Featured The righteousness of God

Maybe he thinks was just written to Jewish believers in Yeshua?

 

Think that God imputes to us the same moral perfection of Jesus. do you?

 

No, from the Bible itself!

 

No offense, but I would appreciate hearing from posters themselves rather than third parties speculating about what they might think or putting words in their mouths.

 

Not to pick nits, but you seem to have skipped over Romans 3:20 - "no one will be *justified*." Your metonymy idea doesn't logically or theologically connect to God's "redemptive work." The imputation of divine righteousness to believers by faith in Christ is justification (Rom 4:24-25), not redemption. Redemption is a different aspect of the work of Christ as applied at salvation; i.e., the payment of the penalty for sin (Eph 1:7).

 

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. James 1:1.18

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. Rev 14:3,4

And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. Rev 7:4-8

 

James was an apostle to the circumcision, his audience were Jews.

8 (for he that wrought for Peter unto the apostleship of the circumcision wrought for me also unto the Gentiles);
9 and when they perceived the grace that was given unto me, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision; Gal 2

 

Can't believe this is a featured post.

 

1 Corinthians 15:20
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

1 Corinthians 16:15
Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints)

 

???

Rom 15:5 and the assembly at their house; salute Epaenetus, my beloved, who is first-fruit of Achaia to Christ.
1 Cor 16:15 And I entreat you, brethren, ye have known the household of Stephanas, that it is the first-fruit of Achaia, and to the ministration to the saints they did set themselves --

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Rom 8:23 And not only so, but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, (In Achaia) we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting -- the redemption of our body

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1 Cor 15:20 And now, Christ hath risen out of the dead -- the first-fruit of those sleeping he became,

1 Cor 15:23 and each in his proper order, a first-fruit Christ (out of the dead), afterwards those who are the Christ's, in his presence,
James 1:18 having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit (? out of the dead) of His creatures.
Matt 19:28 And Jesus said to them, 'Verily I say to you, that ye who did follow me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man may sit upon a throne of his glory, shall sit -- ye also -- upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel;

 

Help me out here, what's your point?

 

a. It is a mistake to conflate the crediting of God's righteousness to believers (justification) with redemption (payment of the penalty for sin). The asterisks in my previous post were intended as a reminder that justification is Paul's topic in Romans 3 and 4, not "God's redemptive work," to use your undocumented phrase.

b. Similarly, it is a mistake to claim that God's crediting faith as righteousness is a synonym for salvation ("when God credits our faith as righteousness He places us into Christ spiritually"). Genesis 15:6 is by no stretch of imagination a record of Abraham's salvation. Abraham, the given example of believing God and that faith being credited as righteousness, clearly did not receive this credit for believing the gospel of Christ; righteousness was credited to him specifically for believing the promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. This was many long years after his salvation which is manifest back in Genesis chapter 12. It is evident that (as in James 1) Paul exhorts believers to living faith resulting in the ongoing appropriation of God's righteousness, following Abraham's worthy example (cf. Hebrews 11).

c. Neither Colossians 1 nor any other passage of scripture teaches that redemption is transfer from one kingdom to another, or our "being made righteous," or "washing of regeneration" as your post suggests. Any standard reference work on soteriology will elaborate the biblical vocabulary and theological distinctions between these important concepts.

d. Claiming to know what I have been taught is presumptuous, and the ad hominem introduction of second person singular pronouns is a sure way to motivate my exit from a discussion. I suggest each one of us should be interested in improving our understanding of scripture through "speaking the truth to one another in love" and "searching the Scriptures to see if these things are so," not petty disputes, wrangling about words, and the kind of biting and devouring I see in many threads after reading this board for a few weeks. May I respectfully request that we refrain from "reading between the lines" and instead interact with what is actually said and the scriptures cited in support of those understandings with a spirit of brotherly love, not jaundiced speculation about others' views and motivations. By God's grace I have learned a fair amount from the Word of God through personal study in the decades subsequent to my seminary education; I would hope that is true of us all. To be humble is to be teachable (Matt 11:29).