Holy and Righteous
Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 11:31 am
Two words often spoken together, with two different meanings.
Are you holy and righteous? Are you saved?
Are you holy and righteous? Are you saved?
My thinking is that holy and righteous are adjectives describing a state of excellence; that it would be considered bragging in our culture to describe ourselves as being in a state of excellence. On the other hand we call ourselves Christians because it identifies who we follow, not a personal state of excellence.RZehr wrote:My questions, are not primarily intended for deep self reflection. My thoughts are sort of running along the lines of why do we feel comfortable with some labels and discomfort with other labels?
For example, we are called to be holy and righteous and yet why don't we say that we are? We don't see this hesitance claiming the word Christian. Why are we bold enough to say that we are little Christs, yet not say that we are holy?
Without holiness no one will see the Lord, and there are more verses that tell us to be holy.
I do not see Paul claiming that he has gained the status of holy and righteous. And I also think this parable is relevant:Philippians 3 wrote:If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
I think that parable is still relevant for those who have been saved.Luke 18 wrote:He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
1 John 1 wrote:This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Thank you.MaxPC wrote:My thinking is that holy and righteous are adjectives describing a state of excellence; that it would be considered bragging in our culture to describe ourselves as being in a state of excellence. On the other hand we call ourselves Christians because it identifies who we follow, not a personal state of excellence.RZehr wrote:My questions, are not primarily intended for deep self reflection. My thoughts are sort of running along the lines of why do we feel comfortable with some labels and discomfort with other labels?
For example, we are called to be holy and righteous and yet why don't we say that we are? We don't see this hesitance claiming the word Christian. Why are we bold enough to say that we are little Christs, yet not say that we are holy?
Without holiness no one will see the Lord, and there are more verses that tell us to be holy.