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      • 39. Are New Year's Resolutions Biblical?
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      • 40. One of the Greatest Need America
      • 41. Your Memorial Table
      • 42. George W. Bush Verses Saddam Hussein
      • 43. Learning to Listen
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      • 45. Memorial Day
      • 46. My Ecounter with an Orthhodox Jew
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      • 49. The Decline in Family Living
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      • 52. Thanksgiving is not a Holiday
      • 53. What a Christmas Present!
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      • 67. Tribute to My Mother
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      • 79. The Redemption of Tookie Willaims
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      • 80. Is Religion a Problem?
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      • 83. Judas: Betrayer or Best Friend?
      • 84. Weekend or Week--Beginning?
      • 85. A Tribute to My (Spiritual) Father
      • 86. Your Relationship to the Word of God
      • 87. What an Opportunity!
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      • 90. The Case for Systematic Exposition
      • 91. Don't Miss the Message
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      • 94. The Functional Church
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      • 98. A July 4th Reminder
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      • 101. A Modest Political Propospal
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      • 103. When it is Tough to be Thankful
      • 104. Romney's Religion
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      • 105. Continue
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      • 114. The Other Benefit of Christmas
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      • 131. People Need the Lord
      • 132. Examples Worthy of Notes
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      • 137. "Don't Spare Me"
      • 138 The Unseen Message of Christmas
    • 2011 Articles 139-147 >
      • 139. What Parents Should Teach their Children
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      • 141. What Happen to Mike?
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      • 143. Surprise
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      • 148. Truth or Consequences
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      • 150. Take a Break
      • 151. The Worth of an Individual
      • 152. A Tribute to Nana
      • 153. Jesus Crossed the Line
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      • 160. A Tribute to Sumner Wemp
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      • 161. How to Finish Well
      • 162. Rewards
      • 163. Spiritual Binging
      • 164. There is no way out of this one
      • 165. Half Empty or Half Full
      • 166. Nones
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      • 168. God's Answer to Atheism
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      • 173. Lies
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      • 175. Teaching Children How Money Grows
      • 176. The Principle of Delay
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      • 178. Sermons that Changed My Life
      • 179. If Paul Harvey were the Devil
      • 180. The Principle of Practice
    • 2015 Articles 181- >
      • 181. In Wrath Remember Mercy
      • 182. Choosing the Right Shepherd
      • 183. The Lord's Requirements
      • 184. Your Ear Lobe. Thumb, and Big Toe
      • More articles will be added as they are written
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Reckoned Righteous by Works

Abraham had faith and that faith was accounted to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:6). This is one of the most important teachings in the Bible. It is called “justification (to be declared righteous) by faith.” Paul explains it in detail (Rom. 3:21-5:1), insisting that justification is by faith and not by works (Rom. 4:2-3, 5).

It is surprising, then, to discover that the Bible says man’s work was accounted for righteousness. “Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore” (Ps. 106:30-31).

In the wilderness some committed “harlotry” with the women of Moab (Num. 25:1). Then, they “bowed” to the gods of Moab (Num. 25:2). When the Lord told Moses to kill the offenders, Phinehas killed two of them with a javelin (Num. 25:3-15). The Lord gave Phinehas a “covenant of peace” (Num. 25:12), saying “it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood” (Num. 25:13). Phinehas’ work of killing two people was “accounted to him for righteousness!” (Ps. 106:31).

Admittedly, as J. A. Alexander, the Bible scholar, says, “The form of expression is borrowed from Genesis 15:6.” Indeed, it has been called a “striking instance of the fearlessness of expression which is to be found in the Scriptures as compared with dogmatic forms of modern controversial theology” (Perowne), but what does it mean? Does the Bible teach justification by faith or does it teach justification by works?

The answer is, “both.” There is clearly a justification by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3, 5:1; Gal. 3:6; Jas. 2:23). There is also a justification by works (Jas. 2:21, 24-25). Justification by faith is before God (Rom. 4:5). Justification by works is before people (cf. “you see” in Jas. 2:24).

So, both Abraham and Phinehas were justified by faith and both were justified by works. Abraham was “justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar” (Jas. 2:21) and Phinehas was justified by works when he obeyed God’s command to kill people worth of capital punishment (Ps. 106:31). God sees faith and declares the believer righteous (Phil. 3:9), assured of heaven. God sees obedience and declares the believing worker righteous (Jas. 2:21; Ps. 106:31), worthy of reward. We cannot see the faith, but we can see the work.

Commentators concur. One calls what Phinehas received a “reward” and says, it was “not a justifying act by which Phinehas was saved, but a praiseworthy act for which he, a justified or righteous man already, received the divine commendation and perpetual memorial of his faithfulness” (Alexander). Another says, that what he did was “looked upon as a righteous act and rewarded accordingly” (Perowne).

The question is, “Are you justified?”

                                  © G. Michael Cocoris, 11/30/2002
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