The Lord’s Work – Part 34
Jeremiah 34:15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; …
If that were true right, they would have been set free forever. They would not need a Saviour.
Remember that “he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” And “Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.”
That was not true right. But, this was the pattern of having “done right” in the true. True right is doing this thing, IN THE TRUE. From this pattern, we know how to “do right” in truth. We set all men free. We proclaim liberty from bondage.
This is the only time men have ever “done right”. The Lord uses these phrases so sparingly, and so pointedly.
True good is not to accuse, or judge, or condemn your neighbor. But to set him free.
John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
You’re either a servant of Sin, or you are free. If the Son of God makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
But if a man sins, perhaps a grievous sin, and you bring him back into bondage, back into a debt, you have not “done right”. If you preach works salvation, you are not giving liberty, but giving debt.
Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
A man must forgive, and condemn not, and accuse not, and judge not in order to be saved. He must set his neighbors, his brethren free; free of works, free of debts, proclaiming liberty to those which only believe in Christ.
To have “done right”, a man must believe that those that are in Christ are free indeed.
If you can’t believe and confess that every man who Christ makes free is completely free from sin, then you yourself are not completely free from sin either. You are still the servant of sin. Thus, you still commit sin. You still CAN commit sin. You are still a worker, with a debt to pay. You are not free indeed, you are indebted. You are under Sin. You are under the law. You are wicked, and not righteous. You have done evil, and have not “done right”.
If you can’t forgive your brother, then you won’t be forgiven either. (Matt 18:35)
If you judge your brother, you will be judged with that same judgment with which you judge. (Matt 7:2)
If you accuse your brother falsely (if he is completely righteous, but you accuse him of a sin) you will receive the exact same punishment that was due to him. (Deut. 19:18-19)
If you cannot set your brethren (those which come to Christ) at liberty, then you will be brought into that same bondage, responsible for paying the debt for your own sins. (Matt 18:30-35)
If you have believed the gospel, you have “done right” after the figure of the true; the pattern which is shown in Jeremiah 34:15, the only instance of men having “done right” in the entire Bible.
Done good – 2 times
Done right* – 2 times
“worked good” – 0 times
“worked right*” – 0 times
No man in Bible history, nor any man you know after the flesh, is ever said to have “worked good” or “worked right”.
“working good” – 0 times
“working right*” – 0 times
Remember that only Jesus is every said to have went about “doing good”.
No man in Bible history, nor any man you know after the flesh, is ever said to have been “working good” or “working right”.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
You can’t work good with your hands. But you can work THE THING WHICH IS good.. according to the pattern of true good things. No different than the kings of Israel and Judah in the OT.
“worketh good” – 1 time
“worketh right*” – 0 times
Romans 2:6-10 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
This is not a statement on any specific man, or any specific work, or any particular men who worketh good. Its not said about any OT saint or prophet.
This is the same thing we’ve seen before. It’s a division. A line. A separation of the righteous from the wicked. God will judge man according to his works, and give him exactly what he deserves. If he does good things, he gets good things, but if he works evil, he will be rewarded evil things.
This is the same thing we’ve said before. If a man CAN WORK good, if he has even once, then he DESERVES eternal life, and God is unrighteous to give him eternal death.
We know all men do the SAME THINGS (Romans 2:1-3). And we know not all men are going to receive eternal life. If the judgment is based on the good and the bad of carnal works, then we have no line, there is no division.
So the Lord’s righteous judgment in that day cannot be based on what men do on the earth, whether carnal good or carnal evil. The judgment will be based on whether men’s works are carnal (evil, darkness, and at best only shadows of good) or they are spiritual (true good, true light).
A man can’t do both good and evil. A man that “worketh good”, does not also “doeth evil”. Either we learn to divide the true from the figure of the true, or we don’t understand the Lord’s just and right judgment, and we go on believing that God is an unjust and an unrighteous Judge.
This is the only reference to men who “worketh good”. No man in Bible history, nor any man you know after the flesh, is ever said in Scripture to “worketh good” or “worketh right”. Those that do, are deserving of everlasting life. That is not said to be true of any man at any point in the entire Bible. But, if you want to hang your hat here and bet your bottom dollar that you will definitely be found to be one of them who “worketh good”, without a single other Bible witness as to who “worketh good” or how to “worketh good”, then go on ahead. But you really just won’t know for sure, until your judgment where the Lord draws that line and divides you your portion with the believers or the unbelievers.
“worketh good” – 1 time
“worketh right*” – 0 times
Again, we see how RARE these phrases are. Not as exceptions to the rule, but as establishments of the rule, and definitions of the lines, and as very rare figures of the true.
“workest” and “workedst” – 0 times
“wrought good” – 0 times
“wrought right*” – 1 time
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Interesting!! So here we have another single mention. A single mention (maybe the only?) of OT saints working righteousness. But one that applies to numerous OT saints, judges, kings and prophets.
Once again, notice how RARE these phrases are. Each occurrence is NOT random. They are very carefully placed in Scripture. They are very pointedly applied.
So once again, before we start jumping to conclusions that the OT saints did true righteousness under the law, based on this 1 instance, 1 witness… Let’s pause and consider that this is not an exception to the rule, but rather that this is again, a very important pattern! This is said here, only here, and only once, for a reason.
Why here? Why in the NT, and not in the OT? Why here in Hebrews 11?
Don’t throw out what we’ve learned for one inkling of a reference to men working righteousness in the OT. Remember, that it was this very book, the book of Hebrews, that provided the major revelation regarding all carnal “good things” being mere “figures” and “shadows” of good things.
It was Hebrews that told us that the High priests offering the sin offering to atone for the sins of the entire nation of Israel (the “children of the Lord” – Deut. 14:1), was just a shadow of true righteousness. It was Hebrews that told us that the temple, made with hands, was a mere figure of the true temple. It was Hebrews that told us that all the meats and drinks, and offerings, and washings, and the blood, and vessels of ministry, and all the services of the temple were temporary (“for the time then present”) figures of the true.
So this single occurrence, within the same book of Hebrews, does not break the rule, or provide exceptions to the rule: “there is none that doeth good, no not one”. This is not the exception, this is the pattern. He says it 1 time, in one perfect place.
So what is so important about this placement? Why is this the perfect spot for the Lord to put this phrase in His word? How does this placement show the pattern of working true righteousness?
.
.
.
Hebrews Chapter 11 is the Chapter of Faith. This righteousness described here, which, lets be careful, is a shadow of true righteousness, a pattern of the true righteousness, was not worked by the law. This righteousness is not worked through any works at all. This righteousness is wrought THROUGH FAITH.
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Hebrews Chapter 11 is the Chapter of Faith. This whole chapter, is the establishment that FAITH is the key. Faith is the key to working righteousness.
Only the children of God work true good. And we are children of God BY FAITH in Jesus Christ. The OT saints were not. But they showed, in a figure, the pattern.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, it is impossible to do good. It is FAITH that enabled the OT saints able to work good (after the figure). It is by faith that they obtained a good report under that law. And it is by faith that God’s promises were obtained.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Not by works. They were counted to have “done good” BY FAITH. (Counted!)
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, …
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, …
Hebrews 11:11 Through faith also Sara …
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham …
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac …
Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob…
Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph…
Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses…
Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea …
Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, ….
Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab …
Every single one of them “wrought righteousness”. Each of them, working figures of true righteousness. Hebrews 11 says that each was wrought, not by works of man’s righteousness, but by FAITH.
Hebrews 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Hebrews 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise [salvation – the Holy Spirit – everlasting life – God’s righteousness]:
The only time that men are said to have “wrought righteousness” is right here, in this chapter of FAITH: Hebrews 11. What do we learn about the true, given this one placement of “wrought righteousness” being applied to flesh, that is, the figure of the true????
We learn that the only way a man can work righteousness, the only way a man can please God, is through faith. Without faith, there is no righteousness.
And though they “wrought righteousness” according to the pattern of doing so “THROUGH FAITH”, they STILL did not receive salvation.
Jan 16 2022
The Lord’s Work – Part 34
Downloadable Word document:
The Lord’s Work – Part 34
The Lord’s Work – Part 34
Jeremiah 34:15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; …
If that were true right, they would have been set free forever. They would not need a Saviour.
Remember that “he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” And “Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.”
That was not true right. But, this was the pattern of having “done right” in the true. True right is doing this thing, IN THE TRUE. From this pattern, we know how to “do right” in truth. We set all men free. We proclaim liberty from bondage.
This is the only time men have ever “done right”. The Lord uses these phrases so sparingly, and so pointedly.
True good is not to accuse, or judge, or condemn your neighbor. But to set him free.
John 8:34-36 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
You’re either a servant of Sin, or you are free. If the Son of God makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
But if a man sins, perhaps a grievous sin, and you bring him back into bondage, back into a debt, you have not “done right”. If you preach works salvation, you are not giving liberty, but giving debt.
Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
A man must forgive, and condemn not, and accuse not, and judge not in order to be saved. He must set his neighbors, his brethren free; free of works, free of debts, proclaiming liberty to those which only believe in Christ.
To have “done right”, a man must believe that those that are in Christ are free indeed.
If you can’t believe and confess that every man who Christ makes free is completely free from sin, then you yourself are not completely free from sin either. You are still the servant of sin. Thus, you still commit sin. You still CAN commit sin. You are still a worker, with a debt to pay. You are not free indeed, you are indebted. You are under Sin. You are under the law. You are wicked, and not righteous. You have done evil, and have not “done right”.
If you can’t forgive your brother, then you won’t be forgiven either. (Matt 18:35)
If you judge your brother, you will be judged with that same judgment with which you judge. (Matt 7:2)
If you accuse your brother falsely (if he is completely righteous, but you accuse him of a sin) you will receive the exact same punishment that was due to him. (Deut. 19:18-19)
If you cannot set your brethren (those which come to Christ) at liberty, then you will be brought into that same bondage, responsible for paying the debt for your own sins. (Matt 18:30-35)
If you have believed the gospel, you have “done right” after the figure of the true; the pattern which is shown in Jeremiah 34:15, the only instance of men having “done right” in the entire Bible.
Done good – 2 times
Done right* – 2 times
“worked good” – 0 times
“worked right*” – 0 times
No man in Bible history, nor any man you know after the flesh, is ever said to have “worked good” or “worked right”.
“working good” – 0 times
“working right*” – 0 times
Remember that only Jesus is every said to have went about “doing good”.
No man in Bible history, nor any man you know after the flesh, is ever said to have been “working good” or “working right”.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
You can’t work good with your hands. But you can work THE THING WHICH IS good.. according to the pattern of true good things. No different than the kings of Israel and Judah in the OT.
“worketh good” – 1 time
“worketh right*” – 0 times
Romans 2:6-10 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
This is not a statement on any specific man, or any specific work, or any particular men who worketh good. Its not said about any OT saint or prophet.
This is the same thing we’ve seen before. It’s a division. A line. A separation of the righteous from the wicked. God will judge man according to his works, and give him exactly what he deserves. If he does good things, he gets good things, but if he works evil, he will be rewarded evil things.
This is the same thing we’ve said before. If a man CAN WORK good, if he has even once, then he DESERVES eternal life, and God is unrighteous to give him eternal death.
We know all men do the SAME THINGS (Romans 2:1-3). And we know not all men are going to receive eternal life. If the judgment is based on the good and the bad of carnal works, then we have no line, there is no division.
So the Lord’s righteous judgment in that day cannot be based on what men do on the earth, whether carnal good or carnal evil. The judgment will be based on whether men’s works are carnal (evil, darkness, and at best only shadows of good) or they are spiritual (true good, true light).
A man can’t do both good and evil. A man that “worketh good”, does not also “doeth evil”. Either we learn to divide the true from the figure of the true, or we don’t understand the Lord’s just and right judgment, and we go on believing that God is an unjust and an unrighteous Judge.
This is the only reference to men who “worketh good”. No man in Bible history, nor any man you know after the flesh, is ever said in Scripture to “worketh good” or “worketh right”. Those that do, are deserving of everlasting life. That is not said to be true of any man at any point in the entire Bible. But, if you want to hang your hat here and bet your bottom dollar that you will definitely be found to be one of them who “worketh good”, without a single other Bible witness as to who “worketh good” or how to “worketh good”, then go on ahead. But you really just won’t know for sure, until your judgment where the Lord draws that line and divides you your portion with the believers or the unbelievers.
“worketh good” – 1 time
“worketh right*” – 0 times
Again, we see how RARE these phrases are. Not as exceptions to the rule, but as establishments of the rule, and definitions of the lines, and as very rare figures of the true.
“workest” and “workedst” – 0 times
“wrought good” – 0 times
“wrought right*” – 1 time
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Interesting!! So here we have another single mention. A single mention (maybe the only?) of OT saints working righteousness. But one that applies to numerous OT saints, judges, kings and prophets.
Once again, notice how RARE these phrases are. Each occurrence is NOT random. They are very carefully placed in Scripture. They are very pointedly applied.
So once again, before we start jumping to conclusions that the OT saints did true righteousness under the law, based on this 1 instance, 1 witness… Let’s pause and consider that this is not an exception to the rule, but rather that this is again, a very important pattern! This is said here, only here, and only once, for a reason.
Why here? Why in the NT, and not in the OT? Why here in Hebrews 11?
Don’t throw out what we’ve learned for one inkling of a reference to men working righteousness in the OT. Remember, that it was this very book, the book of Hebrews, that provided the major revelation regarding all carnal “good things” being mere “figures” and “shadows” of good things.
It was Hebrews that told us that the High priests offering the sin offering to atone for the sins of the entire nation of Israel (the “children of the Lord” – Deut. 14:1), was just a shadow of true righteousness. It was Hebrews that told us that the temple, made with hands, was a mere figure of the true temple. It was Hebrews that told us that all the meats and drinks, and offerings, and washings, and the blood, and vessels of ministry, and all the services of the temple were temporary (“for the time then present”) figures of the true.
So this single occurrence, within the same book of Hebrews, does not break the rule, or provide exceptions to the rule: “there is none that doeth good, no not one”. This is not the exception, this is the pattern. He says it 1 time, in one perfect place.
So what is so important about this placement? Why is this the perfect spot for the Lord to put this phrase in His word? How does this placement show the pattern of working true righteousness?
.
.
.
Hebrews Chapter 11 is the Chapter of Faith. This righteousness described here, which, lets be careful, is a shadow of true righteousness, a pattern of the true righteousness, was not worked by the law. This righteousness is not worked through any works at all. This righteousness is wrought THROUGH FAITH.
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Hebrews Chapter 11 is the Chapter of Faith. This whole chapter, is the establishment that FAITH is the key. Faith is the key to working righteousness.
Only the children of God work true good. And we are children of God BY FAITH in Jesus Christ. The OT saints were not. But they showed, in a figure, the pattern.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, it is impossible to do good. It is FAITH that enabled the OT saints able to work good (after the figure). It is by faith that they obtained a good report under that law. And it is by faith that God’s promises were obtained.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Not by works. They were counted to have “done good” BY FAITH. (Counted!)
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, …
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, …
Hebrews 11:11 Through faith also Sara …
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham …
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac …
Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob…
Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph…
Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses…
Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea …
Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, ….
Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab …
Every single one of them “wrought righteousness”. Each of them, working figures of true righteousness. Hebrews 11 says that each was wrought, not by works of man’s righteousness, but by FAITH.
Hebrews 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Hebrews 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Hebrews 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise [salvation – the Holy Spirit – everlasting life – God’s righteousness]:
The only time that men are said to have “wrought righteousness” is right here, in this chapter of FAITH: Hebrews 11. What do we learn about the true, given this one placement of “wrought righteousness” being applied to flesh, that is, the figure of the true????
We learn that the only way a man can work righteousness, the only way a man can please God, is through faith. Without faith, there is no righteousness.
And though they “wrought righteousness” according to the pattern of doing so “THROUGH FAITH”, they STILL did not receive salvation.
By Pastor • Christian Doctrine, Good Works • 0