Can Unregenerate Man "Do" any Righteous Thing?

[psalms109:31]

Love

God loves others as He loves Himself. He loves righteousness and hates sin. No matter how born again or spiritual we think we are and how much God receives glory for passing over others and choosing us.

We have no righteousness of our own, if we are not in Christ under His feet we will be in the wrath of God.

 

[Luke2427]

Jesus didn't spend all his time looking in the mirror loving and worshipping himself, he gave his very life to save us.

We are to be like God. If your doctrine were true that would mean we should utterly love ourselves, exactly the opposite of what the scriptures teach.

You are waaaaay off on this.

We are not to be like God in every way. But we are to be like Christ who loved the Father supremely and came to do the will of Him who sent him.

He did not die for you primarily winman. He died to please his Father. God loved God supremely and God died for man for God.

If God were to love you more than himself then you would need to be worthy of more affection than is due the Almighty.

God must do what he does for the highest and holiest of reasons.

His glory is the highest and holiest of reasons.

 

[Gershom]

No. What makes the difference between murder and defense of country or family is motive.

What makes the difference between adultery and due benevolence is motive.

A soldier may or may not have such a proper motive. If he does, that is, if his motive is to defend his country and his family, then the motive is right whether he is saved or unsaved and therefore a righteous act.

An unsaved husband who does not commit adultery because his motive is to be faithful and render due benevolence to his wife does a righteous thing.

I gave you Bible.

Is that not enough?

The implication here is that I should agree with you because you gave me some Bible, but not all men will see things your way, as not all men will see things my way. You see it here on the BB amongst Baptists daily, and on a much more grand scale out in the world.

It is from the HEART that wicked deeds arise.

I agree.

It is a matter of motive.

The reason adultery is sin is because the motive is not pure. The only way for sex to be pure is for the motive to be to love one's spouse and satisfy those needs in a marital relationship.

Whenever that is the motive sex is not sin.

When the motive is to simply satisfy the flesh it is adultery.

God's Word says that sin comes from the heart- it is not about the act, it is about the motive.

Motive is what makes murder murder.

Motive is what makes sex adultery.

This is what Christ said clearly.

I repeat my earlier response above in this post.

When a man sees a hungry person on the street and is moved to feed him, he is motivated by doing what is good and right. It is a sign that something is taking place in his heart. He has done that which is righteous by feeding and caring for the poor. He has loved his neighbor.

When a child honors his parents, he has done that which is right, saved or not.

When a man cares enough to visit the sick, orphans and widows, he has done that which is righteous, saved or not.

An unsaved person can and will do that which is right, motivated by a pressing in his heart to do what's right. However, such a person needs the imputed righteousness found only in Christ in order to enter true life.

 

[freeatlast]

I repeat my earlier response above in this post.

When a man sees a hungry person on the street and is moved to feed him, he is motivated by doing what is good and right. It is a sign that something is taking place in his heart. He has done that which is righteous by feeding and caring for the poor. He has loved his neighbor.

When a child honors his parents, he has done that which is right, saved or not.

When a man cares enough to visit the sick, orphans and widows, he has done that which is righteous, saved or not.

An unsaved person can and will do that which is right, motivated by a pressing in his heart to do what's right. However, such a person needs the imputed righteousness found only in Christ in order to enter true life.

There are many reasons why someone might do those deeds. For many it makes them look good. For others it makes them feel good. And for some it make bring them notice and riches, or for some other reason. While those deeds are seen as good deeds from a human perspective they do not qualify as righteous deeds in the sight of God and their deeds are sin because they were not based on the righteousness of God. Only that which is done in the name of the Lord will stand and to do that the person has to be born again, and led by the Spirit with pure motives.