Like Father, Like Son, Like Me
If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one also who practices righteousness is born of Him. 1 John 2:29 NASB
Righteous – This is about as close as John comes to describing “born again.” But John’s focus is not on the experience of forgiveness. He focuses on the practice of righteousness. If you are like the Son, then you are “born of Him.” The Greek verb is gennao. It means “to be born, to beget, to bear” and with the added preposition (anagennao) it means, “to be born again,” a verb used only in Peter’s first letter (and not in John 3:3). John draws attention to the common human relationship between father and son. The son looks like the father. In this case, what this means is that the Son displays the same character and behavior as the Father. The righteousness of Yeshua is a duplicate of the rightouesness of YHWH. In the same way, we know that we are the offspring of the Son when we display the same character and behavior. This is what John calls “practicing righteousness.”
This begs the question, “What does it mean to practice righteousness?” The answer can only be a reflection of the character and behavior of YHWH in the Tanakh. Yeshua gives us the paradigm example of this reflection when He says, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” Of course, He cannot mean we have physically observed the embodied God. He means that God is a verb and seeing the performance, action, execution, behavior and accomplishments of Yeshua is equivalent to seeing the character, intentions and execution of the Father. The verbs are the same.
So what does that mean for you and me? It means that if we claim to be followers of the Messiah and He reflects the heart of YHWH, our behaviors must be of the same kind as His. We need to judge ourselves according to His standard. We need to do a serious analysis of our actions, intentions and desires based on YHWH’s self-declaration in Exodus 34:6-7 coupled with the observable demonstration of the Son. If you want to know what it means to be righteous, stop pretending that a one-time decision imputed righteousness to you forever and start living a life that constantly expresses the character and will of the Son and the Father. The proof is in the pudding, in this case, in the continual choices and actions. May I be so bold as to suggest that according to John no man is saved because he wants to be. A man is saved because, with the aid of the Spirit, his life is radically changed and it shows!
The second part of John’s statement confirms this conclusion. Who is born of the Son? The one who practices righteousness. The one who does the will of the Father. The one who lives according to God’s instructions. Righteousness is dikaiosyne. There is absolutely no scholarly debate over the direct connection between dikaiosyne and torah.[1] Linguistically, historically and culturally John can only mean Torah. When you read what John says to the followers of Messiah HaMashiach, can you imagine that he could mean anything else?
Ah, so now we face the question: If John means that righteousness is Torah observance, where did we come up with the theological notion that Torah no longer applies?
Topical Index: Torah, righteousness, dikaiosyne, Exodus 34:6-7, I John 2:29
[1] “It is a basic tenet in the OT that God posits law and is bound to it. Recognition of this is a unifying factor in Israel’s faith. All law comes from God, and hence God’s authority extends to all Israel’s historical relationships. God’s law is an order of life that cannot be changed or challenged. It is righteous because he is righteous. His ways are right; they thus give us life and security.” G. Schrenk, TDNT, Vol. 11, p. 178.
NEW TO THE 2016 CALENDAR – a conference weekend in Tacoma, WA. See “Skip’s Calendar” page on the web site.
The Proof Is In The Pudding
What are spiritual genetics? What IS Christ formed in me? What IS this Life (connection that love gives me); promised from above, completed in the world made new, but started now? What is this mysterious transformation called sanctification, and HOW does it happen?
None of the above is anything that a human being can do, or cause to come about. But none of the above can be done without me, either. What is my part of this partnership, and what is my Partner’s part? Careful: it is easy to get it backwards!
Sanctification. Salvation made it possible; justification made it applicable, but sanctification is where the Kingdom actually gets transplanted from outside me – from outside the kingdom, or, sovereignty, of ME, to the inside. He must be Lord of every hardfought inch of me, but how? Repentance brings salvation to each inch: as I see each place He does not reign, I repent and install obedience in that place. Faith that He can transform me brings the justification that assures me I am forgiven. Then, when I am free of that sin, obedience (sanctification) is that actual Throne construction.
I cannot start to obey until I quit disobeying. I cannot be free to love until I am delivered of the sin I am in bondage to – the fracture that keeps me from loving in that place. And so I grow into the salvation that He has already completed His end of. Catchup time for me! I repent my way into the Kingdom of obedience.
Torah shows me my end of the deal, because it shows me what the sin (lack of Torah) is for me to repent of. I choose to repent, but His will – His righteousness – is where the love that should have been there gets connected back – gets restored. I cannot explain it because I do not do it. That is His end. His will in me will always be a mystery to me. Yes, I choose to obey, but the actual love – power – that that obedience is; now that, I know, does not get generated by me. I let go ( repent) and let Him do (righteousness) that love in me. Obedience is where my will (power) ends and His begins. The Torah Giver is the Torah Doer (Lover), too!
I think obedience fails for most people (at least it did for years for me) for two main reasons. The first one is because I try love my way: I try it for my reasons, by my interpretation of what I think it must be, and in my strength. The second is because I forgot to build a Throne: I forgot that righteousness is not up to me. I forgot to repent, too. I do right for His reasons, by His definition of what it is, and, most importantly, in His strength. None of which is possible if He is not on the Throne. In me. Obedience is not where I decide what the hurdles are, and determine the method: no, obedience is where He says “jump!” and I say “how high?”. Obedience is a dance, where the still small Voice behind me says “Love here”, and when I choose to obey, then Love can come. His will in me comes complete with the Way to do it, the power to do it, and the guarantee that it will be done right. Now, how I could have thought I could engineer all that on my own, I don’t know: I must have been insane!
The Kingdom of Love (reconnection to everyone and everything) in me is the ultimate mystery for me. It’s not just ‘me’ any more! Halleluah!
I sold a family some food last night. In the course of conversation I discovered they were Jewish. A conversation ensued. I mentioned my recent visit to Israel and initiated a conversation of things Jewish in nature and my quest for understanding of such as it applies to my own life’s action. The man lit up to the conversation and even gave me a prayer book to have. He also invited me to his local synagogue and welcomed me to Torah study. Subsequently, he ordered a healthy supply of several pork products.
“Oh, we aren’t kosher,” he said. She piped in that “they love them some bacon, it tastes wonderful”! I was kind of stunned. They attend a Conservative synagogue in my city.
I don’t see kosher as being in the righteous category.
I was sort of weirded out.
Hey Guy!
I’m not sure I understand. You sell pork?
Yep. I don’t eat it. I made that choice not to eat it and learn and abide by the kosher requirements.
And I don’t endorse, impose or force anyone else to buy it either. I put it in the garden of selection and let them decide to listen to YHVH or not. The food service is a great one, unfortunately, it includes pork on the menu.
Another oddity is that the owners of the company I sell for are Jewish.
heh. Someone wanted to give me a bar of soap made from pig fat. I freaked out and sent a note to Skip about it…his response? “You aren’t going to eat it, are you?”
Freedom of choice only exists if there are choices to be made.
This conversation directly links into today’s post (12/19/2015). If we limit people to the choices that we believe that Torah makes for US, then we are, by default, imposing our beliefs on them, and calling it righteousness (for ourselves).
#somethingithinkabout
Correction: They didn’t see kosher as being in the righteous category, apparently.
In my book of appropriate life responses, you have to honor where they are and not judge. Seriously.
It’s a choice. Choices are subject to change.
They have made theirs, your challenge is to accept them where they are, learn what you can from them, and maintain your own space. It’s a point of maturity to be able to discuss what you don’t agree on w/out turning it into a place of judgmental (self)righteousness.
It was when i decided to give up pork that i realized that i really liked it. Now i can tell by the slimy texture if it is in something and it literally makes me sick.
I’m thinking you could learn a lot from them. and they might learn a bit from you as well.
I wasn’t judging at all. I’m cool with their decision totally. That’s their call. It just kind of took the wind out of me for a moment. Wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.
They are great people and I related to them in many ways in life in getting to know them in the couple of hours I met with them. They are the kind of folks I’d enjoy hanging around with. I plan to accept their invitation and visit their synagogue and torah study. And he indicated he’d love to discourse with me about various subjects. I’m sure the kosher topic will surface which I would look forward to. It would be an interesting conversation between a Jew not eating kosher and a Gentile observing kosher.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall for THAT conversation! Enjoy!
“If you want to know what it means to be righteous, stop pretending that a one-time decision imputed righteousness to you forever and start living a life that constantly expresses the character and will of the Son and the Father.”
Wow, Skip, you nailed it there. Thanks.
Cool beard, Mark.
If you want to know what it means to be righteous, stop pretending that a one-time decision imputed righteousness to you forever and start living a life that constantly expresses the character and will of the Son and the Father. …
If John means that righteousness is Torah observance, where did we come up with the theological notion that Torah no longer applies?
A couple weeks ago, the pastor of the church I attend was speaking on the beatitudes and came to “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”. He had to do a little dance with the definition of righteousness. Apparently it changed in the gospels and Paul changed it even more to only mean “the righteousness of Christ applied to us as believers.” sigh… The verb righteousness is turned into a noun.
When you start redefining the words, you can go wherever you want.
Indeed you can. And the result is that theological paradigms tell us what the text is SUPPOSED to mean, not what the men who wrote it meant. Time to give up on those and listen to the men who wrote the words AS THEY WROTE them.
Righteousness. What a beautiful word it truly is, from the Fathers perspective it is truly valuable, it is a precious pearl, my friends, He parts to those who He comes to see, walk in His way, in Him, through Him. What an honor to have this parted to one. Like Abraham, the Father knew the true heart of the man, a heart who desired to truly do as the Father would have him. And for Abraham, righteousness was given. If we have not the righteousness of the Father, then we only have our own, which is no righteousness at all. If one does not understand this within themselves, nor tasted this righteousness, then maybe YHVH, has not parted such to one, just yet! It can only come from the Father, What a gift it is. What an honor, this parting of righteousness. It humbles us, places within us a desire for His knowledge, nothing else will suffice.
I am almost convinced. Almost. Except for God’s declaration, “Now I know you truly love me.” What is that all about if righteousness is IMPUTED only to those whom God already knows have a heart for Him? Is righteousness a NOUN or a VERB in Hebrew thought? Do I simply wait for God’s grace to act upon me, or am I expected to get off my butt and live according to His directions?
Skip, you know, I keep wanting to ask who: exactly who split the baby on this one? Who said that righteousness is something that is ONLY generated: pick one – only ONE, mind you – by either YHVH or me? What if we have been stubbing our toe on something that is not actually there? What if righteousness is something that only happens TOGETHER? If we are fighting over the crumbs when we are quite certain that there was really a big feast, then maybe we are scrabbling for the bones that we got tossed when somebody (that ubiquitous somebody) separated a thing that was never meant to be separated, is what I keep wanting to wonder. I am pretty certain YHVH cannot accomplish righteousness (love) in me without my willing obedience, but I know I can’t accomplish it without Him!
“and they shall become flesh “one”
“…the Son displays the same character and behavior as the Father. The righteousness of Yeshua is a duplicate of the righteousness of YHWH. In the same way, we know that we are the offspring of the Son when we display the same character and behavior. ”
“…equivalent to seeing the character, intentions and execution of the Father.”
“…start living a life that constantly expresses the character and will of the Son and the Father”
“A man is saved because, with the aid of the Spirit, his life is radically changed and it shows!”
Strong AMEIN to the above quotes.
Seems foundational and so simple, yet takes years of experience walking with YHWH, and learning through each and every circumstance in life, living in Torah standards.
Some believing for many, many years and presumably walking and knowing His ways, yet does not show such signs of righteousness
when faced with challenging situations. Boils down to a gutsy desire to stand and fight for righteousness, I guess, IF they SEE and loathe such unrighteousness.