Episode 140: How to be deemed righteous

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting

mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the light of the world

and the life of all. Give us wisdom by Your law and

enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge.

Sanctify our souls by Your truth and grant that we may be

obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at

every hour. O You who enlightens the

rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my

Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and

divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son

and Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

Romans chapter 3 we left off at verse 9, prior to that police

Romans 3 · chapter mention

talking about the Gentiles who didn't have the law, but they

had the law of the nature and that they also transgressed the

law and they're in the same predicament.

But the Jews, obviously they had the law and he was, he's a

little bit harsh on them because they also transgressed the law

and we left up, left off at verse 9 where Paul says what

then do we uphold that is superior?

We have already decided concerning both Jews and

Aramians or the Gentiles, for they are all under sin.

They're all under sin, not sinners, but they're all under

sin. They're all enslaved, affected

by sin, driven to, driven by sin to transgress the law and the

commandments, forgetting that God, the creator of heaven and

earth, has given them the law to keep things in check, basically

to manage them. But they transgressed because of

their free will. They forgot to feed the Lord,

for he, he is a consuming fire. They didn't even uphold the law

because of their fear of the law.

They didn't uphold the law because there was a promise and

they didn't uphold the law because they loved God.

So they failed and they became sinners.

In verse 10, he goes on and says as it is written, we're going to

talk about that as it is written.

There is none righteous. No, not one.

No Jew, no Gentile. And you know what righteous

means? No one that is right.

We're going to talk about that. No one that's righteous.

No, not one. There is none who understands.

There is none who seeks after God.

They're all gone astray and they have been rejected.

There is none who does good. No, not one.

Their throats are like open sepultures.

Their their tongues are deceitful, the venom and ASP's

is under their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing

and bitterness. Whoa not their ours today.

We can relate to all this. They are over quick to shed

blood, swift at shedding blood. Murder, destruction and misery

are in their ways. They have not known the path of

peace. There is No Fear of God before

their eyes. It's a it's a salad of Psalms

and A twist of Ecclesiastes in there.

And why? To display, to show them the

outcome of being under sin, the influence of sin, the danger of

sin. He's accused the Jews and the

Gentiles. He's already told them what

their what their, their crime is.

So now he comes to mention of righteousness, which is by faith

righteousness meaning the chaos they were in, the dilemma they

were in, the era that were that they were in.

God came to make it right. That is what righteousness

basically means. God made it right through his

Son, Jesus Christ. So now he's going to tell them

that righteousness came by faith meaning, and by grace and your

faith meaning, God did it. That's what grace means.

God did this. God made it right through his

Son. Now keep in mind again, his

audience are Jews and Gentiles who have converted.

So now he's telling him, listen, it was your faith.

It was nothing that you did what you did.

You deserved eternal condemnation, but God came and

made it right. But I'm trying to I, I want to

remind you that you don't return back to the to, to, you know, to

your, to your previous life. You don't turn back.

You don't go back to your vomit as a, a dog does to returns to

his vomit. You don't turn back to your

sins. Don't let people fool you and

say to you that you need circumcision, Kosha and what

have you. No, no, no, that's all.

That's all. That's all being fulfilled.

You've been made right by faith showing that since the law of

nature for the Gentiles, they had the law of nature was of no

advantage and also for the Jews, the written law was weak in the

flesh. He goes on to say this, let me

read it to you, chapter 8. We're going to talk more about

it when we come to it in three years time maybe, but we're

going to talk about it Romans chapter 8, verse 3.

Romans 8:3

For the law was weak through the weakness of the flesh.

So God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,

likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin, in order to

condemn sin by means of His flesh.

We'll talk about that in in detail.

So the law which was written, the Mosaic Law, the law of the

flesh, was weak because of the flesh.

But both of these had burdened those that use them incorrectly,

or abuse them, or disobeyed them, and made it plain that

they were worthy of greater punishment.

The written law, the law of nature, only emphasized that you

need greater punishment. Hence the salvation, which is by

grace was necessary because nothing else would bring

yourself, nothing else would save you from that perdition.

Now using that word, I'm going to read to you from the Liturgy

of the Mystery or the Sacrament of Holy Baptism to show you that

liturgy is not just some man made prayers that we repeat

every time. Thank God.

Thank God because there are some people who pray.

They call freestyle and preach to God.

They're not praying, they're preaching to the Lord.

They're telling the Lord what it is that he needs to know.

He knows. Jesus said before you open your

mouth, your heavenly Father in heaven knows what you need.

You know when you pray for someone who has a, has a

problem, has a, has an illness, back pain, you don't need to

tell God which disk it is, what number disk it is, and why the

pain is there. No, you don't need to do that.

So let me recite these liturgies that are the theology of the

Assyrian Church of the East. You know, the Apostolic

churches, the Orthodox churches, the Apostolic churches.

Listen, Catholics are Orthodox. Don't get offended.

I'm sorry. You're a Catholic.

You're an Orthodox. Orthodox.

You're a Catholic. Don't get offended.

Look at the terms, look at the terminology.

I'm not going to go into that. You go and read the terminology

and know that Rome Catholic doesn't mean Pope Leo Orthodox

doesn't mean all these patriarchs.

No, no, no. Just go and read them.

And you know that, yes, the Catholic Church is an Orthodox

Church. The Roman, the, the, the

Orthodox Church is a Catholic Church.

All right. They all have their liturgy

spelled out to them in their sorry, their faith, their dogma,

their doctrine in the liturgy. This is how they taught their

people. Because remember again, let's

take John, the Gospel of John in the year Atad, the Gospel of

John was written. So for 80 years people didn't

know in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God

and the Word was God. Yes, they did.

Yes, they did. Actually, the first written

accounts are Saint Paul's epistles.

In them he mentions Jesus, God. So not as some of these, what do

you call them, Unitarians? I don't know.

You know, they, they come up with this idea that it's the

church that brought up this understanding that Jesus is God.

No, Jesus is God. So through the liturgy they

taught the faithful the Christian faith.

Let me read it now. This prayer is said after the

the candidate has been baptized and then the priest lays the

hand on the candidate and that is the time that the person, the

candidate receives the Holy Spirit.

Male, female, adults, what have you.

Listen to What we the priest recites, we listen to.

I'm sorry, listen to you're probably saying hobby.

Just say it. Just say it.

Get on with it. Listen to how this understanding

these, this letter of Romans to the Jews and the Gentiles and

the Christians today, the Jews and the junctiles who are the

people of the way today. We know as Christians how they

brought this and understood this and taught this through the

liturgy and their prayers. I'll now say it.

We from the beginning of our existence have corrupted the

honor of our freedom. Free will.

The Church understands and accepts and preaches free will.

If a preacher tells you there is no free will, walk away and say

bye, bye bye heresy, heretic. No free will.

No, no, no, there is free do. Free will of our existence have

corrupted the honor of our freedom.

It was an honor to be given freedom through the seduction of

our captor Satan, and have rejected the upright confession

of your godhead through godless worship.

Through godless worship, I do this going back now.

Now I didn't do this, but my kind did.

Yes, man was under corruption of your godhead through godless

worship. However, however, your grace,

the Assyrian Church of the East knows grace.

I'm sorry, you don't need to teach me grace.

I know grace. I know my forefathers know

grace, knew grace and taught me grace.

However, your grace that means what you did did not leave us to

the perdition or the punishment which we deserve because of our

wickedness. But, and this is grace, this is

how God did it. This is grace, this is the work

of God, but by the revelation of the flesh of the only begotten

from you, God, the Word, they knew, Jesus is God, praise be to

His name. You turned us back to you and

made us worthy to know You, lifting up the humiliated state

of our nature by the taking of our first fruits.

Jesus Christ, praise be to his name.

And you appointed us heirs of the good things to come which do

not pass away. God did this.

Nothing about circumcision anymore.

Is it because the candidate has already been circumcised without

without the circumcision of the flesh?

No put to death in baptism and brought to light to life.

Now to emphasize his words that because you are under the the

effect of sin and what you did in that predicament.

In that state he brings another accuser, that is King David.

Now we saw this in the book of Acts as well, chapter 15, when

they were deciding whether we circumcise or not, they quote

from the Old Testament. Yes, of course he brings another

accuser that is King David to accuse them of what they were,

to remind them that your king also said this, Speaking of the

same things in length, which Isaiah mentioned briefly.

He goes on to say as it is written.

Now, just a, a side note, as it is written is very important.

And I've mentioned many times that you know, the Gospels, the,

the, the Pentateuch or the Torah or the substitution wasn't

readily available for people. They cost a lot of money and for

them to have been written to bring a writer to write that

would have been very costly, but they would pay because it is

important. So when you see as it is

written, everything else is written, all these, this is all

written. So why is Paul saying as it is

written, that means this is very important, very important.

It costs money to write this because it was so important as

it is written. There is not a just person, not

even one. Now this is a starting point for

Saint Paul to list their evil deeds and even add some worse

ones. What they did when they were BC

right? That's why they needed

salvation. He's showing them that this was

the result of them giving into sin because of the free will.

We said it in the in the prayer of baptism, the the honor of our

freedom, the free will which they were also given, but

through their free will they gave into sin, which they were

also under perdition or punishment.

And also this is to show that there was no hope for them

unless God had done what he did for their salvation through

their grace. God did it.

The law couldn't do anything. You were weak, you were evil.

The law was weak wasn't penetrating right now this is a

difficult statement. You know, people quoted today

just to show that you know, and the emphasis is works will not

save you. Your deeds will not save you.

I mean to that no one says you, you can't work your way to

heaven. But let me tell you, you will be

judged according to your deeds. And that's script.

It's all scripture. Saint Paul says it, Christ says

it. You will be judged according to

your deeds. If your deeds are evil, you

cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Period. Very simple. 1 + 1 is 2.

That's not racist. By the way. 1 + 1 is 2.

OK, 1 + 1 is two, 2 + 2 is 4. So put it together, it's simple.

You cannot work your way to heaven because God's already

done it. God did this.

It's available, but you need to have faith and you need to have

the, the tentacles or you need to have the, the proof or the

evidence of your faith. The evidence of your love for

God is the righteous living and the good deeds that you produce.

So it's a difficult statement to understand, not in the way that

it's being used today. How is it that let me you know,

let's ask the question, how is it that possible that not even

one Jew or one Gentile had ever done anything good?

There's Paul saying that there was not even one person to show

hospitality to feed the hungry. This is what the fathers are

quoting. I'm quoting the fathers.

I'm sorry to clothe the naked or do anything that is similar.

I It really doesn't seem possible that Saint Paul means

exactly what what, what, what we're thinking, right?

Maybe the Father's right. What he meant was to be

understood as if someone lays, for example, they're bringing an

example. If someone lays a foundation for

a house and puts up one or two walls, the stucco people or the

electrician does the electrical work, it cannot be said that the

electrician built the house, right?

If Nergal, our brother Nergal, who's 100% sure and 110% not

sure sometimes, right, Steven, he can't claim that he built my

office because he did the electrical work, No, nor the

plumber nor the painter, just because they did some work on

it. The person who has built the

chair the the the house is the person who begins from the

beginning and completes it. Now, if Stephen builds his own

house from groundbreaking and does everything, the electrical

work, the carpentry, the plumbing, the kitchen and what

have you, the landscape, yes, Stephen can claim I built this

house. But if you say to Stephen, oh,

that means you did everything, No, well, you know, not the

electrical. Well, no, you didn't, Stephen.

You had a hand in building this house.

So then the Father's going to say that.

It may be that here the apostle is saying that no one has done

good in the sense that no one has brought goodness to

perfection and completion. Just like Stephen cannot claim

he perfected that he completed it because it wasn't him because

if there was no electricity, the house would be flawed.

It would not be completed the but only one person.

And if we ask ourselves who is truly good and who has done good

perfectly, completely, John 1011 should be echoing bells ringing,

he who said I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Good

Shepherd. John 1011.

And again in verse 15, he says the Good Shepherd lays down his

life for the sheep completely. He did it.

He laid his life. He was the Good Shepherd.

He led his sheep through green pastures.

He did he even went after the goats, he even went after the

sheep. He says that we're not of his

flock to bring them all and he laid his life down for them.

That is good only God is good because God is good in

completion. You cannot find you know we have

all these would be as if could be and I'm not being

disrespectful. I mean realistic.

You know all these foolish would be as if could be want to find

fault with God kicking you know kicking against the thorns that

God is not good God is good is complete.

You cannot find the full of a flaw in in God's work.

You cannot find evil in God has to even say that.

No, you know when Jesus says you know?

Some people read the scriptures. Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

Blessed are the meek, but woe, woe, woe.

You know that woe is equal to cursed, are you?

Oh, you see this Jesus is cursing.

No, Jesus does not curse anyone. But let me tell you, when you

don't fulfill his commandments, the curse you bring upon

yourself. Saint Peter writes that if we

are suffering because of righteousness, you have a

reward, but if you're suffering because of your evil, what

reward do you want? When I'm doing 110 on a 60 speed

limit St. and the police officer pulls me over and gives me a

ticket, Don't winch. I can't complain, right?

It's my fault. But if I'm doing 55 and then the

police officer says to me, you were doing 100 and I have

evidence, No, no, that is not correct.

So the first is your own fault. You did it.

So when we, when we disobey God's commandments of love, we

enter into hate and hate brings murder.

So Jesus didn't curse. He's telling you and I that if

we don't obey, then we bring that curse upon ourselves.

Verse 11. There is none who understands.

There is none who seeks after God.

And you know what Saint Paul admits to this himself when he

says for we know partially and we prophecy partially.

We don't know completely. We don't understand if Saint

Paul is saying this and we're going to read a bit about that.

If Saint Paul says this by about himself, who can who can claim

that he understands fully, just like salvation?

Let me give you an example. Paul knew he was saved.

Paul knew he was being saved, but Paul tells us that he

doesn't know if he will be saved, meaning he will enter the

Kingdom of heaven. You know, I've been saved.

I have been saved each time I sin, and I'm deserving of

eternal punishment. The Lord Jesus Christ forgives

me and absolves me through his Body and Blood, the Holy

Eucharist, not just bread and wine, not the Last Supper, the

Mystical Supper. And then I live again.

But will I remain in that until the Lord returns?

I too do not know. If the Lord returns tomorrow,

where are you going? Where will you be?

He never claimed to even know that he was.

He never claimed that he knew or he was certain that he will

enter eternal life in the Kingdom of heaven.

Don't jump, don't jump, don't, don't switch off, don't switch

off. Let me read your scriptures,

Philippians 312 to 14. I have not yet received it,

neither am I yet perfect. But I run so that I may obtain,

I may obtain the thing of which Jesus Christ apprehended me.

Not I have, I may not. I have already done it, my

brethren. I do not consider myself to have

obtained it. But I know one thing.

I have forgotten that which is behind me.

And I reach out before me, and I run toward the goal, to take the

victory of the calling of God from on high in Jesus Christ.

Jesus the Christ, praise and glory be to His name.

And he goes on to say one Corinthians 1312.

Now we see as in a mirror in an allegory, but then face to face.

Now I know partially now he's talking now when he's writing

this, but then I shall know as I am known.

So no, you can't claim that you have understood.

You know, I had a friend who'd say the Gospel of John.

I know I the only person who can correct me if is if John was to

be resurrected and to come and correct me.

That's pride. That's pride that just goes to

show you such a fool because you think you know, but you don't

know. That's what Paul is saying

today. We don't know, don't claim to

have understood and even seeking God.

Why is he saying that? Because as long as we are one of

the Father's rights, as long as we are preoccupied with the

cares of the body and seek the things of the body, we cannot

seek God, nor can we think His thoughts.

We can't. Who wasn't in the Old Testament?

I think it was one or two Chronicles, ASA ISA, who

received so much blessings from God.

He was blessed by God. He was suffering something with

his feet. His feet became lame and he was

crippled, right? He didn't see God anymore.

There was prophets there. I've got the name.

He didn't seek their prayers. You start worrying about Oh my

God, Oh my feet, Oh my feet. No, When we are blessed by God

and then in our lifestyle we have physical illnesses or

something else. OK, continue to seek God and

thank God and glorify God not only when he gives you

blessings, but only when sometimes things come upon, come

upon us, whether it's his will or whether it's, it's his

knowledge. You know, seeking God is also

seeking his will. We seek for God by inquiring

after His will. The Sinner, the sinners haven't

known the will of God, of their master.

That's why they sin. Romans 12/2 Be not likened unto

this world, but be changed by the renewing of your mind, that

you may discern what is the will of God, good and acceptable and

perfect. God wants us to be good, to do

good, to work good, to produce fruits of good, to work in His

vineyard, to work in His field, to do His commandments, to

enter. See, these are all deeds, and

these are all good, and they're acceptable to God.

They're perfect. When we seek this, then we will

not sin. As John writes in his first

epistle, chapter 3, verse 6, no one who remains in him in Christ

commits sin, and no one who sins has seen him.

Neither sorry, no one who sins has seen him, neither has known

him. When we sin, we're forgotten.

Our knowledge of God is taken away, our sight, our gaze, that

God is taken away, beloved. But when we live with Christ, we

seek for Christ, we seek Jesus, we try to understand the will of

Jesus Christ and we fulfill them.

Then and only then we can become complete.

Then we can say there is righteousness, but that needs a

lot of prayer and fasting and strength.

From the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ,

praise and glory be to His name now and at all times and

forever. Amen.

We hope you enjoyed this week's message.

Please don't forget to rate and review this podcast and share

with your friends and family for any future topics.

Suggestions are to give us detailed feedback, please visit

our link in the show notes. Linktr dot EE forward slash

double edged sword. Until next time, God bless you

all.