The Believer’s Certainty that the Scriptures Are the Final Authority for Belief and Behavior (Part 4)

By Mike Harding | October 22, 2019

The Scriptures Counsel by Establishing Correct Behavior

Finally, God’s Word “trains” or “disciplines in righteousness” (πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, 2 Tim 3:16d). The training is designed to produce conduct whereby “righteousness” (δικαιοσύνῃ) becomes a reality in the life of the believer. Holiness literally means, “to cut,” “to separate,” or to be “set apart”.1 Theologically it refers to the majestic transcendence of God by emphasizing the distinction between the Creator and the creature. Second, holiness means that God is separate in His being from all that is evil, impure, and defiled.

Righteousness relates to God’s holiness in that it corresponds to God’s purity. Righteousness entails moral integrity of action and disposition according to God’s perfect standard. The term is used here in the simple sense of “right conduct” (1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22; Rom 6:13; 9:20a). Such training or discipline is designed to bring one’s behavior into conformity to God’s holiness.

Generally, God’s love is emphasized today in Evangelical circles much more than His holiness and righteousness. God is love (1 John 4:7–16). Nevertheless, God’s love is governed by His holiness; otherwise, His love would be reduced to capricious sentimentality. God’s holiness necessitates His judicial wrath against that which is opposed to His character and commands. Psalm 97:10 says, “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil . . . .” God hates “every false way” (Ps 119:104). God “hates all workers of iniquity” (Ps 5:5). Conformity to Christ can be summarized in Romans 12:9, “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good;” “Hate the evil, and love the good” (Amos 5:15); “And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts . . . for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD” (Zech 8:17).

Likewise, James declares that “friendship” with the world is the height of infidelity with God (James 4:4). God tells His people plainly, “Love not the world” (1 John 2:15), “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph 5:11), and “be not conformed to this world” (Rom 12:2). The world is at total cross-purposes with God, because it is “not of the Father.”

The term kosmos (world) emphasizes the present, meaning the present arrangement of things. The world is the current, secular mind-set with its ever-changing values, symbols, goals, and priorities. It always emphasizes the “now”—the Pepsi generation. Thus, the world is transient, always on the move, and “passing away.” It believes in “change” for its own sake and the “becomingness” of all things. As such, the world is humanistic, being structured by autonomous man and his “I’m worth it” philosophy. It consists of the desires of modern man’s sinful, fleshly, and prideful nature, his self-esteem and self-fulfillment syndrome. Worldliness includes both those outward activities and inward affections for and attachment to some aspect of the present arrangement of things. This includes the world’s thought patterns, amusements, fads, habits, philosophies, goals, friendships, practices, and lifestyles.

Generally speaking, people today are not impressed with Christianity, primarily because they are not impressed with Christians. If, on the one hand, we are not self-righteous snobs smothered in hypocrisy, then on the other hand we are meaningless religionists blending in with society. In each scenario modern Christians are an offense or a disappointment—and either way, we lose. In contrast to the above, how does the believer combat worldliness and train himself for righteousness? First, Paul says, “make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Rom 13:14). The word “provision” (πρόνοιαν) carries the idea of “forethought” which literally means “to have a mind before.” The apostle commands believers not use their intellect sinfully in order to discover various ways to fulfill the desires of the fleshly nature. A man must yield to the Spirit of God and refuse to exercise a fleshly intellect by making forethought to sin.

In addition, believers are admonished to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor 7:1). Contextually, Paul is concerned with the influence of other people who are succumbing to fleshly activity (2 Cor 6:14–7:2). In this case, believers are not to enter into a spiritual yoke or union with those whose lives are characterized by the fleshly nature. One should never enter an unequally yoked or compromise association that is religious in nature for the sake of money, security, shelter, reputation, or personal advancement. This principle carries over even into non-religious relationships to a lesser degree. One is in the world, but not of it. Believers are not to disassociate themselves altogether from sinners in this world. The goal of relationships with the unregenerate is the salvation of the lost, “plucking” them as branches from the fire, “hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:23). Yet one must not enter into a yoke where it would be impossible to avoid being negatively influenced and having one’s “temple” defiled.

Finally, the people of God are not to abuse or misuse their liberty in Christ as an occasion to fulfill the works of the flesh (Gal 5:13). In this present age believers are not under the Mosaic Law as a governing constitution for the New Testament local church. However, every command and principle in the OT that is rooted in the unchanging character of God, the created order, and/or is repeated or adjusted in the NT carries over into each new, succeeding dispensation. In this sense, the Law of Moses remains a corroborative witness to the will of God for believers in the NT church age. Paul’s concern here is that believers not abuse their new standing in Christ by using the grace of God as a cloak for sinful, fleshly behavior. Paul revolted against such perverted thinking. Freedom from the Mosaic Law does not imply freedom from commands, principles, precepts, directives, prohibitions, or biblical standards and applications.

How are we trained in righteousness? We are trained by “renewing the mind” in the Word of God. By faith believers seek God’s will through the Word of God in every decision (James 4:15). By faith believers reject worldly wisdom (1 Cor 3:18).

Specific directives regarding our attitudes and actions include the moral commands and precepts of God’s Word (Exod 20:1–17; 1 Cor 5:9–13; 6:9–10; Gal 5:16–21; Eph 5:1–7; 2 Tim 3:1–5). In addition, God lays down numerous principles by which believers are to make wise decisions regarding our behavior in the world:

1. The principle of enslavement (self-control)

(1 Cor 6:12) “All things are lawful unto me (Corinthian slogan of antinomianism),2 but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

(1 Cor 9:27) “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection . . . .”

2. The principle of offense

(Rom 14:13–16) “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way . . . . {16} Let not then your good be evil spoken of:”

(1 Cor 10:32) “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God . . . .”

3. The principle of God’s glory

(1 Cor 6:20) “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

4. The principle of a biblically educated conscience

(Rom 14:23) “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

5. The principle of Christ’s name (authority)

(Col 3:17) “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

6. The principle of corruption by association

(1 Cor 15:33) “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

7. The principle of peace in the Body of Christ

(Col 3:15) “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

8. The principle of edification

(Rom 15:1–2) “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. {2} Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”

Mike Harding is the pastor of First Baptist Church of Troy, Troy, Michigan.

 

Previously in this series:

  1. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, reprint ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 871. [↩]
  2. Antinomianism (literally: against law) it the title given to the view which espouses that because believers are under grace they are not bound by the moral principles and commands of God’s Word, therefore they may sin with impunity because God’s grace abounds. This view is refuted in Romans 6:1–2. [↩]
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