Works Righteousness (1) No Standard

Many theologians and Bible teachers believe that the old covenant was a works-righteousness system in which people were expected to earn salvation by doing good works to please God. They contrast this with the new covenant based on salvation by faith alone.

Many problems with this understanding have been exposed during the last fifty years. However, the fundamental problem is that the entire concept of works-righteousness based on law does not make sense because the law does not provide a standard for personal righteousness.

God’s standard for personal righteousness would include most of the following:

• love of God
• humility
• truthfulness
• loyalty
• honest
• kindness
• hard work
• perseverance
• patience
• self-control
• no pride
• no anger
• no fear
• gentleness
• no coveting
• sexual purity
• no stealing
• no murder

Most of these virtues are not specifically mentioned in the Torah, except the last four, and with violence, it is only the most extreme forms, such as assault and murder, that are forbidden.

Most of these standards were not spelt out clearly until they were listed in the New Testament as the Fruit of the Spirit. Clearly, these virtues are God’s standard for personal righteousness, but an equivalent table of virtues was not provided in the Old Testament.

It seems that God knew that his standard would be impossible for humans prior to the cross and fulness of the Holy Spirit, so he did not bother setting them out systematically until after the Spirit had been poured out. This confirms that God knew that personal righteousness was not a realistic expectation prior to the cross, so he did not bother specifying what it entailed.