Questions and Answers #22
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
October 3, 2007
ROMANS 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
ROMANS 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh
be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God;
ROMANS 4:1
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God,
and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward notreckoned of grace,
but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 [Saying], Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed
[is] the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 [Cometh] this blessedness then upon the circumcision [only],
or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham
for righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned?
when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in
uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [he had yet] being
uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though
they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not
of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our
father Abraham, which [he had] being [yet] uncircumcised. 13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world,
[was] not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the
righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which
are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none
effect:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for
where no law is, [there is] no transgression. 16 Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to
the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father
of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who
quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become
the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy
seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he
considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old,
neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He
staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God; 21 And being fully
persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
ROMANS 5:18
Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came]
upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free
gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.
ROMANS 9:28
For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in
righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 29
And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth
had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which
followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the
righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel,
which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of
righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because [they
sought it] not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they
stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is
written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and
whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. They stumbled because
their focus was wrong.
ROMANS 10:3
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and
going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ
[is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 5
For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the
law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this
wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring
Christ down [from above]:) 7 Or, Who shall
descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in
thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. 11 For the scripture saith,
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is
written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But
they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed
our report?
17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God.
So then, the
entire source and origin of salvation rests on this, that God sends out
someone, ( A true minister of the Word).
If He does not send out any, then
they who preach, preach falsely, and their preaching is no preaching at all. In
fact, it would be better for them not to preach.
Then also they who
hear, hear error, and it would be better for them not to hear. Then also they
who believe, would believe false doctrine, and it would be better for them not
to believe. Then also they who call upon Him would call falsely (upon a false
Lord), and it would be better for them not to call.
1 For such preachers do not preach,
2 such hearers do not
hear;
3 such believers do
not believe;
4 such callers do not
call;
5 they will be damned
because they would be saved by falsehood.
Then we would see what is spoken of in Proverbs 1:28
which says, "Then shall they call upon me, But I ill not answer; they
shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord."
Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith,
Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then
faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The true, revealed,
and vindicated Word of God.
II
CORINTHIANS 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
ONENESS
62-0211 113 Can a man who believes in all the Word
of God have a unity with them who just believes part of the Word of God? God
wants separators.
GALATIANS
2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for
if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
PHILIPPIANS
3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
II TIMOTHY
4:1 I
charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge
the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away
[their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the
work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good
fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
HEBREWS 5:13 For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful
in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
HEBREWS 11:7 By faith Noah,
being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark
to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became
heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
I JOHN 2:29 If ye know that he
is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
I JOHN 3:7 Little children,
let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is
righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the
devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of
God was manifest 9 Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because
he is born of God. 10 In this the children of
God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
ROMANS 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Now, who are
these just ones that shall live by Faith. I would think the same one who told
us that the just shall live by faith should be the same one to tell us who they
are.
ROMANS 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. 29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to
be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren.
4
Now the only way you could ever conform to the image of His Son is if you have
the same attributes and characteristics. And in order to have that you would
have to have the same seed Life in you as His Son did. Because the Law of
reproduction that God set forth in Genesis 1:11 tells us that every Seed shall
bring forth after it's kind or nature.
Let's
read on 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and
whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified.(It's already a done deal, it is finished). 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us,
who [can be] against us? 32 He that spared not
his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any
thing to the charge of God's elect? [It is] God that justifieth. 34 Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day
long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor
depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now, Paul said,
it is God that Justifieth, and who does He justify? Those He foreknew, those
that He foreknew He also did predestinate. We are talking about the Elect Seed
of God. And in ROMANS 1:17 Paul said, the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith: from Revelation to Revelation, for The just shall live by
faith, by what? By Revelation. Now, I am going to show you in a few minutes how
important this statement is when it comes to righteousness, for that is what we
are looking at today. Righteousness and unrighteousness. And this is one of the
biggest misunderstandings we have in this message. Most people are still living
in a bondage to their own perceived idea's of what righteousness is. And they
are trying to establish their own righteousness by what they can produce in
themselves.
ROMANS 3:20 Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: we have
already shown you that it is God that justifies, and what Paul is telling us
here is that no deeds can bring forth our justification. by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the
knowledge of sin. (what he is telling us here is that the Law, the rule book,
the moral code, the conduct and order can only point you to what is sin, or
what is unbelief, but it can not make you righteous.
ROMANS 3:21 But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God
[which is] by faith of Jesus Christ ( and what is Faith? It is a revelation)
22 Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: ( and who is it
that believes? Or might I put it this way, Who is it that can believe? Here
Paul is telling us that True Righteousness comes only from God by receiving the
Revelation of Jesus Christ. And the only ones who can believe are those who
have been ordained to believe.
ACTS
13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were
glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to
eternal life believed.
ROMANS 4:1
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before
God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham
believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,
but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.
That is why
Jesus said that, "God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him
in Spirit and Truth." You can't separate the Two. Spirit and Truth,
because Jesus also said, "My Words are Spirit and they are Truth."
And worship outside of the vindicated revealed Word will not be acceptable to
God, it never has been.
Now, religion
tends to feed the flesh, because it is sensate, or based on the senses. And any
worship that is not based on Spirit and Truth, will always lean toward the
outward 5 senses of the flesh or the 5 inward senses.
We cannot
worship with eyes, nor with our noses by smelling incense, nor can we worship
with our ears by listening to music; for the flesh profiteth nothing. And yet
we have churches today of all denominations, even among the Message professors,
there are some that have choirs and orchestra's with more members than there
arer sitting in the pews of many a church today. And the churches with the most
music seem to be the largest of all. If you do not have a music program in your
church you will never attract the people, they say. And yet what are they being
attracted to? The new "Gospel of Song". We are living in a time when
the "flesh" seems to lead the worship and yet is it not in vain?
JOHN 4:23
But the hour
cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in
spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship [him] in spirit and in truth.
If the flesh of
itself "profiteth nothing", then it is clear that we cannot worship
God with any of our five senses (which all pertain to the flesh). To worship
with our eyes profiteth nothing, and yet the majority of the world religions do
just that. They use the eyes to attract people to worship. They build big
monuments of beauty, big cathedrals, big churches, big altars just for the
purpose of worship and yet it profits nothing. We cannot worship with our eyes,
nor our nose, like the Catholic and the hindu that would burn incense before
the altars to create a form of worship through aroma. The only aroma that is
pleasing to God is the prayers of His saints. We cannot worship with eyes, nor
with our noses by smelling incense, nor can we worship with our ears by
listening to music; for the flesh profiteth nothing.
And yet we have
churches today of all denominations, even among the Message professors, there
are some that have choirs and orchestra's with more members than there are
sitting in the pews of many a church today. And the churches with the most
music seem to be the largest of all. If you do not have a music program in your
church you will never attract the people, they say. And yet what are they being
attracted to? The new "Gospel of Song". We are living in a time when
the "flesh" seems to lead the worship and yet is it not in vain?
Paul said,
it "profiteth nothing". And isn't it interesting that this thirst for
music has increased with the same velocity as the cry for the Charismatic,
Pentecostal cry to "Be filled with the Spirit." But they do not want
the Word of Truth, and what Word they do have has been wrongly divided. They do
not take all of the Word, for Jesus said, in JOHN 4:23 the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. He never
said in spirit only, but in Spirit and Truth.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the
man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 [Saying], Blessed [are] they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed [is] the
man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. 9 [Cometh]
this blessedness then upon the circumcision [only], or upon the uncircumcision
also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in
circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in un-circumcision.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which [he had yet] being uncircumcised: that he
might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised;
that righteousness might be imputed unto them also...
(Now here's the key right here in this verse,
Paul said, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also... notice this
word imputed that Paul uses here. It is a Greek word logizomai
{log-id'-zom-ahee} the root word is logos, and the suffix o-mai means to
consider it, the complete word means to reckon, or to take into account, or to
pass to ones account like money being transferred into your account. This word
deals with reality. If I "logizomai" or reckon that my bank book has
$25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word refers
to facts not suppositions.
And this word
is the opposite of the Greek word, Arne-omai which literally means to deny or
not to accept, to reject, to refuse something offered as we see in MATTHEW
10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before
my Father which is in heaven. You see, to deny Christ is just the opposite as
to accept him. And to accept Him is to say the same thing about Him as the
father has, as Jesus points out in the verse right before this one.
Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven.
Therefore,
Logos-omai means to accept what God says about you via His Word, whereas the
word arne means "not" and combined with omai means to not accept or
to reject the Logos.
Were looking at
what Paul said, that is the key to the righteousness of God. He said, that
righteousness might be imputed unto them also... and we were looking at this
word imputed that Paul used here. And we found that it is a Greek word
logizomai {log-id'-zom-ahee} from the root word logos, and o-mai means to
consider. The complete word means to reckon, or to take into account, or to
pass to ones account like money being transferred into your account. This word
deals with reality. If I "logizomai" or reckon that my bank book has
$25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word refers
to facts not suppositions.
13 For the promise, that
he should be the heir of the world, [was] not to Abraham, or to his seed,
through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they
which are of the law [be] heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of
none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath:
for where no law is, [there is] no transgression. 16 Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to
the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father
of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who
quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might
become the father of many nations, according to that
which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak
in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred
years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And
being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for
righteousness.
Why was it
imputed to him, because of his works? NO! because he simply took God at his
word. He said the money is in the bank, therefore it is. He said, I have
already been justified, therefore, I am. Not me making everything right that I
ever did wrong. Not me living a perfectly upright life without offending anyone
my entire life. No, Not that! But to Confess what God has already said about
you, that's it, that's the key.
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was
able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for
righteousness.
ROMANS 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all
men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came]
upon all men unto justification of life.
ROMANS 9:28 For he will finish
the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the
Lord make upon the earth. 29 And as Esaias said
before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma,
and been made like unto Gomorrha. 30 What shall
we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have
attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness,
hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because [they sought it] not by faith, but as it
were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a
stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
In these first
eleven verses we hear Paul speak of a people who have Zeal, but he says, not
according to knowledge. Then he clarifies whose knowledge their zeal is ignorant
of.