Page 65 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

Likewise Paul describes himself as ‘blameless’, as an expression, before his
conversion, by ‘the righteousness which is in the law’ (Phil 3:6). Actually on such
a measure he could only be blamed, not blameless as the Word attests (Rom 3:20,
Jam 2:10). Had he been righteous he would have needed no Salvation (Rom 3:10,
20, 23, 28). Apart from anything else he was not loving God when persecuting the
Church and thus failed to meet God’s single standard (James 2:10). Paul is
expressive again when he refers to being taught in the 'perfect manner of the Law
of the fathers' (Acts 22:3, Rom 3:10) as is shown in Hebrews 7:19.

One must, impossibly, keep all of the Law all of the time to be righteous by the
law (James 2:10). Such failure is a sin under the Law and without excuse (Rom
3:10). No man is ‘good’ (Mat 19:17) and no man can save himself (Mat 19:25-26,
Rom 8:1) and being perfect throughout an entire life would represent this. When
Jesus talks of the righteous and sinners in Mark 2:17 he is saying that all men come
into the latter category and are therefore called to salvation (Mark 2:17, John 3:3).

Job 1:1 is an expression of exaggeration for emphasis when it describes Job as
follows: 'perfect and upright..eschewed evil' (Job 40:4). Zechariah and his wife are
described as ‘righteous’ and walking in ‘all the commandments and ordinances of
the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6). ‘All’ here and the other statements are expressions
and not strictly or literally true as we know from other scriptures especially those
saying that no man can keep the Law (1 Kings 8:46, Rom 3:10, 20, 23, 4:15). The
purpose of these statements is to make a point by exaggeration. These were ‘good’
people by a human standard in relation to keeping God’s ways. Their fallibility is
evident (Job 3:25, 40:3, Luke 1:20, Rom 3:10). No man is ‘good’ i.e. perfect (1
Kings 8:46, 2 Chron 6:36, Eccl 7:20, Luke 18:19, Rom 3:12). No man is wholly
perfect, that is perfect (Eccl 7:20, Rom 3:10). No man is righteous other than by
Christ (1 Kings 8:46, Rom 3:10) and all those under the Law are therefore
uncircumcised in heart (Jer 9:24-26, Acts 7:51, Rom 2:25). All have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God (Eccl 7:20, Rom 3:23). Christians sin against the
two great commandments in every component of their life in the flesh and at all
times (1 John 1:8). It is therefore an expression when Paul claims a blameless life
in one aspect of his life, his dealings with the Thessalonians (1 Thes 2:10). The use
of the word 'blameless' in relation to deacons in 1 Timothy 3:10 is also an
expression to emphasise that they must set an example, that is they were found of
man to be blameless.

A very good example of an expression in the Word is made by Paul. This
statement is a completely inaccurate description as it describes something that is
impossible. Paul is not lying but describing the process as if it were real, that is he