Deut. 6:25 - "It will be righteousness for us."

Status
Not open for further replies.
U

Username3000

Guest
Hello,

What does Deut. 6:25 mean, that doing all this commandment before the LORD shall be 'righteousness for us'?

How are we to consider this in light of our inability to be righteous before God in and of ourselves?

Thank you.
 
I think you need to keep 6:25 with v24:

24And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

I *don't* think that Moses is being coy: somehow stating that *if* they keep the law it is righteousness (thereby recapitulating the covenant of works), but (oh yeah) you can't, so there.

I concur with Merrill's comments on these verses in his commentary in the NAC:

"Moses brought his discussion of the nature of the covenant principles to a close in a summation in which he described them by the one word “decrees” (ḥuqqîm) and expressed their adherence in terms of obeying and fearing God (v. 24). The combination of these commands to define what is meant by covenant keeping is common in Deuteronomy (cf. 6:1–2, 13; 10:12, 20; 31:12). To fear is to obey, and to obey is to fear. Only when this spirit of submission is sincerely manifest can prosperity (lit., “good”) and life assuredly follow. This had been Israel’s experience in the past and on up to the present, said Moses (“as is the case today,” v. 24), and it could be the same in the future if the people would obey “all this law” (miṣwâ; v. 25). Then in strongly evangelical terms Moses equated faithful compliance with the covenant to righteousness (v. 25). The word used here is ṣĕdāqâ, the very one applied to Abraham as a result of his having believed in the Lord (Gen 15:6). Later Judaism wrongly concluded that covenant keeping was the basis for righteousness rather than an expression of faithful devotion. But true covenant keeping in the final analysis is a matter of faith, not merely of works and ritual. Thus the central feature of the covenant stipulations is their providing a vehicle by which genuine saving faith might be displayed (cf. Deut 24:13; Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; 4:1–5; Gal 3:6–7)." [emphasis mine]
 
Might it be helpful to compare to Luke 1:6?

"And [Zacharias and Elizabeth] were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."

Similarly 1 Tim. 3:2a:

"A bishop then must be blameless..."

We can speak about righteousness in relation to law keeping without inferring that we are comparing to the perfect righteousness that can stand before God's tribunal.

Zacharias doubted God's word brought by Gabriel. I don't think we can glean from the text that this was his first sin.
 
It is the righteousness that they do, not another sort, as God defines good works by his law. It will not cause them to be declared righteous before God.

This might be helpful in getting at the idea.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top