Unrighteousness

“All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.”
1 John 5:17

Beware: this will challenge what you believe and make you think. I have no issue talking about the outlandish institutions and scriptural errors that have been allotted in the name of Christianity. However, I want it to be understood that as Christians we must study the word and know what it says (Col. 3:16). God is black and white leaving nothing to our own interpretation.   He is not a God of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).  Man, however, is known for confusion and corruption. As we look at our topic let us reason in the word (Acts 17:1-4). Let us be fair minded in order to understand what God desires of us (Acts 17:11). I want to make one point today. In order to do that I want to make a solid foundation.

The Word & Righteousness

This is the love of God that we obey His commands (1 John 5:3). Having the title Christian means we do just that (Luke 9:23; Acts 11:26).  Matt. 28:18-20 lets us know that all who believe and are baptized will observe His commands (Mark. 16:15-16).  All those who obey receive eternal salvation (Heb. 5:8-9; Rev. 2:10; 2 Tim. 2:5). We have the word of God so that we may be certain (Luke 1:1-4). That is that Christ is our savior and the Son of God (John 20:30-31). Not everything He did and said is in the gospels (John 21:25). The apostles taught His commands (Acts 2:42). So we can rest assured that the rest of the New Testament is exactly what we need to know and do as Christians (Prov. 30:5-6). There is no fluff in the word. All scripture is God breathed. It is profitable. It is good for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. By the word a man of God can be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Only by the word can we be trained in righteousness. In fact in the word is everything we need to know that pertains to godliness and life (2 Pet. 1:3). To be righteous we must do exactly as we are instructed by the word. 

Two Words

The word is the commands of Christ and we need to understand the word “command.” A command is given so that whoever hears it knows exactly what is to be done. There is never a need to express the eternity of possibilities that one is not to do. It is understood that if you don’t do exactly what is said then it is wrong. Let’s look at “righteousness” for just a moment. So to be righteous as a Christian we must do everything as Christ has commanded it.  Righteousness is only in Christ. The righteousness of God is that we can be saved in Christ. Christ commands are going be what we need to know to be righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). Anything to the contrary of His commands, His word, is wrong or unrighteous. That would mean obedience of the commands in the word leads us into or makes us righteous. When we are freed from sin by our obedience to the gospel, seen in our immersion into Christ by water, we become servants to righteousness. We need to use all we have to honor God as slaves to righteousness unto salvation. We have been freed to perform any righteous duty, freed to obey God (Rm. 6:16-20).   

You Are a Slave

You are a slave to who or what you obey (Romans 6:15-23). We can either be a slave to righteousness by our obedience of God or a slave to sin by our obedience to unrighteousness. Anything outside of Christ would be unrighteous. Only the righteous will be saved. The saved are the forgiven. The lost are the sinning unrighteous. We are new in Christ in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:20-24). We are to flee youthful lust and follow after righteousness (2 Tim. 2:22).  Christ bore our sins so that we might live unto righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).  We know that Christ is righteousness if we practice righteousness we are His (1 John 2:29). There is a strong inference that some of the false teachers troubling the church were teaching one could be save without living a pure and godly life.  Living a godly life, living righteously, is the only proof someone is being a Christian. Nothing short of the perfect righteousness of Christ can save. Let us make a choice are we going to appear before God immersed into Christ being in that righteousness or are we going to roll the dice with our own personal righteousness (1 John 3:7). If we do not practice righteousness, that is found in Christ, we are not of God (1 John 3:10).

The Point

That leads me to my point. If we are righteous because we are born again by the waters of baptism and live faithfully according to His word than anything contrary to the word is sin. Anything thing that is not righteous is unrighteous. All unrighteousness is sin (1 John 5:17). So if we adhere to the word we can be found righteous. Not adhering would be a sin because its unrighteousness. That means anything contrary to the commands of Christ is sin. Anything from drunkenness to orgies and from lying to failing to serve and give is a sin. Yet, so would such things like instrumental music in worship or clapping would be a sin. We only have authority to sing and those two are contrary to that (Col 3:16; Eph. 5:19; James 5:13). That would mean women serving communion, preaching, and teaching would be a sin because it is contrary to the command. Woman are given no authority over the man (1 Cor. 14: 34-35; 1 Tim. 2:11-12; 1 Pet. 3:5-6; Eph. 5:22-33).  If we only take communion once a month instead of every time we meet on the first day of the week it’s a sin. We only have authority to take communion every time the body assembles, on the first day of the week, once a month would be contrary to the word (Acts 20:7, Heb. 10:23-25; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Matt. 26:26-30; 1 Cor. 11:17-34). If we are run by a sole governing body or one man that would be a sin. We are told Christ is the head of the body (Eph. 4:15). Also we are commanded to have elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-16). If we don’t have elders and deacons we need to be striving for them so that we can be complete. That is just to name a few, the list is extensive. If Christ did not command it, we cannot not do it. We are not to add to or take away from the word (Deut. 4:2; Num. 22:18 & 24:13; Joshua 1:6-9; Prv. 30:5-6; 1 Cor. 4:6; Rev. 22:18-19).  Not to mention it is from God (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42). When we add to or take away we are simply enforcing unrighteousness.  We are enforcing sin and saying that God accepts it.

Awake to Righteousness

       We are to be awake to righteousness and not sin. We need to be aware that some do not have the knowledge of God (1 Cor. 15:34). Let us not sin in our unrighteousness. Stand firm in the Word. I want to be a slave to righteousness for God is righteousness and I want to be found in Him. Call sin, sin. Call unrighteousness, unrighteousness. So that you can correct what needs to be corrected or know where to stand when the time comes. All those who desire to live godly, that would be according to the word, will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12; 2 Pet. 1:3).   

Are you living righteously?

Have you made concession for things that are unrighteous?

Are you worshiping or living in sin because of such concessions?


What do you need to change? 



*Stay tuned in for the next post is on instruments & clapping*