Ecc. 7:16-17 KJVThe Bible teaches the simplicity of Christ alone as the sole grounds for how someone is right with God (see Phil. 3:9). There are those who add to Christ alone. Such is the sin of "over-righteousness." I suggest to you that the Roman teaching of supererogation is contrary to the Holy Scriptures. It seems like it is an embarrassment to Rome. However, this is how they selected people for sainthood. It refers to "excess merit" in regards to time off from "purgatory." This would be a teaching of an addition to Christ alone. It is a teaching that is a stranger to the sacred pages of the written Word. For the infallible Word says regarding personal meritorious works of satisfaction that it is on the basis won by the grace of Christ alone through His exclusive sinless life (see Jn 8:46) that earned salvation for God's people alone through the gift of the sovereign grace of faith alone (Eph., 2:8-9):
16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ?
17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
Ecc. 7:16-17 ASV
16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
Ecc. 7:16-17 ESV
16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Ecc. 7:16-17 NASB
16 Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? 17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Ecc. 7:16-17 NKJV
16 Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: why should you destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: why should you die before your time?Ecc. 7:16-17 NIV16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise--why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool—why die before your time?Ecc. 7:16-17 RSV16 Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not wicked overmuch, neither be a fool; why should you die before your time?
2 Timothy 1:9 NASB: "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity..."
Romans 9:11 NASB: "for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls..."
Philippians 3:9 NASB: "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith..."
Galatians 2:15-21 NASB : "We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Romans 3:21-26 NASB: "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Titus 3:5 NASB: "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit..."
Rome also adds the Virgin Mary (RCC 1477) and the saints (RCC 2008), the Roman practice of indulgences (RCC 1478/1471), personal miseries in this life and purgatory can "expiate" sin (RCC 1475), the alleged propitiatory Mass (RCC 1367) and the sacramental priesthood in that there is no salvation outside the Roman church (RCC 819). Celibacy is never commanded by the infallible Scriptures. It is not a command of Jesus Christ but it is a personal choice based on God's direction (1 Cor. 9:5; Mt 19:8-11; Ps. 78:14). The preaching, teaching and praying elder is suppose to be married to a god-fearing woman (1 Tim 3:2; Tit 1:6; Prov. 31ff). It is also acceptable to be a elder without a wife like Jesus (Mt 8:20). The normative meaning of the divine Word is having a believing wife as a elder. Celibacy is a Roman teaching of "over-righteousness" where it is largely required to be single:John 1:13 NASB: "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God..."
1599 In the Latin Church the sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterate is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God's kingdom and the service of men.The cosmic treason of "over-righteousness" of Romanism has caused "over-sinfulness." Human beings are not primarily made for a single life. I think the "tension" of a single life has caused many Roman priests to fall into the idolatry of sexual evil. It is like a "hidden prison" where there is no outlet. Rather we were created by God with the need of a "helpmate" in earthly affairs in the framework of a family (Gen. 2:18). It refers to marriage between one man and one woman. There is a God-created and ordained outlet for married persons in Christ as a good work (Eph. 2:10). There is also a problem among married couples to commit "over-sinfulness" in hidden and adulterous fornication. It is said by some that "professing Protestants" would fail the test of sexual morality because of hidden fornication. The thinking could be "just a little sin" (see Gen. 18:20) or "Jesus will forgive so who cares?" Such thinking is contrary to the moral law of God! For the infallible Word says, "How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:29 NASB). What has the body of Christ become if it submits so easily to the wretchedness of idolatrous promiscuity (see 1 Cor. 6:15)? "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14 NASB).
2349 "People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or single." Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence: There are three forms of the virtue of chastity: the first is that of spouses, the second that of widows, and the third that of virgins. We do not praise any one of them to the exclusion of the others. . . . This is what makes for the richness of the discipline of the Church.
915 Christ proposes the evangelical counsels, in their great variety, to every disciple. The perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, that characterizes the life consecrated to God.
1580 In the Eastern Churches a different discipline has been in force for many centuries: while bishops are chosen solely from among celibates, married men can be ordained as deacons and priests. This practice has long been considered legitimate; these priests exercise a fruitful ministry within their communities. Moreover, priestly celibacy is held in great honor in the Eastern Churches and many priests have freely chosen it for the sake of the Kingdom of God. In the East as in the West a man who has already received the sacrament of Holy Orders can no longer marry.
1579 All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord," they give themselves entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.
The Roman church has fallen into the great sin of "over-righteousness" by papal supremacy. It is not taught in the Bible as a favorable position (see 3 Jn 1:11). For the Roman Catechism states:
882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful." "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered."The early fathers interpret Mt 16 as Peter as a rock, his confession as the rock or Christ as the rock, but they never mean it as "papal supremacy." The Bible does not refer to a "single bishop" as positive thing (see 3 Jn). For the inspired Word says in 3 Jn 1:9-10:
"I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church." (NASB).The apostolic condemnation is in regards to the "preeminent" bishop of bishops:
"Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true" (3 Jn 1:11-12 NASB).We ought to be like Demetrius not Diotrephes. Demetrius advocates faith alone (Titus 3:5; Eph 2:8-9) through Christ alone (Rom. 3ff), but Diotrephes taught the idolatry of man-centeredness like the Papists. I suggest to you that Diotrephes is like the Pope because he already accursed those who believe in Christ alone at the Council of Trent. For it says:
CANON 9: "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema."The Bible teaches justification by faith alone (Rom. 3:20; 3:24; 3:28; 4:3; 5:1; Eph 2:8; Titus 3:5), but Rome curses those who hold to such teaching. It is not whether a person is Roman Catholic or Protestant. Rather it is a matter of loyalty to the written and infallible Scriptures! We see that Rome holds to a false view of spiritual salvation. To teach James 2ff denies "faith alone" is contrary to the clear testimony of the divine Word. It simply means a "living faith." Such faith cannot come from baptismal waters made with hands. Rather such "living faith" comes from the Spirit and Word. We are created and ordained to do good works (see Eph. 2:10). Doesn't the wicked only do what is wicked (1 Sam. 24:13)? How now shall he do that which is good if all are filthy garments, "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away" (Is. 64:6 NASB)? The "over-righteousness" only produces more "over-sinfulness." Sin cannot save anyone. Sin is used as an instrument or means of damnation. It is possible for God to "turn sin on its head" and cause all things to work together for your good (see Rom. 8:28). To accomplish this it must be the invincible and conquering power of Christ alone!
The Eastern Orthodox say that the way of knowledge leads to deification. Such is the sin of "over-righteousness." For they say:
"No one who does not follow the path of union with God can be a theologian. The way of the knowledge of God is necessarily the way of deification. He who, in following this path, imagines at a given moment that he knows what God is has a depraved spirit, according to St. Gregory Nazianzen. Apophaticism is, therefore, a criterion: the sure sign of an attitude of mind conformed to truth. In this sense all true theology is fundamentally apophatic" (Vladimir Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p. 39).Orthodoxy also denies "presuppositional" truth for mysticism. In passing, monkhood cannot save anyone (i.e., the sin of "over-righteousness"). Rather only the imputed unified merit of Christ alone saves though we live in this world (see Gal. 2:20). It is possible to live in this world and not walk in darkness but also apart from monkhood (see Jn 8:12; 2 Tim. 2:15). Such teaching "anti-intellectualism" of Eastern Orthodoxy is "over-sinfulness." For they say:
"Lossky's belief that the intellectual faculties and conceptual reason cannot participate in the process of knowing God, not only gives a death blow to language as an epistemic tool and as a valid means of communicating the divine revelation, but actually upholds a reductionist view of anthropology and soteriology" (Paul Negrut, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, London, 1994, p. 36).Orthodoxy teaches an "over-righteous" doctrine of godhood through the atonement:
"As a result of the Orthodox emphasis on the idea of victory over death, evangelicals are likely to be critical of the Orthodox understanding of the atonement, since it seems to ignore the substitutionary, juridical elements which we believe are central to the work of Christ. However, it is not completely accurate to assert that the Orthodox ignore these elements. Orthodox theology does recognize the substitutionary aspects of the atonement which are so critical to evangelical thought, although it does not strongly emphasize them. The major difference between evangelical and Orthodox atonement theory lies not in the exclusive adherence to a single view, but in the way Eastern Christendom links the atonement to humanity's purpose of deification" (Don Fairbairn, Partakers of the Divine Nature, p. 50).Tradition is added as a Spirit-based authority to Scripture as a transgression of "over-righteousness":
"Tradition is the witness of the Spirit; the Spirit's unceasing revelation and preaching of good tidings ... to accept and understand Tradition we must live within the Church, we must be conscious of the grace-giving presence of the Lord in it; we must feel the breath of the Holy Ghost in it ... Tradition is not only a protective, conservative principle; it is, primarily, the principle of growth and regeneration ... Tradition is the constant abiding of the Spirit and not only the memory of words" (Timothy "Kallistos" Ware, The Orthodox Church, pp. 198, 199)Orthodoxy and Rome (RCC 975) teach that the Virgin Mary is our "Spiritual Mother" and other plainly known Marian dogmas (i.e., the Assumption of Mary, the Queenhood of Mary, the Sinlessness of Mary, etc). Such is a teaching of "over-righteousness" again. There is this view that Mary is somehow more "compassionate" than Jesus Christ. They also refer to Mary as their "hope." She is also called "the hope of sinners." The written Word says God alone is our spiritual hope, "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord" (Ps. 31:24 NASB). The infallible Word says that God is enough to comfort in the heavenly realm in terms of redemption and salvation, "My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him" (Ps. 62:5 NASB).
My people, give ear, attend to my word,
In parables new deep truths shall be heard;
The wonderful story our fathers made known
To children succeeding by us must be shown.
Instructing our sons we gladly record
The praises, the works, the might of the Lord,
For he has commanded that what he has done
Be passed in tradition from father to son.
Let children thus learn from history's light
To hope in our God and walk in his sight,
The God of their fathers to fear and obey,
And ne'er like their fathers to turn from his way.
The story be told, to warn and restrain,
Of hearts that were hard, rebellions, and vain,
Of soldiers who faltered when battle was near,
Who kept not God's cov'nant nor walked in his fear.
God's wonderful works to them he had shown,
In parables new deep truths shall be heard;
The wonderful story our fathers made known
To children succeeding by us must be shown.
Instructing our sons we gladly record
The praises, the works, the might of the Lord,
For he has commanded that what he has done
Be passed in tradition from father to son.
Let children thus learn from history's light
To hope in our God and walk in his sight,
The God of their fathers to fear and obey,
And ne'er like their fathers to turn from his way.
The story be told, to warn and restrain,
Of hearts that were hard, rebellions, and vain,
Of soldiers who faltered when battle was near,
Who kept not God's cov'nant nor walked in his fear.
God's wonderful works to them he had shown,
His marvelous deeds their fathers had known;
He made for their pathway the waters divide,
His glorious pillar of cloud was their guide.
Unharmed through the sea, where perished their foe,
He caused them with ease and safety to go;
His holy land gaining, in peace they were brought
To dwell in the mountain the Lord's hand had bought.
He gave them the land, a heritage fair;
The nations that dwelt in wickedness there
He drove out before them with great overthrow,
And gave to his people the tents of the foe.
His servant he called, a shepherd of sheep,
From tending his flock, the people to keep;
So David, their shepherd, with wisdom and might
Protected and fed them and led them aright. (TH,, 301).
He made for their pathway the waters divide,
His glorious pillar of cloud was their guide.
Unharmed through the sea, where perished their foe,
He caused them with ease and safety to go;
His holy land gaining, in peace they were brought
To dwell in the mountain the Lord's hand had bought.
He gave them the land, a heritage fair;
The nations that dwelt in wickedness there
He drove out before them with great overthrow,
And gave to his people the tents of the foe.
His servant he called, a shepherd of sheep,
From tending his flock, the people to keep;
So David, their shepherd, with wisdom and might
Protected and fed them and led them aright. (TH,, 301).
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