Righteousness – Page 2 – Michelle Lesley

For further study on the book of Ezekiel, try my study, Ezekiel.

ez 18 23

Ezekiel 18

The word of the Lord came to me: ²“What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? ³As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

⁵“If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— ⁶if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, ⁷does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ⁸does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, ⁹walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

¹⁰“If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things ¹¹(though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹²oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, ¹³lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

¹⁴“Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: ¹⁵he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. ¹⁸As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

¹⁹“Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. ²⁰The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

²¹“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²²None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. ²³Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? ²⁴But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

²⁵“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? ²⁶When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life.²⁸Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

³⁰“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. ³¹Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the book of Ezekiel about? Which genre (history, poetry, wisdom, etc.) is the book of Ezekiel? What is the overall theme of chapter 18?

2. How do verses 5-9 describe a righteous man? What kind of heart would such a man have to have in order to consistently live this way? (9)

3. Who is the “he” in verses 11 and 12 referring to? Is this man to be punished for the sins of his son? (13) If the sinful man (14) fathers a righteous son (14-17) is the righteous son to be punished for his father’s sin? (17-18) Which verse(s) in this chapter sum up the principle of individual responsibility for sin? How does this chapter refute the false teaching of generational curses?

4. What can we learn about repentance from verses 21-32? In which does God take delight, pouring out His wrath on the wicked or pouring out His forgiveness on the repentant? (23, 32) How does this passage compare to 2 Peter 3:9?

5. Consider this chapter in light of the gospel. Is any person truly righteous? Where does the Christian’s righteousness come from? How does the New Testament describe Jesus, the righteous Son, being punished for our sin? What effect does this have on verse 4 (“the soul who sins shall die”)?

1 John Bible Study

Am I Really Saved?: A First John Check Up ~ Lesson 5: Practicing Sin

August 19, 2015April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

Am I Really Saved? A First John Check Up
Lesson 5: Practicing Sin
Please Read: 1 John 3:1-10

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
2 Corinthians 13:5

1 John 3:1-3

The first three verses of this chapter are such a comfort to those who know Christ. John marvels over the love of God and the fact that He chooses to call us His children.

How does it impact your faith in Christ to know that you are loved by God and that you are His child?

John then goes on to assure Christians of our identity in Christ and His certain return.

What are three ways (v. 1b, 2, 3) that John identifies us with Christ or says we are, or will be, like Him?

Christians tend to long for the return of Christ. Do you? Why or why not?

1 John 3:4-10

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 9: Do I Make a Practice of Sinning or Righteousness?

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. ⁵You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ⁸Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. ¹⁰By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Here, John again uses polarizing words to draw a sharp contrast between the saved and the unsaved. Sin and righteousness. Children of God and children of the devil.

John also talks about the “practice” of sinning or righteousness. He has already made clear in chapter 1 (and other places) that Christians will fall into sin, but that they will confess their sin and be forgiven of it. Generally, Christians desire to practice righteousness and make an effort to do so.

Here, John focuses on those who make “a practice of sinning,” meaning a habitual lifestyle of unrepentant sin. He equates the habit of sinning with practicing lawlessness. The word “lawlessness” takes us beyond the surface “wrongness” of the particular sin that’s being committed to a deeper contempt for, and rebellion against the Law and the God who gave it.

Does John give any indication of how “big” the sins have to be or how often they have to be repeated to fall under the umbrella of a “practice of sinning,” or is his focus more on the attitude of the heart?

What do verses 6, 8, and 10 say about people who practice sinning? Are such people Christians?

Who is our standard for righteousness? (v.7) What are some attributes and personal habits of Christ that show us what righteousness is? Can you list some verses where Christ explained what it means to be righteous?

What do verses 7 and 9 say about people who practice righteousness? Is John talking only about outward, visible righteous behavior or righteousness that springs from a regenerated heart? How might 2 Corinthians 5:17 help our understanding of these verses?

Read Paul’s description of his battle against sin in Romans 7:15-25. Does this war between the desires of the flesh and the spirit seem familiar or foreign to you?

Verses 5 and 8b explain the reason Christ “appeared.” What was that reason, and what does the reason for His death have to do with whether people practice sinning or righteousness?

This week we’ve looked at one more checkpoint in our “Am I Really Saved?” study:

Do I make a practice of sinning or a practice of righteousness?

People who are saved look forward to the return of Christ in His glory. As they live day by day hoping in His return, God conforms them to the image of Christ so that they habitually walk in the direction of righteousness.

Unsaved people may dread or try not to think about the return of Christ and its implications on their eternities. They habitually sin – whether those sins are small or big in the eyes of the world – without repenting.

How are you doing so far as you examine your heart against the checkpoints in 1 John? If you think you might not be saved, please see lesson 3 or the “Good News” video (at the top of the left side bar) to learn how to repent of your sin and trust Christ for salvation. Need help? Please feel free to click on the “contact” tab at the top of this page and e-mail me.

Additional Resources:

1 John 3– Matthew Henry’s Commentary

1 John– by Nate Pickowicz

True or False? A Study in 1 John– at Naomi’s Table (lessons 11-12)

1 John Bible Study

Am I Really Saved?: A First John Check Up ~ Lesson 4: Truth and Righteousness

August 12, 2015April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

Am I Really Saved? A First John Check Up
Lesson 4: Truth and Righteousness
Please Read: 1 John 2:18-29

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3

1 John 2:18-20

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 6: Do I want to be faithful to a doctrinally sound church?

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

Let’s start off by looking at a few words in verses 18 and 19: “children,” “antichrist,” “antichristS,” and “they”.

It’s always helpful to keep in mind who the audience of a passage of Scripture is. “Children,” as I mentioned last week, reminds us that John is addressing the church, his “children” in the faith (which, by extension, includes Christians today). Apparently, the church had already been taught that Christ would be coming back and that the antichrist would be making his appearance before the Lord’s return. This antichrist is the one-world leader who will fight against and attempt to overthrow Jesus at the end of time.

But just as John has children in the faith, the antichrist (Satan) also has children, and these are the “many antichristS” to whom John refers. These were people, who at one time had been meeting with the church and seemed to be Christians, but who had left the church and become (or joined with) false teachers (see lesson 1 for more info.). This is who “they” in verse 19 is referring to.

John is making clear to the church that those who leave the fellowship of biblical Christianity to follow false teachers and teachings do so because they were never truly saved (“not of us”) in the first place. This is one way we can tell (“that it might become plain”) who is a believer and who is not. Those who are saved desire to stay in fellowship and assembly with a doctrinally sound body of true believers.

Have you left sound biblical doctrine behind to follow after false teachers (for example: Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, TD Jakes, Beth Moore, Paula White, Benny Hinn, etc.)? Do you argue with biblically knowledgeable Christian friends who show you from Scripture that you’re following a false teacher?

Have you stopped going to (a doctrinally sound) church because…

…you’re not sure you believe in God, the truth of Scripture, or that Jesus is the only way of salvation any more?

…what your professors are teaching, what your friends believe, or the tenets of a group you’ve joined seem to make more sense than the Bible?

…you’re just not interested in church any more and have better things to do?

…you’re tired of feeling guilty for participating in your favorite sin?

Do you love fellowshipping, worshiping, and studying God’s word with other believers? Do you faithfully attend (a doctrinally sound) church because your heart craves it? Would you rather hear sound teaching in which God’s word steps on your toes than false teaching that tickles your ears?

1 John 2:21-28

Again, John uses two polarizing words (as he did with “light” and “darkness” in chapter 1) several times in this passage to draw a sharp distinction between those who are saved and those who are not. What are the two words John uses? (v. 21, 22, 27)

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 7: Do I believe in the Jesus of Scripture?

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

Here, John continues to explain to the church what constitutes an antichrist and why antichrists are not believers. Notice what he says in verse 21, “no lie is of the truth.” It seems like such an obvious statement, but have you ever said, when told that a teacher you’re following teaches things that are unbiblical, “Oh I just chew up the meat and spit out the bones”? John is saying that if the teacher you were following were biblical, there wouldn’t be any bones to spit out. Doctrinally sound preachers, teachers, and authors might make a mistake and repent of it from time to time, but they don’t persist in teaching lies. No lie is of a true teacher.

Another thing to take note of in this passage, again, is that John is talking to believers. When he uses words like “Jesus,” “Christ,” “Father,” and “Son,” they, and we, understand that he means Jesus, Christ, Father, and Son as defined in Scripture alone. Even as early as John’s day there were false teachers who led people to believe in a Jesus who was a mere man, others who taught he was only God at certain times, and others who completely twisted the biblical definition of who God and Jesus are.

It’s the same today. Mormons are one good example. They say the believe in Jesus, but they aren’t using the biblical definition of who Jesus is. They’re using the Mormon definition of Jesus, the spirit brother of Lucifer, born of a sexual relationship between God and Mary. John is saying that if you deny the Jesus of the Bible, you are not a Christian.

Mormons may be a clear cut example of people who deny the biblical Christ, but are you sure you believe in the Jesus of Scripture? Have you ever said anything like:

The God I believe in would never send people to hell.

Jesus was just a good moral teacher.

God is love. He forgives everybody.

Jesus just wants people to be happy. He would be fine with me divorcing my husband/being a homosexual/living with my boyfriend/not attending church/etc.

What is “what you heard from the beginning” in v. 24, and what does it mean for “what you heard from the beginning” to “abide” in you? How does this phrase/concept help John pivot from talking about what an unbeliver is to what a believer is?

What is the “if/then” statement John makes in verse 24? What does God promise in verse 25 to the “then” people?

John uses the word “abide” several times in verses 26-28. Examine his meaning in each use of the word. What does verse 28 say the ultimate result of abiding in Christ will be?

1 John 2:29

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 8: Do I practice righteousness?

If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

Last week we were careful not to get the cart before the horse in that it is not good or righteous behavior that turns someone into a Christian. It’s the opposite. Genuine, visible righteousness springs from a heart that has truly been born again.

John also makes sure we know he’s talking about habitually being righteous like Christ was righteous. Remember, the Pharisees acted righteous, and Jesus saw right through them and gave them a piece of His mind.

Describe what it means that Jesus is “righteous”. What are some Scriptures that show how Jesus’ righteousness manifested itself during His earthly ministry?

Is Christlike righteousness a habit that springs from your heart because you love Jesus? What are some ways you see the righteousness of Christ working itself out in your daily life?

Do you ever find yourself having to “put on” outward righteous behavior in front of others to keep up the appearance that you’re a Christian?

This week we’ve looked at three more “Am I Really Saved?” checkpoints:

Do I want to be faithful to a doctrinally sound church?

Do I believe in the Jesus of Scripture?

Do I practice righteousness?

A saved person will be able to honestly answer “yes” to all of these questions. While none of us are perfect at it, we trend towards a desire for righteousness of both heart and behavior. We love the Jesus of Scripture and the churches, pastors, and teachers who dare to teach Him in all of His glorious truth and splendor.

An unsaved person might be able to put on righteous behaviors, but has no righteousness of heart, because she is still dead in her trespasses and sins. She may believe in a “Jesus” who conforms to her own opinions and worldly standards, but not the true Jesus of Scripture. And she certainly has no desire to attend a doctrinally sound church where her self-made label of “Christian” or “good person” will be challenged by a call to repentance and faith in the true Christ of the Bible.

Additional Resources:

1 John 2– Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Are You Really a Christian? by Todd Friel

True or False? A Study in 1 John– at Naomi’s Table (lessons 10-11)

Idolatry, Old Testament, Sin, Sunday School

The Benefit of Israel’s Experience ~ Sunday School Lesson ~ 8-31-14

August 31, 2014April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

These are my notes from my ladies’ Sunday School class this morning. I’ll be posting the notes from my class here each week. Click here for last week’s lesson.

Through the Bible in 2014 ~ Week 35 ~ Aug. 24-30
Jeremiah 51-52, Lamentations, Ezekiel 1-15
The Benefit of Israel’s Experience

For weeks now, we have watched Israel and Judah sink farther and farther into idolatry and other sin, and now they are facing God’s wrath for it. It’s easy to look back thousands of years later and think this is an ancient story that has no bearing on us today. But Israel was God’s people, like we are. They were prone to sin, like we are. Among the many things we can draw out of Israel’s story is that we as God’s people don’t want to go down the same road to sin that they did. What can we learn from what they did wrong, and how do we keep from becoming like them?

Ezekiel 14

It’s a slow fade (Exodus 14-17,32)
That’s the title of a Casting Crowns song. Another line of the song says, “People never crumble in a day,” and that is certainly true. In the same way that someone doesn’t just wake up one morning and decide to have an affair, Israel didn’t just wake up one morning with Asherah poles in their back yards and prostitutes in the temple. We’re in about 593 BC here in Ezekiel. The exodus occurred around 1445 BC, with the golden calf incident occurring not too long after that. Give or take, we’re talking about 800ish years that Israel has been involved with idolatry. This depth of depravity didn’t happen overnight.

But even back in Exodus, there were “smaller” sins leading up to idol worship: they didn’t trust God, and they weren’t satisfied with God. They coveted fleshly security. At the Red Sea, they doubted God and wailed and moaned that they were going to die. They didn’t trust God for water or bread. And, finally, they grew impatient and distrustful that God would ever bring Moses down from Mt. Sinai. All of that culminated in the making and worshiping of the golden calf.

What can we learn? (2 Timothy 2:22, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Matthew 5:27-30)
There is no such thing as a little sin, because little sins always lead to bigger sins. Ever watch the Animal Planet show, Fatal Attractions? It was all about these various crazy people who adopted baby tigers, chimps, bears, etc. into their homes and then were shocked when these animals grew up and ripped their faces off (sometimes literally).

That’s what a “little” sin will do to you. It starts off looking cute and cuddly and harmless and then you embrace it and nurture it and think you’ve got a handle on it, and it grows up to rip your face off or kill you.

“Small” sins have to be dealt with swiftly and decisively. We must immediately turn from them and ask God’s forgiveness. We can’t play around with them even a little bit. That’s why the Bible tells us to “flee” (2 Tim) from sin and to take even our thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Cor.). Hey, poke out your eye or cut off your hand if you have to, is what Jesus said (Matt.).

Lip service is a lie
The elders in 14:1 were not genuinely seeking to worship or obey God. It had been a long time, if ever, since they had done that. They were making a pretense to make it look to the people of Judah like they were actually following God and that God was pleased with them. And God answered that fake inquiry with real judgment.

What can we learn? (Isaiah 29:13-14)
Merely going through the motions doesn’t cut it. Putting your body in church once a week, reciting memorized prayers, giving offerings out of habit, mindlessly singing the hymns does nothing to make you godly. In fact it can help lull you into thinking you’re good with God and have nothing to worry about with regard to falling into sin.

Isaiah said about the Israelites:

“…this people draw[s] near with their mouth and honor[s] me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me…” (Is.)

and look what happened to them.

The same can be true of us. We must ask the Lord to hold us close and help us cling to Him. We must daily run to God’s word and prayer, humble ourselves and remember our dependence on Him. We must celebrate the gospel every day, remembering the price Christ paid for our sin, His love for us, and our love for Him.

Repentance is always the answer
Even at the brink of destruction, God’s message to Israel (14:6) is repent. He had brought all these calamities upon them to bring about their repentance. But the people and their leaders would have none of it.

What can we learn?
We’re going to sin. There’s just no way around it. But when we do, the answer is always to turn to Christ in repentance. One of the verses we have talked about so many times in this class is 1 John 1:9:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

While the idolatry the Israelites committed was a grave sin, what was even worse was that they refused to repent.

Sometimes, the cheese stands alone (Genesis 6:8, Daniel 6:4, Job 1:8)
Noah, Daniel, and Job- what do we remember about these guys? Each of them stood for righteousness surrounded by a sinful culture, and they all stood alone or nearly so. Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Gen.). Daniel was “faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.” (Dan.) God Himself said Job was “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job)

And yet, God said that even if these three men had been present at Ezekiel’s time, their righteousness would have saved only themselves, no matter how hard they prayed or preached, because Israel refused to repent.

What can we learn?
Daniel, Job, and Noah were not righteous in and of themselves. They didn’t find favor with God because they were good deed doers, but because they believed God, walked in repentance, and were faithful to Him– some of the things we’ve already discussed today.
It seems simplistic to say that the lesson here is “Be like Daniel, Job, and Noah, not like the Israelites,” but sometimes it really is that simple. We must be faithful to God like they were even when no one else around us is.

I’ll take you back
If you could boil it down to one sentence, what would you say was God’s end goal in hitting Israel so hard? Check out verses 10-11:

And they shall bear their punishment—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”

No matter how far they had strayed or what they had done, God still loved His people and wanted them back. His desire was never to destroy them but to reconcile them to Himself.

What can we learn? (Luke 15:11-32)
As the parable of the prodigal son so beautifully demonstrates, we may fall into all kinds of horrible sin, but when we come to God broken and sorrowful over that sin, He wraps His arms around us in love and welcomes us back. That’s what He wanted to do for Israel, and that’s what He wants to do for us. That’s the reason Jesus came. The reason for the cross. The reason for the empty tomb.

For some purpose, known only to Himself, God loves us and wants us back.