Only God’s Righteousness Is in View?

by Terry Wane Benton

We need to be careful about what we swallow from preachers and teachers. Search the Scriptures to find out what is so (Acts 17:11). An example of a concern in this regard is in the words of a brother who says that the difference between the Old Law and the New Law is that under the Old “We’re keeping a resume of your righteousness” and says in contrast that under the New Law, “only God’s righteousness is in view.” That is not really the difference between the Old and the New. To clarify what he meant, he said, “Not my record, not my ups and downs.” I don’t think that gives better biblical clarity. It seems like a page out of Calvinism where God is perceived to take no account of our sins, failures, acts of kindness, or good deeds -- “nothing” but God’s righteousness. If that were so, it would mean automatically that we are “once-saved-always-saved” because God sees only His own righteousness covering all of our unrighteousness, including failures in belief. He has to see our faith or lack of faith and what we do or don’t do with that faith. This is very dangerous thinking, and it opens the door to take it further than the brother may have intended. If God looks at me and “only God’s righteousness is in view,” then the logical conclusion is that I can never fall from grace because only God’s righteousness is in view, not by turning back into sin or a lack of faith. What started this preacher down that lane of thought is a heavy influence of Calvinism and not biblical exegesis.

In essence, to be consistent with “only God’s righteousness is in view” and “not my record,” then God’s righteousness would keep God from seeing Simon’s sin after baptism (Acts 8:18-22). Peter would have told Simon, “It’s a good thing that only God’s righteousness is in view” and “It’s a good thing that your record of sinful attitude and bitterness is not in view.” Peter did not hold to the same viewpoint as our brother, and we hope we can get our brethren back on the biblical track. Where was “only God’s righteousness is in view” in this matter of baptized Simon’s life of new sin? Was this an “up and down” in Simon’s life that God could not see or would not see? God wants those who want Him to cleanse their filth to be dedicated to not jumping back into the filth, and He is watching and taking note of whether we are reckless about practicing righteousness or if we are dedicated to becoming servants of righteousness.

Here is what God is interested in seeing: He wants to see us “presenting yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13). Who do you “present yourselves” (Romans 6:16) to obey? If you present yourselves to “obey sin” or “of obedience to righteousness,” that is your status, and that is what God sees. God doesn’t see Himself cleaning us up and then putting on blinders, never to see what we do with that gift of forgiveness. If you want forgiveness and a clean outfit, you must be dedicated to keeping the garment you put on as white and clean as possible for as long as possible. God sees if you intend to be reckless and play with mud puddles. Who do you present yourself to? Sin? Or “Obedience to righteousness?” God always holds that truth in view. He never pretends not to see the truth. So, “my record” and “my presentation” to obedience is very much a part of whether I can be counted righteous. Now, without Jesus’ blood, I can never be clean, but Jesus does not clean us up, and that cleansing becomes a license to “continue in sin that grace may abound” (Romans 6:1-6). In God’s view, there is a clear view of my sins and my dedication to righteousness in obedience and obedient activity.

The real difference between the Old Testament and the New is faith in the coming Savior versus faith in the arrived and named Savior. No one was ever justified by law or law-keeping because that is out the door by sinning and violating the Law. If you have violated the Law, you can’t be justified by the Law (Romans 3:20). Abraham was not justified by Law. He was justified by faith in the coming (from his vantage point) Savior (still unnamed), while we are justified by faith in the arrived and named Savior, Jesus Christ. There was never justification by law or perfect law-keeping. King David had the Law of Moses, but works of the Law never justified him. He was justified by faith in the coming Savior, while we are justified by faith in the arrived and named Savior, Jesus Christ. Romans 4 presents Abraham and David to make this point. That is the fundamental difference between the two testaments. The first was law in preparation for the coming Savior, and the second was law built on the fact and provisions that He has arrived and been identified.

Jesus provided the basis of justification, His precious blood (Romans 3:22-26). Obedient faith has always been required to benefit from His blood. The blood of Jesus is applied to our account when our faith presents ourselves as “instruments of righteousness.” His forgiveness is never license to sin. God sees when we may be trying to get the guilt off while still determined to “continue in sin.” Forgiveness requires a determined partnership with God to live the right way. We have to become people ready to commit (present yourselves) to the practice of clean and righteous living with “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 6:17-18; 16:25). That is the whole idea of repentance. You haven’t repented or died to sin if you want forgiveness with no determination to commit to righteousness. There is no automatic coverage without a commitment. So, don’t get drawn into a false assurance that God only sees His righteousness. When Simon sinned after faith and baptism, God saw it. When Peter sinned in Galatians 2, Paul knew that God saw that too, and God sees when we are in the gall of bitterness, and He sees when we preach another gospel. That is concerning when brethren believe that if they have some faith, "only the righteousness of God will be in view.” That is playing around with some very dangerous concepts to hold and share with others. Beware of such false teaching and teachers!

Now, it is absolutely wonderful that we can have the righteousness of God, not merely our own achieved level. God’s righteousness involves cleansing a sinner through forgiveness based on Jesus’ blood. 3000 sinners were made right on Pentecost. They did not stand right by their own achievements of law-keeping. They had “remission of sins” when, by faith, they repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:36-41). They were made right with God and celebrating, but it was not apart from repentance and baptism. It was not apart from presenting themselves to be instruments of righteousness because justification is not a matter of God not seeing the truth anymore, putting on blinders, but of His wonderful grace offering us a way to get clean and have what we need to clean up all along when we mess up from time to time. He expects us to repent and ask for the cleansing agency of His blood as needed (I John 1:7-9; 2:1-3). That is a wonderful and precious advantage to have! True grace is not cheap grace, and we must not cheapen it with such ill-advised perspectives.