Why Verbal Confession is Unbiblical

12 Reasons Why Christians Don’t Need to Confess-to-be-Forgiven

by Pastor & Professor Dr Paul Ellis

Over the past few weeks we have looked at 12 reasons why Christians never need to confess their sins to be forgiven. By “confess” I mean listing all your sins. I thought it might be worth pulling all these reasons together in a single list with links back to the original posts…

1.    It’s not in the Bible. To confess (homologeo) is to agree with God. Sinners need to agree that they are sinful and in need of a Savior. Saints need to agree that their sins have been dealt with and they are forgiven.

2. Your sins are long gone. Jesus’ sacrifice was the atom bomb that did away with sin.


Click HERE to read all the 12 reasons 

About Dr Paul Ellis : For 10 years I led a multicultural church in Hong Kong. Growing up I never planned to be a pastor. In fact, I could think of no job I wanted less. But God ambushed me and my wife in 1999 and so began one of the best adventures of our lives.
 
Up until the middle of 2011 I was a full professor at Hong Kong’s largest university where I taught bright PhD students.  I’ve lived briefly in California and I now live in Auckland. read more about Dr Paul Ellis HERE

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By Lee LeFebre

The Christian's Bar of Soap 

1 John 1:9 is often referred to as "the Christian's bar of soap," and with good reason. Many people have taken this verse as being addressed to Christians. Thus, when they get entangled in sin, they believe that if they simply confess and ask for forgiveness, God will then indeed forgive them, and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. After all, the verse reads as follows: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." For many years I have questioned how this verse is applied, because if it is used in the traditional way as described above, many other verses in the Bible appear to be untrue.

Early Memories.

I well remember the early teachings in my home church, as well as many other churches. A normal morning worship service would include the reading of the Law of God (Exodus 20) every Sunday. We were told that we needed to hear the Law in order to come under conviction of our many grievous sins from the previous week. It was also necessary to hear the Law to learn how to live. After reading the Law to us, the pastor would confess to God all of our likely sins that came into his mind, such as our lack of gratitude, neglecting the Word, failing to pray sufficiently, thinking all manner of evil thoughts, etc. By this time I was pretty well convinced that I was rotten to the core! Then, because we were under a great deal of conviction due to our "continuous sinning in thought, word, and deed," he would go on to read 1 John 1:9, which said that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins...." The preacher would then pray a corporate prayer on our behalf, pleading for forgiveness. Once we had confessed (or he had confessed for us), we were ready to sing a song of gratitude. The song would be one that drew our attention to the forgiveness that God had once again given us, like He did David in Psalm 51 . If he didn't want to take the time to tell God all our sins, due to time constraints or other pressures, he could simply catch them all by referring to them all as our "sins of omission and commission." Then we had captured the whole of them and we were cleansed up to date.

If the sermon could be structured such that the preacher would "really sock it to us" because of our depravity, we had something to talk about after church. Somehow we all felt better when we were corporately nabbed by this man of God who was speaking on God's behalf. We had been found out again, and that particular sermon would be referred to as a "really good sermon". If the preacher could make us cringe a bit, he was doing his job. That was what preachers were for, after all - to keep us on our toes.

Thus it was that my early memories were of this constant battle of fighting sin. It was a pretty hopeless task, though, because even the great Apostle Paul had trouble. Didn't he tell us about it in Romans 7, when he told us that he was always doing things he shouldn't do and not doing what he should? Therefore we didn't have to feel wretched alone, because if Paul couldn't live the Christian life, then we shouldn't expect to be able to either. Every prayer I remember hearing from my parents and other adults ended with the phrase "and forgive us for all our sins." There, we had done it! We had cleared our record, we were forgiven again. Never mind that we hadn't confessed any sins by name in preparation for that ending sentence. All that mattered is we had asked to be forgiven. That was how we did it!

Problems

Not too long into my adult life, I became aware of problems in this approach. What if I deliberately sinned? Then could I be forgiven? What if I forgot to confess a particular sin; would I still be forgiven? What if I didn't truly repent? How would I know if I were truly repentant? What if a person committed suicide as a Christian? Could he assume that he was forgiven even if he didn't get an opportunity to confess it after he killed himself? Could he get by with a confession before he committed suicide? And could the verse just as easily read, "If I don't confess my sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive me my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness?"

I fully recognize that using 1 John 1:9  for Christians has given many people comfort. People seem to feel a need to deal with sin by confession and asking for forgiveness. I well remember the days when I used the verse this way in counseling Christians. I would also refer them to 1 John 1:7, where the apostle said, "if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all (every) sin." Thus I could reassure people that there is no sin from which they could not be forgiven even after they became Christians, because the Apostle John used the word "all." This was of great comfort to those who had been hiding secret, dark, defiling sins.

There was another problem, too. We know that Christ died for all our sins, before we were even born. Thus we say that, when we were born again, God forgave all our sins, past, present and future. Therefore, if Christ died for all our sins, even before they were actually committed in time and space, why do we still need to obtain forgiveness after we become Christians by exercising the truth of 1 John 1:9? It would seem that we should already be forgiven, shouldn't we? Or did Christ only forgive us for the sins we had committed up until the time we became Christians, leaving us the need to obtain forgiveness, one by one, for the sins committed after we became Christians?

Actually, this need not be a problem, experts told me. Because, you see, "It isn't that God hasn't forgiven us. It is just that we won't experience that forgiveness until we confess and accept that forgiveness after confessing on a sin-by-sin basis. God sees us as forgiven, right from the start of our Christian life," they said. "But that is positional truth. Conditional, or experiential, truth won't come until we agree with God on a sin-by-sin basis."

Still another problem: There are verses in the gospels that seem to indicate that forgiveness is conditional upon my correct responses. For example, Matthew 18:34-35 indicates that if I don't forgive my brother from the heart, God is going to turn me over to the tormentors (jailers) until I pay all my debts. The Lord's Prayer requests God to "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." Wow, what if I don't forgive all my debtors? Will I be in trouble?

Verses that seem contrary to 1 John 1:9

Also, I can show you many verses that seem to indicate that my sins are totally and completely forgiven by virtue of my being in Christ Jesus. For example, Ephesians 1:7 reads, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." Colossians 1:14 reads, "In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Both of these verses say forgiveness is already ours, and there are no conditions attached except that we need to be "in Him." Ephesians 4:32 reads, "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Here again, forgiveness is past tense. Even in 1 John 2:12 we read, "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake." Is there any doubt that this forgiveness is past tense?

Christians and Their Sin

First John 2:1 deals with the sin issue for Christians. John emphatically says that we Christians have been given Biblical information so that we may not sin, but he consoles us by saying we have an Advocate, Yeshua (Jesus)  the Righteous. Now some people believe that to have an Advocate in Yeshua's means that when we sin, He reminds the Father that He should not get too exercised over it, because  our sins are forgiven due to His ( Yeshua's )  work on our behalf. In other words, God the Father has a bad memory, and thus He needs Jesus to constantly remind Him which of us belong to Him and which ones don't. (I confess I have taken some liberties in interpreting this view.)

I think it is significant that His name here is not merely Yeshua, but Yeshua the Righteous. It reminds us that we have a relationship with God the Father based not on our performance, but rather on the perfect righteousness of Yeshua. My sins no longer mandate God's hostility toward me. Yeshua's 's track record is now my track record. This does not, of course, mean that I may abuse this grace. Of course that is not even my temptation. Rather, as a recipient of His perfectly sinless life, I am grateful beyond words. His sinless life, also known as eternal Life, is now my life (Colossians 3:4). That has resulted in new desires, new identity and a new passion. I can now state, without equivocation, that when a person becomes a Believer as John advocates here, he is totally forgiven and he also receives the Advocate, Yeshua  the Righteous, who becomes his perfection. But what is this thing called 'righteouseness' ?

Lee LeFebre, MSW, has been teaching and counseling Exchanged Life truths since 1972. He is president emeritus of Exchanged Life Ministries Colorado, which has its ministry center in Greenwood Village, Colorado. 

He was instrumental in founding the international Association of Exchanged Life Ministries, and continues to provide leadership to its growing membership. Lee continues to serve on the board or directors, write, teach and counsel.

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The Righteousness of the Believer

By Fred Handschumacher

The subject of righteousness is one of the most controversial in the church today. It represents one of the "core" truths of the Gospel. It is one of the most life-changing truths in the Bible. Religion uses sin, guilt and fear to create bondage. Biblical righteousness eliminates this bondage and lifts the believer to a highly valued place in God's kingdom. The crucifixion of Jesus was an exraordinary event. Religion suggests that Jesus left us under sin's power. Yet, the Bible teaches otherwise. God's plan is to set people free. Does it glorify Jesus to suggest that He saved us, then left us to live under sin's domination? Or, does it glorify Jesus more to say that He liberated us from sin's domination and lifted us up to where He is? When Biblical righteousness is taught, the critics charge that either Jesus' glory and divinity is being diminished, or that the believer is being elevated to a place that is considered "forbidden" or presumptuous. Let's see what the Scriptures say as we begin to look at this powerful truth.

What is Righteousness?

Righteousness is "right standing" before God. It's a position where we are fully accepted by Him. It results from a sinless life through full obedience to God's law. Yet, the Bible teaches that everyone has broken God's law (sin). Therefore, the righteousness that results from sinless perfection can never be achieved through our efforts and performance. Yet, many professing Christians attempt (in vain) to live this way. From God's perspective, to qualify as "sinlessly perfect" you have to be "sin-free" from birth. Any sin disqualifies you. Those who choose this path fail to realize that forgiveness under this kind of "works based" system is not available to them. God's forgiveness is available only under the "faith based" system of the New Testament. Any attempt to gain "righteousness" with God through sinless living is doomed to fail. It is an exercise in futility.

Sin and righteousness are two opposite spiritual conditions. Some believe that they're "sinners saved by grace". This belief seriously distorts New Testament salvation. If they're still a "sinner" then sin has not been remitted. If a person's sin is not remitted--then they aren't real Christians regardless of how "religious" they live. Sin and righteousness are perpetual states. You're either in one state or the other. You don't move back and forth from one to the other as your conduct changes. Biblical righteousness is not based on conduct.

Many churches teach that righteousness is the result of the good works you perform or the "Godly" life you live. This mindset causes uncertainty when approaching God to make a request. "Good works" don't produce Biblical righteousness because it lacks the characteristic of being sinlessly perfect. You can do some good works one day and commit a series of sins the next. Add to this all the ‘sins of omissions’ and it becomes apparent that you can never be assured of your righteousness if it is based on your conduct and/or spiritual performance. Biblical righteousness can never be founded on something this unstable. Some believe that "sinless perfection" is attainable. This is a false belief that spiritual maturity is evidenced by reaching a place in life (or some "sphere of existence") where you never sin. Unfortunately, people who choose these methods have noble intentions, but are on a deadly path. They look Christian, they talk Christian and they appear to live like a Christian. They have a intense desire to please God--and they may even talk alot about Jesus and salvation. Yet, they are the unfortunate victims of religion that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7: 21-23 who will be rejected at the judgement. They will be rejected not because they had evil intentions or lacked a strong desire to please God. They are rejected because they chose to relate with God through a religious methodology called "self-righteousness"--a deadly spiritual counterfeit.

Many fail to understand that eternal life, righteousness and remission of sins are based on a spiritual "rule of law" that follows specific (but simple) guidelines. Good intentions carry no more authority in God's courtroom than in our earthly legal system. Only the rule of law counts in the final verdict--and God would be unjust if He made rulings based on our intentions and feelings. God is a "just" judge and He bases his actions on His Word--His legal authority. If you approach God according to His Word--He will accept you every time. If you approach Him on your own standards and nobel deeds, regardless of how good and religious they are, He will be forced (as with any earthly judge) by the law to rule against you (reject you). Yet, that doesn't stop many well-meaning religious people from setting up their own rules (or adopting their church's rules), expecting God to abide by them. Guess what?--He doesn't! Millions of professing Christians practice this kind of lifestyle--and it's a tragedy waiting to happen.

The Two Types Of Righteousness

Starting in the Book of Genesis (and all through the Bible) God warns us about two forms of righteousness. One is called "self-righteousness". It results from attempting to "achieve" God's acceptance through performance, good works, living a good life, sinless perfection, self-effort and through church affiliation. God rejects this type of righteousness because it is based on a person's performance (regardless of how good it is) rather than on blood. It subtly redirects our reliance on Jesus' blood as God's legal basis for the remission of sin and places it on man's ability. Self-righteousness is "humanistic" in nature Humanism is an ideology that teaches man can solve his own problems without God’s help  Religion puts a "spiritual" edge on this worldly philosophy by making it look like something that originates with God. Jesus called it "the wide gate that leads to destruction--and where many go in" (Matt. 7:13).

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it, For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matt. 26: 26-28 KJV)

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. 9:22 KJV)

In Genesis chapter 4 we read about the two sons of Adam. Their names are Cain and Abel. Starting in verse 3 the Bible says that a time came when both brothers decided to bring an offering to the Lord. The offering in those days was an expression of worship. Being a farmer, Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. The Bible says that Abel brought his offering of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. In other words, Abel brought a blood offering. The Bible says that God had respect for Abel's offering but did not respect the offering of Cain. The story of Cain and Abel tragically ends as Cain murders his brother. He was angry over his offering being rejected.

Some facts stand out in this example. First of all, Cain offered God a "bloodless" sacrifice. From a human point of view, nothing should be wrong with Cain's sacrifice. Cain worked hard at tilling and farming the land. By bringing a sacrifice of hard work, it should have been pleasing to the Lord, but was rejected instead. On the other hand, Abel was a shepherd and presented to the Lord something that he didn't really labor much to produce. After all, humans can't give birth to sheep--only sheep give birth to sheep. The real sacrifice in Abel's offering is made by the sheep that gave its life and its blood. Yet, the Lord accepted Abel's offering. God's response flies in the face of human reason. But, to the one who understands the importance of blood in relating with God, it makes perfect sense. Abel related to God in his offering through the blood and God considered him righteous for this act. Being acceptable through blood (or, through the blood covenant) is one of God's hidden (and commonly misunderstood) ways. However, religious people have always rejected this method and replaced it with one that seems more reasonable to them. Attempting to keep God's law and subjecting themselves to the discipline of a sinless life are among religion's favorite choices. Just as in the example of Cain, both these methods lead to God's ultimate rejection.

"I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:21 KJV)

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16 KJV)

God's accepted form of righteousness is based on faith in the blood of Jesus--also understood as the "blood covenant of Jesus Christ" (The New Covenant). God never considers a person righteous (sin is remitted) unless it is based on blood. This is one of the commonly neglected "ways of God". The human race can only fellowship (have a relationship) with God through blood--any other way is the way of death. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel experienced fellowship with God through the blood of animal sacrifices that "atoned" or covered their sin. In the New Testament believers are given the right to fellowship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus' blood doesn't just cover sin--it completely does away with sin's dominion--and God's memory of it.

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb. 10:16-22 KJV)

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high..."(Heb. 1:1-3 KJV)

The Source of True Righteousness

Biblical righteousness only exists in one place. The righteousness that God possesses through His sinless perfection and holiness is the only righteousness that He ultimately accepts. God rejects all "forms" of righteousness that originates outside of Himself--this includes all human self-righteousness.

 In order for anyone to be truly righteous before God they MUST somehow possess God's righteousness. The "good news" of the Gospel is that God has freely given His righteousness to everyone who places faith in Jesus Christ. All true followers of Jesus Christ are righteous (not sinners) whether they know it or not. The journey from sin to righteousness is a one way trip. You aren't righteous one day and a sinner the next. God gives righteousness as a "free gift". It is "imputed" permanently to all believers in Christ.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the FREE GIFT. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and THE GIFT BY GRACE, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is THE GIFT: for the judgement was by one to condemnation, but the FREE GIFT is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the FREE GIFT came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:12-19 KJV)

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 54: 17 KJV)

"For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor. 5:21 KJV)

What gives God the ability to bestow His very own righteousness on believers free of charge? This is an exciting question to answer and reveals a core truth of the Gospel message.

In my opening statement I gave a general definition of righteousness that results from full compliance with God's law and a sinlessly perfect life. I also made the point that all of the human race has sinned, which disqualifies all of us from being "sinlessly perfect" through our own efforts. Only one man lived sinless on this planet...His name is Jesus, God's Son.

"For we have not an high priest (Jesus Christ) which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet WITHOUT SIN." (Hebrews 4:15 KJV)

Most of us understand that Jesus died for our sins. However, the specifics of how sin was dealt with continue to be distorted by religion. When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, he was bearing the death sentence that was to fall on you and me. Paul refers to Jesus in 1 Cor. 15:45 as "the last Adam". Jesus is qualified to be the "last" Adam (notice that he is not called the 2nd Adam or the next Adam) because He was the only sinless man born of a woman since Adam's rebellion in the garden. The first Adam was created sinless but committed high treason against God and sold out the entire human race to sin. The last Adam, Jesus, restores the human race to a "righteous" status with God (Romans 5:19). Jesus is called "the last Adam" because he totally destroys (crucifies) the old "Adamic" human race through the cross and replaces it with a new race of people who are called "new creatures" in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). Only the power of a sinless life could accomplish this task--and Jesus was the only qualified man to do so. As a result, God reckoned the entire human race "crucified with Christ". This means that God allowed His Son, sinless and righteous, to be executed in our place and to bear the death sentence for our sin while imputing the legal results of the execution to our account as if we had died on the cross instead of Jesus. This truth is neglected by many--but it is of critical importance. In God's mind, we died on the cross with Jesus and as Galatians 2:20 says, "...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me". This death (our death in Christ) satisfied the requirement of the law that demanded our execution for sin and, at the same time terminated the law's dominion (and sin's power) over us. Since we have died there is only one person who is alive in us--that person is Christ. This means that our sin has been permanently done away with (remitted) and we now possess all the attributes of Christ's life, including His righteousness because everything His life represented belongs to us!. We are dead as far as God is concerned and He recognizes only the life of His Son in us. If we can grasp this truth then we can understand what God's Word says in Hebrews 4:16 and we can now have a new attitude when we approach our Father in heaven...

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (KJV)

There is no way we can approach God's throne with "boldness" unless we KNOW that we're righteous. God's free gift of righteousness allows us to KNOW. In a roundabout way, we have described one of the core characteristics of the new covenant. A blood covenant is the joining of two separate individuals into one person. All liabilities and resources are shared in such a covenant. This constitutes an "exchange" where everything (the entire life) that one covenant partner has becomes the possession of the other. At the end of the making of a covenant a death has taken place. Each covenant participant has died to his independence, possessions and personal identity. Each participant embraces the reality that they now live for someone else and not just for themselves. Through the cross and the new covenant, Jesus became all that we were in order to make us all that He is. This is a "divine" exchange.

"For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor. 5:21 KJV)

Paul plainly tells us that Jesus was made sin (what we were) that we might be made what He is--the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus Lifted Us Up

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-6 KJV)

Christians don't always consider the tremendous power of the "gift of righteousness" that we possess. Religious philosophy has robbed us of this great blessing. Because the righteousness we possess actually belongs to God (It's His righteousness not ours)--we now enjoy fellowship with God as "equals". This truth is offensive to many religious folks. Jesus' sacrifice didn't leave us down in the gutter in sin. His blood did away with our sin (through His death), lifted us up and granted us righteous "equality" with God. Being equal is not less than--and it's not greater than. You can't be living "in Christ" and be less than who Christ is! The person who is less than Christ was crucified and is dead through the cross. You can't possess God's righteousness and be less righteous (or more righteous) than God is. If you're "in Christ" (and all true Christians are) you possess equality--because Jesus Christ is equal to God. But, religion calls this way of thinking "heresy" in order to keep believers in a place of spiritual inferiority where they can be manipulated and controlled. The last thing religion wants is for you to awake to who you really are "in Christ". Once that happens you can never be put under religious bondage again.

Gnosticism Or Biblical Reality?

For many Christians, the teaching about righteous "equality" is hard to receive. Yet, it is the "core" truth that makes any fellowship with God possible. Because of the nature of Biblical righteousness, fellowship with God can only occur on a foundation of equality. He does not fellowship with anyone who approaches Him with a righteousness less than His own. And, NO ONE possesses a righteousness greater than His. Those two facts greatly limit the choices. Righteous equality is the only way a mere human can "boldly" approach God's presence to obtain help as we are commanded in Hebrews 4:16. If you don't approach God with His righteousness--but approach Him with yours--you don't get heard. It doesn't matter how beautiful the prayer is prayed or how sincere the intentions are. This is the primary reason for most unanswered prayer. Many religious-minded Christians approach God "hunkered down" wondering if some sin in their past will cause God to reject their request--or worse, wondering if a "sinner" like themselves can dare expect an answer from a Holy God. It's not necessarily the request God is rejecting--it's the righteousness "attitude" of the requestor. Religion calls the sin consciousness attitude "humility". God rejects it as unbelief and disobedience to His Word. It is approaching God with a sinner's unrighteousness instead of God's own righteousness. A sinner's unrighteousness ALWAYS gets rejected.

Critics reject the idea of righteous equality and attempt to equate this belief with the error of Gnosticism--and they can produce very convincing arguments. Gnosticism has a teaching that man is equal to God. Yet, the Gnostics maintain that man is equal to God in his original fallen state (a heresy)--and this belief changes the entire argument. The Bible teaches that man can NEVER be equal to God in his original sinful state UNTIL he places faith in Jesus Christ and is spiritually reborn (Hence the word "born again"). Through the process of the rebirth, the old man is crucified with Christ. The new man (the "reborn" man) lives "in Christ" and receives God's righteousness. It's the "new man" who enjoys equality. There's nothing "Gnostic" about it at all.

Many will demand more Scriptural proof--so here's another one. Please notice the first sentence below (verse 5) in Philippians 2. This is not being put forth as a suggestion. The Apostle Paul is presenting it as a directive or Scriptural command to the church at Philippi and for all believers everywhere.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." (Phillippians 2:5-7 KJV)

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Note: Many new translations distort the wording of this verse! The KJV has the correct wording. If Phil. 2: 5-7 does not read as quoted above in your bible please see the article on the "New Translations" for some surprising information.

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The tendency of man's natural mind (and the assertion of religion) is to believe that we are "robbing" God if we believe that we are equal to Him through the cross of Christ. Some go further and label it heresy. The apostle Paul commanded believers to embrace the fact that it is NOT robbery to be equal with God. It is God's righteousness that makes us equal and it was His idea to give us this "gift of righteousness" through faith in Christ. If God didn't want us to be equal He wouldn't have given us His righteousness as a free gift. Our Father wants free and unhindered fellowship with His people--and this was His way of accomplishing that goal. Our Father not only removed our sin--but he also wanted to remove any feelings of guilt and inferiority when we approach Him. This Scriptural directive forces us to make a decision: Do we believe religion or do we believe God's Word. For some who are reading this information for the first time--this will be a critical junction in your walk with Jesus. It will make the difference between walking in God's blessings or living in religion's lies for the remainder of your life. If you're confused, spend the time necessary to embrace this important truth. It may take some time, study, prayer and reflection.

More Good News--God Has Made Us His Sons!

In addition to remitting our sin, declaring us righteous and allowing us to enjoy a relationship of equality, our Father did even more for us.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:1-2 KJV)

Some Christians fail to realize that one of the purposes of Jesus' sacrifice was to duplicate himself. Jesus will always hold the supreme position of being God's only "firstborn" Son. Some believe that Jesus is God's only Son--and the Bible shows us that this position is not factual. Before the cross, Jesus was the only Son of God. After the cross and the resurrection, it is now possible for God to have "many" sons. God's sons are now "born" to Him through the preaching of the Gospel. Jesus, as the firstborn Son, is referred to as "the captain of salvation" for the many sons who follow. Embracing the fact that we are "sons of God" does not take away Jesus' supreme position as God's "firstborn". Jesus will always be supreme because of his sacrifice and the special position that the "firstborn" holds in God's family.

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews 2:9-10 KJV)

"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." (Romans 8:29 KJV)

"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:4-7 KJV)

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17-18 KJV).  When discussing the subject of being a son of God, I found a very interesting statement that directly ties it into God's righteousness. Below, is the story of how Jesus performed a miracle of healing--but he did it on the Sabbath, which upset the religious leaders. If you need an example of how dangerously misguided religion can get read this whole account. Jesus performed a miracle of healing and the religious leaders try to kill him because he broke the Sabbath! Yet, the one who created the Sabbath in the first place was standing before them. When you learn what to look for this kind of foolishness can be seen everywhere religion exists.

"The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:15-18 KJV)

The Jews understood that if Jesus called God his Father that he was making himself EQUAL with God. Here we have the subject of equality being addressed from a different perspective. If you are a Christian--God is your Father and you are his son or daughter. God is as much your Father as He is Jesus' Father--and according to the Scriptures this relationship places you in a position of equality. Remember that the Jews (motivated by religion) tried to kill Jesus for saying that God was His Father. People motivated by religion may not try to kill you today for fear of a prison sentence. However, they will do the next best thing--they will stone you with slanderous "words" and acccusations of heresy. The methods may be less violent, but the internal religious hostility will be the same.

Conclusion

In Bible times, the scribes and Pharisees were the greatest examples of human self-righteousness that existed--probably in all of history. From early childhood, they were educated in God's law and how to avoid breaking it. They trained all their life to be the spiritual leaders of Israel. They were not a bunch of "religious bafoons"--as they are sometimes portrayed. They were highly dedicated and educated men who desired above all else to be pleasing to God. All people who engage in self-righteousness share the same motivation in their desire to please God. The intention is good and noble--the method is spiritually destructive. The Pharisees viewed themselves as the "keeper and defender of God's truth". They took their job seriously. They created a whole set of religious laws that were viewed as a "fence" around God's law. If you kept the Pharisee's law--you were safe from violating God's law, or so it was thought. No one could exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. They were the most religiously dedicated people that lived. With this understanding, Jesus made a shocking statement to his disciples.

"For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:20 KJV)

At this point we have a choice to make. Either live in frustration attempting to exceed the righteousness of these religious men--or look to the righteousness of someone who is greater than the scribes and Pharisees. God's righteousness is greater and His righteousness is given to us as a free gift. The choice is clear but we have to humble ourselves and allow God to strip away the yoke of religious performance and receive His righteousness--and His rest. Jesus told us to take his yoke because...his yoke is easy and his burden is light! (Matt. 11:29-30 KJV)

Copyright (c) 2002 Rock ofOffence

Most recent revision January 2002

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