Righteousness

[Soyeong]

The way to become a character trait is not by the results of our works, but through the believe that that trait ought to govern the way that we live. For example, it is not the case that if we do enough courageous actions first, then we earn the trait of being courageous as the result, but rather the way to become courageous is through faith that we ought to practice courageousness. Likewise, we do not earn righteousness as a wage as the result of doing enough righteous actions, but rather the way to become righteous is through faith that we ought to live righteously. In other words, we become righteous by faith apart from needing to have done any works to become righteous, but becoming righteous through faith means to become someone who practices righteousness through that same faith, which is why the faith by which we are declared righteous does not abolish our need to practice righteousness in obedience to God's law, but rather our faith upholds it (Romans 3:27-31). God's law is His instructions for how to practice righteousness, not for how to become righteous, which is why there are many verses that speak against trying to become righteous as the result of our obedience to it while the righteous are those on whose heart is God's law (Isaiah 51:7).

 

[Eleanor]

The way to become a character trait is not by the results of our works, but through the believe that that trait ought to govern the way that we live. For example, it is not the case that if we do enough courageous actions first, then we earn the trait of being courageous as the result, but rather the way to become courageous is through faith that we ought to practice courageousness. Likewise, we do not earn righteousness as a wage as the result of doing enough righteous actions, but rather the way to become righteous is through faith that we ought to live righteously. In other words, we become righteous by faith apart from needing to have done any works to become righteous, but becoming righteous through faith means to become someone who practices righteousness through that same faith, which is why the faith by which we are declared righteous does not abolish our need to practice righteousness in obedience to God's law, but rather our faith upholds it (Romans 3:27-31). God's law is His instructions for how to practice righteousness, not for how to become righteous, which is why there are many verses that speak against trying to become righteous as the result of our obedience to it while the righteous are those on whose heart is God's law (Isaiah 51:7).

Keeping in mind that all God's laws have been summed up in two commands: love of God and love of neighbor as self.

He who loves God and loves neighbor as self has fulfilled (past tense) the law.

 

[Soyeong]

Keeping in mind that all God's laws have been summed up in two commands: love of God and love of neighbor as self.

He who loves God and loves neighbor as self has fulfilled (past tense) the law.

A sum is composed of its parts and is not more or less than its parts. If we love God and our neighbor, then we will not commit adultery, theft, murder, idolatry, rape, kidnapping, favoritism, and so forth for everything else commanded in God's law, so all of those commands can be summed up as those two commandments. If someone's obedience to the command to love were not inclusive of other commands, then they would not be treating it as being the sum of those other commands. In Matthew 24:12-14, Jesus said that because of lawlessness the love of many would draw cold, so that does not leave any room for thinking that we just need to obey the command to love while disregarding all of God's other laws for how He wants us to love. Love fulfills the law because that is showing a correct understanding of what everything in the law is about how to do.

 

[Eleanor]

Keeping in mind that all God's laws have been summed up in two commands: love of God and love of neighbor as self.

He who loves God and loves neighbor as self has fulfilled (past tense) the law.

A sum is composed of its parts and is not more or less than its parts. If we love God and our neighbor, then we will not commit adultery, theft, murder, idolatry, rape, kidnapping, favoritism, and so forth for everything else commanded in God's law, so all of those commands can be summed up as those two commandments. If someone's obedience to the command to love were not inclusive of other commands, then they would not be treating it as being the sum of those other commands. In Matthew 24:12-14, Jesus said that because of lawlessness the love of many would draw cold, so that does not leave any room for thinking that we just need to obey the command to love while disregarding all of God's other laws for how He wants us to love. Love fulfills the law because that is showing a correct understanding of what everything in the law is about how to do.

Which alters nothing I stated.