Praise God, it is HIS righteousness that saves us and no righteousness of our own. If we had to rely upon our righteousness we would be lost, utterly and completely lost. We know all our righteousness are as filthy rags, the Bible tells us so. We have no righteousness that can earn us any bit of salvation or favor with God, not a single bit of righteousness is our own, not the tiniest bit. Any righteousness we possess - we possess by faith in God's righteousness. Knowing this does NOT enable us to embrace a single sinful practice as being inevitable because we have no righteousness. We have to turn from any and all sin that seeks to entice us. We can never call evil good, believing we are fated to be evil. We have to strive against sin always. God help us!
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(Excerpt)
Commending God's Righteousness.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man.)
6 God forbid; for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Verses 5 and 7 are but different forms of the same thought. God's righteousness stands out in bold relief in contrast with man's unrighteousness.
So the caviler thinks that God ought not to condemn the unrighteousness which by contrast commends his righteousness. But that would be to destroy the righteousness of God, so that he could not judge the world.
If God were what unbelieving men say he ought to be, he would forfeit even their respect, and they would condemn him more loudly than they do now.
"I Speak as a Man."
Was not Paul a man? Most certainly. Was he ever anything other than a man? Never. Then why the expression, "I speak as a man"? Because the writings of Paul, like those of the ancient prophets, were given by inspiration of God. The Holy Spirit spoke by him. We are not reading Paul's view of the gospel, but the Spirit's own statement of it. But in these questions the Spirit speaks as a man; that is, the Spirit quotes the unbelieving words of man in order to show the folly of that unbelief.
Unbelieving Questions.
There is a great difference in questions. Some are asked for the purpose of gaining instruction, and others are asked for the purpose of opposing the truth. So there must be a difference in answering them. Some questions deserve no more notice than would be given the same unbelief if uttered as a positive statement. When Mary asked, "How shall this be?" (Luke 1:34) with a desire for further information, she was told how. But when Zacharias asked, "Whereby shall I know this?" (Luke 1:18), thus plainly showing his disbelief of the angel's words, he was punished.
Wickedness Exposed.
Rom 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
When the objector says, "If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner?" the swift retort comes, in effect: "You might rather say, what you really mean is, Let us do evil that good may come." The real intent of these unbelieving questions is that what which is called evil is really good; people are really righteous, no matter what they may do, so that good will at last come out of evil. This is the substance of modern Spiritualism and of Universalism, which teach that all men will be saved.
Evil Is not Good.
There are many besides Spiritualists who virtually say, "Let us do evil that good may come." Who are they? All who claim that man is able of himself to do any good thing.
The Lord declares that only God is good, and that good can come only from good.
See Luke 18:19 and 6:43-45.
Luk 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luk 6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
From man only wickedness can come. Mark 7:21-23.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Therefore he who thinks that of himself he alone can do good deeds, really says that good can come from evil.
The same thing is said by the one who refuses to confess that he is a sinner. Such an one is placing himself above God, for even he can not make evil into good. God can make an evil man good, but only by putting his own goodness in place of the evil.
*******
(Excerpt)
Commending God's Righteousness.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man.)
6 God forbid; for then how shall God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Verses 5 and 7 are but different forms of the same thought. God's righteousness stands out in bold relief in contrast with man's unrighteousness.
So the caviler thinks that God ought not to condemn the unrighteousness which by contrast commends his righteousness. But that would be to destroy the righteousness of God, so that he could not judge the world.
If God were what unbelieving men say he ought to be, he would forfeit even their respect, and they would condemn him more loudly than they do now.
"I Speak as a Man."
Was not Paul a man? Most certainly. Was he ever anything other than a man? Never. Then why the expression, "I speak as a man"? Because the writings of Paul, like those of the ancient prophets, were given by inspiration of God. The Holy Spirit spoke by him. We are not reading Paul's view of the gospel, but the Spirit's own statement of it. But in these questions the Spirit speaks as a man; that is, the Spirit quotes the unbelieving words of man in order to show the folly of that unbelief.
Unbelieving Questions.
There is a great difference in questions. Some are asked for the purpose of gaining instruction, and others are asked for the purpose of opposing the truth. So there must be a difference in answering them. Some questions deserve no more notice than would be given the same unbelief if uttered as a positive statement. When Mary asked, "How shall this be?" (Luke 1:34) with a desire for further information, she was told how. But when Zacharias asked, "Whereby shall I know this?" (Luke 1:18), thus plainly showing his disbelief of the angel's words, he was punished.
Wickedness Exposed.
Rom 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
When the objector says, "If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner?" the swift retort comes, in effect: "You might rather say, what you really mean is, Let us do evil that good may come." The real intent of these unbelieving questions is that what which is called evil is really good; people are really righteous, no matter what they may do, so that good will at last come out of evil. This is the substance of modern Spiritualism and of Universalism, which teach that all men will be saved.
Evil Is not Good.
There are many besides Spiritualists who virtually say, "Let us do evil that good may come." Who are they? All who claim that man is able of himself to do any good thing.
The Lord declares that only God is good, and that good can come only from good.
See Luke 18:19 and 6:43-45.
Luk 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Luk 6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
Luk 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
From man only wickedness can come. Mark 7:21-23.
Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Therefore he who thinks that of himself he alone can do good deeds, really says that good can come from evil.
The same thing is said by the one who refuses to confess that he is a sinner. Such an one is placing himself above God, for even he can not make evil into good. God can make an evil man good, but only by putting his own goodness in place of the evil.