Still waiting for Paidion's reply as to when and how he knows he is righteous if he is not accounted righteous based on faith.
Homer, I never think about it. I don't concentrate on my righteousness. I am a disciple of Christ's. It is before my own maker that I stand... or fall. But I will be upheld, for my master is able to make me stand. (Romans 14:4)
Paul spoke of how the grace of God enabled him to labour in evangelism:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1Cor. 15:10)
Paul understood fully what this enabling grace of God was:
For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and to live sensible, righteous, and pious lives in the present age, expecting the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; encourage and reprove with total command. Let no one disregard you. (Titus 2:11-15)
How do we appropriate this enabling grace? Through faith—through entrusting ourselves to Christ, clinging to Him in love, submitting to His instructions as best we can. We know what He told us to do in Matt. 5, 6, and 7.
...[God] cleansed their hearts by faith (Cor. 15:10)
... He makes righteous the one of the faith of Jesus. (Ro 3:26)
So through our faith (the same faith as that of Jesus) and God's enabling grace we are able to be righteous—actually righteous, not a pretending righteousness which is thrust upon us, but that which is real.
That is not to say that righteous people are yet complete or perfect. But:
... He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
The writer of 2 Peter calls even Lot righteous (his life didn't seem to show it):
And if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked,...then Lord knows how to deliver the devout out of trial, but to reserve the unrighteous for a day of judgment, to be corrected. (2 Peter 2:7,9)
Did Lot "know" he was righteous? Or was righteousnesss "accounted to him because of his faith"? Did Christ's death "substitute" for him retroactively?
No. I think we need to examine more carefully the medieval and modern intrepretation of Romans 3 and 4, that Christ "paid for our sins so that we don't have to pay".
No early Christian of the second century until the middle ages held this view. I recall that you pointed out to me statements from the letter to Diognetus, ch. 9, what you considered to teach substitutionary atonement. I can understand how it can be so interpreted if its reader already believes the doctrine. Actually, I had encountered this teaching when I was in my early twenties. At the time, I also thought it taught the doctrine (I believed the doctrine at the time).
I think the matter hinges on the word "δικαιοω"(translated as "I justify"). I say the word NEVER means "I count righteous" or "I deem to be righteous." In the scripture and elsewhere, the word has two basic meanings:
1. I make righteous.
2. I show my action to conform to a set of rules.
The second meaning is much the same was that the word is used in our day. When I was a teacher, I justified what I was doing in the classroom by showing that my methods conformed to the requirements of the local school board and the department of eduction.
The lexicon in my Online Bible gives these two meanings as follow:
1) to render righteous or such he ought to be
2) to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered
However, it also gives the meaning which I deny as a third meaning:
3) to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be
With the understanding of the first definition, Romans 3:24-26 becomes clear:
Being made righteous freely through His grace through the redemption in Messiah Jesus, whom God has set forth as a means of mercy, by faith, by His blood, for a showing forth of His rightousness because of the bypassing of sins having previously occurred in the forbearance of God, for the showing forth of His righteousness at the present time, with the result that He is righteous and He makes righteous the one of the faith of Jesus.
Two aspects of God's righteousness are shown here:
1. His bypassing over sins committed by the ancient Hebrews by accepting their sacrifices, and leaving them virtually unchanged, only to try again and fail again, over and over.
2. Through Messiah's blood (His death) providing a way for His people to become righteous as He is righteous. With the same faith Jesus had in the Father, we can have in Jesus and become righteous as Jesus is righteous (Jesus never sinned. But we have not yet been perfected. We are on the narrow path which leads to life and completeness).
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:7-9 ESV)
If it is true that we are covered with a disguise of righteousness, so that God does not see our sin but Christ's righteousness, then we can sin with impunity. God is deceived in that we
appear righteous in His sight. We need to be careful that we have not received the grace of God vain.
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. (2Cor. 6:1)
If we think we can receive the grace of God to cover our sins so that we appear righteous in God's eyes, but that all our works count for nothing, then we have received that "grace" in vain. It does us no good whatever, nor anyone else. Rather we must "work together with Him," and the result will be righteous living on our part. We cannot live righteously by self-effort alone. Nor will God sovereignly thrust His righteousness upon us. We must "work together with Him" so that the work will be accomplished.
Paul indicated that he didn't receive the grace of God in vain.
[
i]But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1Cor. 15:10)[/i]
If we fall short of receiving this enabling grace by faith, the result is bitterness and trouble. By the "easy way" of being covered and doing nothing, many people are defiled:
Heb 12:15 ... looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.
How are many defiled when we fall short of God's grace, and teach cheap grace? We convince people that they don't have to work righteousness but only "accept the finished work of Christ." If that is all that is done, people are defiled since they don't consider righteousness to be necessary. They are defiled by sin.
As I quoted from Titus: "Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good works."
Faith and good works go together. Indeed our faith appropriates the enabling grace of God for good works.
... Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. (James 2:18)