MARTIN LUTHER OF GERMANY EXPOSED.

THE TRUTH ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER

And Why So Few Read His Works

Martin Luther:  The man who is celebrated for calling into question the authority of a corrupt Church, for initiating religious freedom in an age of spiritual feudalism, for initiating free universal education, for freeing the Scriptures from the bondage of a dead language, for... Well, you get the idea.

But how much Luther has the average Protestant read? Or even the average Protestant clergyman?

Little, if any, I submit.

As you may judge for yourself below, Luther was a troubled, surly, intemperate — and occasionally even blasphemous — man. Hardly the picture of a Spirit-led leader of the faith.

Does this sound outrageous to you? Inconceivable? I'm not surprised. In fact, I myself was surprised to discover Luther's true nature. But once you read his own words, his nature is undeniable.

In this document, you can review some of Luther's more surprising utterances for yourself. And don't think you can find them in any neighborhood bookstore, either. I had terrible trouble finding anything besides the great man's 'Small Catechism.' Even the highly sanitized anthologies of his work are not easy to locate — if you can find them at all, it's usually in secular bookstores.

Why the scarcity of Luther's writings in mainstream Protestant bookstores? I cannot speak from first-hand knowledge. But if you read the passages below, you may suspect — as I do — that Luther has been silenced because his true theology is an embarrassment to his followers. They would much rather propagate the image of the benevolent bombast, the passionate leader, the enlightened patriarch — because if people really know what Luther thought and taught, they would be appalled.



Since his work extends to more than 50 volumes, we won't even try to give an overview here. Instead, we'll be selecting some of his more surprising — and, yes, inflammatory — ideas. For the strength of a chain is determined by its weakest links.

Now, an objection by those who have not read Luther first-hand will be, "These passages are taken out of context, and therefore they cannot be trusted as accurate representations of Luther's thought." However I will give citations for each excerpt. Go to the source and see for yourself. You'll find that not one of these passages means anything apart from what appears here; indeed, I challenge you to try to imagine any context that could possibly change the meaning of these words.

Luther's meanings are all too clear.

A further objection is that other of Luther's writings can be cited that contradict some of what you find here. We would reply that self-contradiction does not make an individual more reliable, but less.

In any case, you be the judge...  as we allow Luther to speak for himself.



Luther Said:  'Be A Sinner'

"Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.  We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides...  No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day." ('Let Your Sins Be Strong, from 'The Wittenberg Project;'  'The Wartburg Segment', translated by Erika Flores, from Dr. Martin Luther's
Saemmtliche Schriften, Letter No. 99, 1 Aug. 1521).

Luther is actually saying that our actions -- even the most sinful actions imaginable -- don't matter! He is saying we can commit any sin we want -- willfully, presumptuously, purposefully -- and we will not offend God!   After all, we require nothing more than "faith" to be saved.   What we do is incidental.   Of course anyone familiar with Scripture will point out that this is not a Christian teaching.  For throughout the Bible we are told that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2).  No believer has a license to sin.  Christians who willfully sin WILL be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 12:14; 1st Thessalonians 4:6).



Luther Said:  Doing Good Is More Dangerous Than Sinning

"Those pious souls who do good to gain the Kingdom of Heaven not only will never succeed, but they must even be reckoned among the impious; and it is more important to guard them against good works than against sin."  (Wittenberg, VI, 160, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 122.)

You must be thinking, "What?  Could he possibly have written what I thought I just read? 'It is more important to guard them against good works than against sin.'"  Well okay, read it again, just to make sure. We'll wait.

See?  You were right the first time.  Luther cautions us against good and upright actions.  He says, don't worry about sin -- Jesus will take care of it.  But doing good -- that you'd better watch out for. Especially if you think being kind and generous and loving will affect your outcome at the final judgment.

In his hubris, he ignores verse after verse of Scripture — New Testament and Old — where we are told that the way we live out our faith will be the criterion upon which we will be judged.  As Paul makes eminently clear in Rom. 2: 5-11, "...the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works."  And again in 2 Cor. 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat... so that each one may receive recompense , according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil."  Luther was utterly and monumentally wrong -- wrong for the ages.



Luther Said:  There Is No Free Will

"...with regard to God, and in all that bears on salvation or damnation, (man) has no 'free-will', but is a captive, prisoner and bondslave, either to the will of God, or to the will of  Satan." (From the essay, 'Bondage of the Will,' 'Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings, ed. by Dillenberger, Anchor Books, 1962 p. 190.)

"...we do everything of necessity, and nothing by 'free-will'; for the power of 'free-will' is nil..."  (Ibid., p. 188.)

"Man is like a horse.  Does God leap into the saddle?  The horse is obedient and accommodates itself to every movement of the rider and goes whither he wills it.  Does God throw down the reins?  Then Satan leaps upon the back of the animal, which bends, goes and submits to the spurs and caprices of its new rider...  Therefore, necessity, not free will, is the controlling principle of our conduct.  God is the author of what is evil as well as of what is good, and, as He bestows happiness on
those who merit it not, so also does He damn others who deserve not their fate."  ('De Servo Arbitrio', 7, 113 seq., quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, pp. 266-267.)

All these passages come from a tract Luther penned, titled, 'De Servo Arbitrio ,' or 'Bondage of the Will,' in which the great reformer works hard to present the case that free will does not exist.

Scripture, of course, disagrees, in both word and spirit. In Sirach 15:11-20, we find:  "Say not:  'It was God's doing that I fell away': for what he hates he does not do. Say not: 'It was he who set me astray'; For he has no need of wicked men... When God, in the beginning, created man, he made him subject to his own free choice. If you choose you can keep the commandments... There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand."

So you see, the scripture is quite clear on the matter:  "When God, in the beginning, created man, he made him subject to his own free choice."

But, you object, Sirach is 'apocryphal' -- Luther discarded it, questioning its canonicity.  And no wonder, we respond, considering how directly it confutes his teachings.  But we can also point to Deut. 30:19-20, in which God tells us: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him."  So we see that man is more than simply free to choose; he is obliged to choose.

And earlier yet, in Gen. 4:7, God speaks to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen?  If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."

And, finally, in John 15:15, our Lord pronounces his love for us, his followers:  "I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing.  I have called you friends..."  Hardly sounds like the words of a rider to his horse.

As often happens, Paul has the final word:  "But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of Sin?  Of course not!"  (Gal. 2:17.)  A more direct contradiction of Luther's pronouncement, "God is the author of what is evil as well as of what is good," is difficult to imagine.

Luther's position includes no accountability.  No responsibility.  No sense of learning or of being perfected through the course of our lives. No dignity even.  Just the bleakest, most oppressive coercion which robs human life of any meaning whatsoever.  What you do in your life -- even the love you evidence toward your neighbors -- means nothing, according to Luther.  Your struggles, your suffering, your perseverance -- none of it amounts to anything.  Your will is not even in your own hands.


Luther Said:  The Individual Christian Is Subject To No Authority

"...every Christian is by faith so exalted above all things that, by virtue of a spiritual power, he is lord of all things without exception, so that nothing can do him any harm.  As a matter of fact, all things are made subject to him and are compelled to serve him in obtaining salvation."  (From the essay,' Freedom of a Christian,' 'Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings, ed. by Dillenberger, Anchor Books, 1962 p. 63.)

"Injustice is done those words 'priest,' 'cleric,' 'spiritual,' 'ecclesiastic,' when they are transferred from all Christians to those
few who are now by a mischievous usage called 'ecclesiastics.'" (Ibid., p. 65.)



Luther teaches that we don't need anyone between us, the community of believers, and our Savior.  So he objects to ecclesiastical authority -- and the hierarchy which exercises it.  God is with the entire congregation, he says, so why should we bother with a priest.

Sounds great.  Until you realize that this position echoes that of Moses' sister, the prophetess Miriam, who protests in Numbers Chapter 12, "Is it through Moses alone that the Lord speaks?  Does he not speak through us also?"  For her rebellion against the authority established by God, she contracts leprosy.  Thanks to Moses' intercessory prayer, she is cleansed.

And she is followed just a few chapters later by Korah, who incites the people against Moses and Aaron in the most disturbing words of all. They say, "Enough from you!  The whole community, all of them, are holy; the LORD is in their midst.  Why then should you set yourselves over the LORD's congregation?"  Whereupon Korah and his followers were consumed by fire sent by the Lord.  (Numbers 16.)


Luther Said:  Peasants Deserve Their Harsh Treatment

"Like the mules who will not move unless you perpetually whip them with rods, so the civil powers must drive the common people, whip, choke, hang, burn, behead and torture them, that they may learn to fear the powers that be."  (El. ed. 15, 276, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 235.)

"A peasant is a hog, for when a hog is slaughtered it is dead, and in the same way the peasant does not think about the next life, for otherwise he would behave very differently." ('Schlaginhaufen,' 'Aufzeichnungen,' p. 118, quoted ibid., p. 241)

Perhaps Luther's darkest hour was his betrayal of the long-abused serfs during Münzer's Peasants' War of 1525.  First, he naively fomented their unrest by publishing tracts such as 'On Authority,' in which he castigated the princely classes with invective such as, "People cannot, people will not, put up with your tyranny and caprice for any length of time." (Ibid., p. 223.)  And, "...the poor man, in excitement and grief on account of the damage he has suffered in his goods, his body and his
soul, has been tried too much and has been oppressed by them beyond all measure, in the most perfidious manner.  Henceforth he can and will no longer put up with such a state of things, and, moreover, he has ample reason to break forth with the flail and the club as Karsthans threatens to do." (Ibid., p. 225.)

Yet when the rebellion came, he turned coat, publishing the tract, 'Against the Murderous and Rapacious Hordes of Peasants,' which urged the ruling lords to "stab them secretly and openly, as they can, as one would kill a mad dog." (Ibid., p. 235.)

To underscore the coldness of the man, Luther was married on the heels of the tragic massacre that resulted.  Erasmus, a contemporary, estimated that a hundred thousand peasants lost their lives. (Ibid., p. 237.)


Luther Said:  Polygamy Is Permissible

"I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture.  If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the word of God.  In such a case the civil authority has nothing to do in the matter." (De Wette II, 459, ibid., pp. 329-330.)


'Sola scriptura' has its consequences.


Luther Said:  The Bible Could Use Some Improvement

"The history of Jonah is so monstrous that it is absolutely incredible." ('The Facts About Luther, O'Hare, TAN Books, 1987, p. 202.)

"The book of Esther I toss into the Elbe.  I am such an enemy to the book of Esther that I wish it did not exist, for it Judaizes too much and has in it a great deal of heathenish foolishness." (Ibid.)

"Of very little worth is the Book of Baruch, whoever the worthy Baruch might be." (Ibid.)

"...the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because it contains nothing evangelical."  ('Preface to the New Testament,' ed. Dillenberger, p. 19.)

"If nonsense is spoken anywhere, this is the very place.  I pass over the fact that many have maintained, with much probability, that this epistle was not written by the apostle James, and is not worthy of the spirit of the apostle."  ('Pagan Servitude of the Church,' ed. Dillenberger, p. 352.)

Reading these words of Luther, it's hard to imagine that he is the same man who so often claimed that he looked upon the Bible "as if God Himself spoke therein."  How could he have claimed to believe in the inspired Word of God as the ultimate authority on religious matters if he placed himself in judgment of Scripture?  In doing so, he quite clearly set himself up as judge over God himself.

Believe it or not, in his hubris Luther even presumed to rank the gospels:  "John records but few of the works of Christ, but a great deal of his preaching, whereas the other three evangelists record many of His works, but few of His words.  It follows that the gospel of John is unique in loveliness, and of a truth the principal gospel, far, far superior to the other three, and St. Paul and St. Peter are far in advance of the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke."  ('Preface to Romans,' ed. Dillenberger, pp. 18-19.)

And he complained about the Book of Revelation: "to my mind it bears upon it no marks of an apostolic or prophetic character...  Everyone may form his own judgment of this book; as for myself, I feel an aversion to it, and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting it." (Sammtliche Werke,  63, pp. 169-170, 'The Facts About Luther,' O'Hare, TAN Books,
1987, p. 203.)

And finally, he admitted adding the word 'alone' to Rom. 3:28 of his own volition:  "If your Papist annoys you with the word ('alone'), tell him straightway, Dr. Martin Luther will have it so:  Papist and ass are one and the same thing.  Whoever will not have my translation, let him give it the go-by: the devil's thanks to him who censures it without my will and knowledge.  Luther will have it so, and he is a doctor above all the doctors in Popedom."  (Amic. Discussion, 1, 127,'The Facts About
Luther,' O'Hare, TAN Books, 1987, p. 201.)

Here he is condemned by his own mouth.  For John, in Rev. 22: 18-19, declares anathema anyone who presumes to change even a single word of Scripture:  "I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book."  Luther, of course, didn't add or take away mere words, but entire passages and books.



Luther Said:  Persecute The Jewish People

"Jews are young devils damned to hell."  ('Luther's Works,' Pelikan, Vol. XX, pp. 2230.)

"Burn their synagogues.  Forbid them all that I have mentioned above. Force them to work and treat them with every kind of severity, as Moses did in the desert and slew three thousand... If that is no use, we must drive them away like mad dogs, in order that we may not be partakers of their abominable blasphemy and of all their vices, and in order that we may not deserve the anger of God and be damned with them.  I have done my duty.  Let everyone see how he does his.  I am excused."  ('About the Jews and Their Lies,' quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 290.)

It is very disturbing to contemplate the possible fruit born of the seeds of hatred sown by this man.  If he was guided by any spirit, clearly it was not holy.


Conclusion

How is it so many people have followed the author of these dark, bleak teachings?  There is only one explanation:  They don't realize what Luther -- the real Luther -- actually taught.  If they did, they'd would see that many of the ideas of the Reformation father run counter to both Scripture and good sense.

And I suspect that, from the seminary onward, Protestant ministers concentrate more on the perceived errors of Catholicism than they do examining the writings of their own founders.  Yes, Catholicism is straight out of the pits of Hell, but so is Lutheranism.

If you doubt these passages, I urge you to go to the source.  Finding Luther's writings is not easy, but with diligence it can be done.

May God bless those whose search for truth and lead them to sift with impartiality:  "Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith.  Test yourselves."  (2 Corinthians  13:5.)  And may the God who created us all in his image bring us closer to his heart, where all truth is found.

Martin Luther (One might find it surprising that Martin Luther should be included here, but he deserves his spot on this infamous list.  He said that salvation was by faith alone, but he did not mean what he said.  He added that salvation must be "through baptism!"  In his catechism he taught that baptism gives the forgiveness of sins, redeems one from death, and bestows eternal salvation.)

The Truth About Martin Luther     Baptismal Regeneration Exposed

Baptismal Regeneration and Bible Salvation     Baptismal Regeneration?

Martin Luther's "Large Catechism" concerning Baptism (If you really want to get sleepy, read this garbage.  He says that no one can become a Christian apart from the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Communion.  Of course, this is a lie!  I seriously doubt Martin Luther's salvation.)

Martin Luther's Devotion to Mary (Martin Luther said, "Our prayer should include the Mother of God…What the Hail Mary says is that all glory should be given to God."  This is idolatry no matter what they say.  To pray to Mary is NOT taught anywhere in the Bible!  Danger!!!)

Martin Luther Taught the Confessional Sacrament (Martin Luther said, "a person receives absolution or forgiveness from the confessor, as if from God Himself.")

Martin Luther Taught the Holy Communion Sacrament (Martin Luther said, "the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are given to us through these words in the sacrament.")

Martin Luther Taught Baptismal Regeneration (Martin Luther said, "In Baptism God forgives sin."  Click HERE for a different version.  Note that this is from Luther's "Small Catechism" writings.)

Lutheran Misconceptions of Baptism Refuted (baptism is NOT supposed to be a Sacrament, it's just an ordinance--not a means of forgiveness!  Infant "baby" baptism is not found in the Bible, it's ridiculous.)









JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH:

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH:

Righteousness of God:

Paul the apostle wrote as recorded in Romans 1:17, that: “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

The Greek word for righteousness was rendered dikaiosyne, and the Hebrew counterpart or equivalent was tsedakah.

The present English word was developed from Anglo- Saxon. Originally the word righteousness was rightwiseness, i.e. right wisdom, and specifically described justice, right and to know. Therefore a righteous man was a man with the right wisdom, not deception- i.e. not the wisdom of the world. The wisdom of the world is wrong wisdom, and is exactly foolishness before God- 1 Corinthians 3:19. Psalms 14:1 states: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Proverbs 23:7 states: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”

The righteous man is a person who understands the claim of justice and right, and who, knowing them, acted according to their dictates. That person is thoroughly wise, and he aims at the attainment of the best end by the use of the best means. This, to the level best is the true meaning of wisdom. The righteous man is he that knows most about God, and acts best by obeying God completely/ fully. David the son of Jesse wrote in Psalms 34:8, that: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Peter the apostle, son of Jonah, wrote in his epistle (1 Peter 2:1-3), that: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As new babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

Before we could move into deeper aspects, or parts of righteousness, it is good for us to look much first on the Greek world, the wisdom of the Gentiles.

According to classical Greek, righteousness was unwritten, eternal, or divine principle brought into shape both the physical and moral characters, and the consciousness of man. The word was applied in the phrase qemiv ejsti- It is right fundamentally and eternally, equivalent to Latin fas est.

“So, Homer, of Penelope, mourning for Ulysses, qemiv ejst gunalkov,- it is the sacred obligation of the wife (who founded in her natural relation to her husband, ordained of heaven) to mourn” (“Odyssey” 14,130). “So, also Antigone appeals to the unwritten law against the blasphemy of refusing burial to her brother.” This understood according to the pagans.

The unwritten law, in the Christian domain, is the Gospel. It is unwritten, in the sense that it is written in the hearts of believers.

The Hebrew word tsedakah, for righteousness, in the proper ideal description, breads the notion of a beam or a scale, in equipoise, what we call balances, and is well known in all the personifications of justice both ancient and modern. Righteousness is right wisdom.

The Hebrews presented wisdom as a woman, who was beautiful, with a bandage on her eyes, a beam and scales in her hands, so perfectly poised that neither end preponderates.

Solomon, the third king of Israel wrote: “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee… Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.” (Proverbs 4:5-9, 13). In Ecclesiasticus 24:1-2 (Apocrypha) Jesus ben Sirach wrote: “Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people. In the congregation of the most High shall she open her mouth, and triumph before his power.” He wrote again in Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16, that: “When I was yet young, or ever I went abroad, I desired wisdom openly in my prayer. I prayed for her before the temple, and will seek her out even to the end. Even from the flower till the grape was ripe hath my heart delighted in her: my foot went the right way, from my youth up sought I after her. I bowed down mine ear a little, and received her, and gat much learning.”

Here are the things spoken more of righteousness in the scriptures:

1. The Greek word dikaiosyne for righteousness, further has the sense to divide, derived from dochasoo, hence justice, not determination, neither robbing, slapping of justice. It is written in Acts 17:31: “Because he (God) hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness (dikaiosyne from dochasoo) by that man (Jesus Christ) whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him (Jesus Christ) from the dead.” It is written in Revelation 19:2, that: “For true and righteous are his (God’s) judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”

2. Righteousness is holy life. The record in Luke 1:75, states: “In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.” This was the prophecy of Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth, the father of John the Baptist, concerning Christ, his son (Zacharias’) as the forerunner, and the expected state of Israel, at that time.

3. Righteousness is practically exercised or demonstrated in alms giving. The record in Matthew 6:1 supports: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

4. Righteousness is God’s method of saving sinners- the responsibility he placed on his Son Jesus Christ. Romans 9:30 indicates: “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith.”

5. Righteousness referred to liberality. 2 Corinthians 9:9-10 states: “(As it is written, [that is Psalms 112:9] He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness).”

6. Righteousness referred to collection of graces, completing Christian characters or living, hence: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). The characters or living seen must be completely different, distinctive, from hypocrisies, seen, evident in denominations, ministries, religions- “For I (Jesus Christ) say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees [that is equivalent to present denominations/ ministries], ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven”- Matthew 5:20. The graces, characters, or living, can only be received from God- “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

7. Righteousness signifies the result of faith in God and submission to his will, exemplified in holy and useful life- “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” (Hebrews 11:7).

8. Righteousness signifies an exact observance of the Gospel ordinances, and precepts- contrary to what Paul the apostle originally did- “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:6). The Gospel ordinances are the fulfillment of all righteousness- “And Jesus answering said unto him (John the Baptist), suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he (John the Baptist) suffered him (Christ)” (Matthew 3:15).

9. Righteousness signifies the favour or pardoning mercy from God- “Even as David also decribeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying [that is Psalms 32:1-2], Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:6-8).

10.    A righteous person becomes the righteousness of God. One who knows sin MUST BE saved by ONE who knew no sin, but made sin, for the sake of salvation. This man, who knew no sin, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the man in glory. To know sin, meant that such a person practiced sin, before the salvation brought by Christ. The record in 2 Corinthians 5:21, states: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

The verb right explains to: 1. Approve, praise, commend, declare something to be proper. A judge is said to justify not only when he condemns and punishes, but also when he defends the cause of the innocent. This is the basis of the Greek word dikaioo, also pronounced dichasoo.

2. Set free, escape from. The record in Acts 13:39, indicates: “And by him [Jesus Christ] that believe are justified {made righteous} from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

3. To receive one into a favour, to pardon of sin. Romans 8:30: “Moreover whom he {God} did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified {made righteous}: and whom he justified, them he also gloried.” Luke 18:14: “I [Jesus Christ] tell you, this man went down to his house justified {made righteous} rather than the other {comparing a Pharisee and a Publican who went in the temple to pray}: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” See also Romans 3:20; 4:2 and 1 Corinthians 6:11.

4. Lastly righteousness is synonymous to justification, and is taken in the sense of remission of sins, through faith in Jesus Christ. The concept does not make a person righteous or just, but treating him as if he were so, having his or her sins forgiven by God, through believing, trusting in God’s only begotten Son- Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23-26 states: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say {Paul the apostle}, at this time his {God’s} righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

Romans 5:1-2, states: “Therefore being justified {made righteous} by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Verse 9 indicates: “Much more then, being now justified {made righteous} by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him {Jesus Christ}.” See also Galatians 2:16-17; 3:11, 24; 5:4; Titus 3:7; James 2:21-25.

What can we draw into, as the righteousness of God? First, the righteousness of God is his wisdom; Secondly, the righteousness of God is his knowledge; Thirdly, the righteousness of God is acting according to his wish or dictates; Fourthly, the righteousness of God is his justice {compare the parable of the widow and the non-fearing judge mentioned in Luke 18:1-8}. The heat, or gravity of God’s judgment, will be evident at the end of the world; Fifthly, the righteousness of God, forever positively indicates that he knows most and acts best. He acted best, by creating everything. He acted best by creating man in his own image (Genesis 1:1, 26). He knows most by giving us the scriptures; Sixthly, the righteousness of God is his unwritten, eternal or divine principle; Seventhly, the righteousness of God is his revelation; Eighthly, the righteousness of God, is his generosity, or as plainly put, his mercy, loving kindness, grace; Ninthly, the righteousness of God is his balance, in separating the obedient from the wicked at the end of the world.

The list is not exhaustive, but the individual with divine educational pursuits will learn more as he or she gets along.

The question that arises, then, is: “How can we get the righteousness of God; how can we know we have it; and how can the righteousness functions in our lives?

Since righteousness is wisdom, the Christians must seek the wisdom of God. In Proverbs 1:7, we learn that: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The passage continues, Proverbs 2:5-6, 10-12, that: “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding…. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things.” In the New Testament, James, one of the apostles, the brother of Christ, wrote: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5). God alone has his righteousness or wisdom, and he alone can give it to anyone, as he pleases. Man had no faculty whatsoever to give such wisdom. It is indicated in Wisdom of Solomon 7:7 (Apocrypha) that: “Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the Spirit of wisdom came to me.” But the simple and comprehensible doctrine is that: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written [that is Jeremiah 9:23-24], He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord”- 1 Corinthians 1:30-31. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. Seek him.

Righteousness of God is received from his word, called the Gospel. The record in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Again in Proverbs 30:5, it is written: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”

To get righteousness from God, the following are mandatory or compulsory:

(a)          There must be obedience to God. The obedience to God, must be seen by obeying every precept of the Gospel;

(b)          The obedience given to God must direct the committed responsible recipient to Christ, and;

(c)           The righteousness of God MUST is obtained by studying his WORD. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”- 2 Timothy 2:15.

ALL these answer the question “how can we get the righteousness of God?”

The next “how can we know we have it?” was specifically answered by Paul, the apostle in the passage of Romans 1:17, which had been the introduction of this discussion.

To know, we have the righteousness, we must have revelation from God.

The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, that is: (a) to have faith in his word. One MUST believe that the BIBLE is the WORD OF GOD. The BIBLE is not any other bible, but AUTHORIZED VERSION, elsewhere known as KING JAMES VERSION, 1611- anyway the Gospel is about Kingdom, not religious supremacy. This is the first step of faith; (b) to have faith in God himself. This God is the God of Israel, and not any other god. This is the second step of faith; (c) to have faith, in the only begotten Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the third step of faith. Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life, to heaven. Any other way is the way of eternal death. Peter the apostle courageously spoke that: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”- Acts 4:12. This is the third step of faith. First, one must study God’s word, obtained only from the BIBLE; secondly, he must have faith in God; and thirdly he must accept the Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, the only Person having the key to open and close the door of eternity. In plain, he MUST accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

Jesus Christ himself attested of this, when he said: “All things are delivered unto me {Christ} of my Father {God}: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27).

The righteousness of God, is revealed precept upon precept, faith upon faith, and could be compared to what Peter, the apostle wrote, that: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1-8).

The condition for righteousness is perfectly clear, that is, “the just shall live by faith,” quoted from Habakkuk 2:4, and could be explained in this wise:

(i)             A person cannot be right, or righteous, unless he or she had faith, which is, believed in Jesus Christ, his Gospel, and his Father, called God, and the Kingdom in heaven. If one cannot, or does not know Jesus Christ, reject him, in his/ her attitudes, publicly denounced him, then it is obvious that such person has no faith at all. This person is a wicked person living in sin, with wrong characters. Jesus Christ, not denominations/ ministries people had set, is the litmus test. There is no value added to the Gospel service when man establishes/ builds extravagant places of worship. Ministries or denominations cannot make a person righteous. The righteousness of God had no short cuts. It cannot be achieved through the corrupt translated bibles done by man, to make things sweet to their reading or hearing. No man will be righteous before God, by his or her own efforts. Jesus Christ is the test given by God in order to know whether one is righteous or foolish/ wicked. The just or righteous man must have holy and useful life. He must know Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, for the Son of God, is the only one who can save man from stupidity or foolishness of the world, physically taking course or appearing as sin. Foolishness attracts the wrath of God. Foolishness hides man from the face God. The other option, is this, that:

(ii)         The person, whose righteousness, had been approved or established, by complete belief in Christ, is the only one, who will be saved, that is, taken to eternity by Christ, the Son of the living God himself. We must be careful, when we give this reasoning. A Christian must be Christ-like. It is only Christ, who made us little christs, here in the world, in a move, or identification known globally as Christians. We are not God- men (“within me is no God- man”) as preached by Benny Hinn, and other Satanists. Without Christ, we are not Christians. Without Christ, we are completely/ fully nothing, hence, the record in Philippians 2:5, which indicates: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” We don’t do to Christ a favour when we are converted be Christians. When we become Christians, the favour is on our sides. We could have been lost terribly, destined to be in the hell fire, but God had given us unmerited favour, something we don’t deserve, by wiping out all our sins, in the blood of the Lamb. The condition for sins to be wiped out, for any person, is to believe in Jesus Christ. This belief in Christ tantamount to the belief in his blood. A person without Christ is total flop, helpless and a failure, being destined to hell. If one cannot behave as Christ, follow the footsteps of the Son of God, then he is none of the Christians. One will never do Christ a favour by establishing ministries/ denominations/ religions. Christ never ordered for this. One cannot do to Christ a favour, by begging money in the name of spreading the Gospel. One cannot do to Christ a favour, by establishing homes for destitute children, orphans, widows, or people with AIDS. One cannot do Christ a favour by using satanic powers to duplicate miracles, or, cannot, either by soliciting funds from cultic organizations to back up his established ministries/ denominations.

He who believed in the world political leaders, religious corrupt clergies- who used voodoo magic to duplicate/ apostate miracles, calling them mighty prophet of the Lord or servants or men of God, is a fool, not righteous, not just. Such person is not saved, and will end up in hell. One, who is called by God, must embrace the example of Christ. Christ never came to accomplish his will. He never came to saturate the little penny from the poor in order to get rich. He was not for himself, but for the service of God. How then are people completely blinded to the extent that they expect the current wolves with large bellies to be doing God’s work?

The record in Hebrews 5:4 makes it perfectly clear, that: “And no man taketh this honour {priesthood- currently preaching} unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” How it is that one imposes himself on the Gospel, when really what he is doing is business? How can one expect salvation when what he is doing condemns him? How can one expect the love of God, when he loved himself very much to the extent of oppressing and despising others? He who believed in the world will not escape with his life, at the time when God will finally besiege the entire universe. Jesus Christ in one particular time asked this question: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and loose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”- Mark 8:36-37. John the son of Zebedee, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Zebediah, wrote: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”- 1 John 2:15-17.  

The righteous man is a man whose inside had been pumped up, cleaned thoroughly by God. The man is made divine, when he was not originally divine. The man is made moral by God, when he was found to be immoral.

In the ancient religions of the Gentiles, who were originally pagans, immorality stood to expose loose, developed characters, which generated fear, guilt and wrath. Refusal to grant hospitality was considered offence against the gods. Compare this with Hebrews 13:2, though to Christians gods are nothing. There is only one God- JEHOVAH. Uncivilized, and fierce or arrogant, stubborn tribes or clans, were rated as immoral or unrighteous.

The Greek philosopher, Plato, in his fourth book of the Laws, asserted that God in his hands holds the beginning, the middle and the end of all things, so that he could dispense justice, by rewarding the obedience, while on the other hand- left hand punishing the disobedience. This statement is true about the God of Israel, but not Allah of Islam, not Zeus of Greek, neither any other.

Those who dear, reverence God must be like him. Without holiness, that is the righteousness of God or God’s character, no one will be, or can be righteous. God told the children of Israel through Moses, that: “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy….”- Leviticus 11:44. In Exodus 19:6, God told them again, that: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation….” Peter the apostle told Christians beginning with the Jews, and followed by Gentiles, that: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation”- 1 Peter 1:13-15.

The beginning, in the Christian domains, or perspective, is the time of Hebrew patriarchs; the middle is the time of the world currently, while the end of all things is ultimately the end of the world.

Reasoning in respect to the world, it is obvious that ethics, points first to what is established by customs. Morality is something whose weight is determined by God in his true worship, and ethics is established by dressing code. One is known to be a prostitute with the kind of dress she attired herself into. Peculiar emphasized on individual. Social sentiment is placed on morals. Case is concerned on public opinions. Murder on the other hand, is the breach of both social and moral law. Compare what Peter the apostle wrote: “But you are a chosen generation,  royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous glory”- 1 Peter 2:9.

God’s law called the Gospel stands for the purpose of to guide and to sanction. One would be charged in the court of God, by Jesus Christ, for:

(i)                         Not believing in God, neither his Son, Jesus Christ;

(ii)                     Disagreeing/ rejecting to be made righteous by God;

(iii)                  Agreeing to do contrary to what the citizens of heaven are doing; and

(iv)                   Voluntarily, blatantly refraining from the right and became part of the things forbidden by God.

In the civil courts worldwide, a person is charged with treason, or given death penalty, if:

(a)          He is against the head of state- president, something compared as not believing in God, neither his Son, Jesus Christ.

(b)          He had rigidly rejected the particular country’s constitution, violating it.

(c)           He does grave crimes specified in the governing constitution.

(d)          The person is found to be spy, who puts the country’s security or welfare in general to threats.

(e)           If the person claims to be president, or heading rebels with parallel government, something like engraving gods, and claiming to be Christ.

If these can be done to a person before the civil courts, then why do we think God would not do the same to people who had committed treason before him? Will divine judgment surpass the civil courts? Yes absolutely. What about people who started their own churches, rival governments to Christ? These are rebel leaders who must face God’s wrath to the full potential.