it can mean good deeds done because we are in a right standing with the Father.

If we believe we can earn favor with God through our works, then our efforts actually do the opposite. If we work to justify ourselves, then “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

If, however, we receive righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ, the works that follow are to His glory. From the beginning, his aim was to “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Works have their place, but they must be done out of a heart that has already been made right with God.

Prayer: Father, let me glorify Jesus today by works done because He has made me righteous!

 

[Soyeong]

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has [something] to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, Romans 4:2-5 NKJV

The word works in the scripture can have one of two connotations. It can mean religious duties or actions done in an effort to gain a right standing with the Almighty (i.e., make us righteous). Or it can mean good deeds done because we are in a right standing with the Father.

If we believe we can earn favor with God through our works, then our efforts actually do the opposite. If we work to justify ourselves, then “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

If, however, we receive righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ, the works that follow are to His glory. From the beginning, his aim was to “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Works have their place, but they must be done out of a heart that has already been made right with God.

Prayer: Father, let me glorify Jesus today by works done because He has made me righteous!

To become a character trait is to become someone who practices that trait and it would be contradictory to become a trait without becoming someone who practices it, and the way to become a trait is through faith that we ought to be someone who practices that trait. For example, to become courageous is to become someone who practices courageousness and it would be contradictory to become courageous without becoming someone who practices courageousness, and the way to become courageous is through faith that we ought to be someone who practices courageousness, and the same goes for righteousness. God's law was given as a gift to teach us how to practice righteousness, not for how to become righteous.

In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so it is not the case that we need to first do those works in order to gain our salvation, nor is it the case that we will do those works because we have first been saved, but rather, God graciously teaching us to do those works is itself the content of His gift of saving us from not doing those works. Likewise, we do not become earn our righteousness because we have first done righteous works and we do not need to do those works because we have first been made righteous, but rather becoming someone who practices righteousness is what it means to become righteous.

God does not call for His people to do righteous works all throughout the Bible, then turn around and hold those who do that in contempt by viewing our righteous works as filthy rags, but rather the righteous deeds of the saints are like fine white linen (Revelation 19:8). In Isaiah 64:6, it is not God speaking, but rather it is the people hyperbolically complaining about God not coming down and making his presence known. God is trustworthy, therefore what He has instructed is also trustworthy (Psalms 19;7), so the way to rely on God is by relying on what He has instructed and it is contradictory to think that we are relying on our own efforts by relying on what God has instructed.