The God Culture: What is Righteousness?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture has continued his foundations series with a discussion about righteousness. Previously his definitions of faith and covenant were examined and found to be based on nothing more than works. Jesus Christ was nowhere to be found in either of those definitions. It is no wonder then that Jesus Christ features nowhere in Tim's definition of righteousness. Let's break it down. 

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FOUNDATIONS

What Is Righteousness?

The word “righteousness” is often used in Scripture, but many believers today struggle to define it.

What proof is there that "many believers today struggle to define" righteousness? This sweeping claim frames the global Church as historically illiterate as a bid to justify Tim's self-appointed role as a "restorer of truth." However, Tim is not restoring anything. Truth wasn't lost, it was simply rejected by those, such as Tim, who prefer the Law over Grace.

Is righteousness simply being a good person?

Is it an idea?

A feeling?

A religious status?

The Bible gives a very clear answer.

Genesis 18:19

Speaking of Abraham, Yahuah said:

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of YAHUAH, to do justice and judgment…”

Righteousness is connected with walking in the way of Yahuah and teaching that way to the next generation. For Abraham obeyed His voice and kept His commandments, statutes, and laws (Gen. 26:5).

It is not private belief alone.

It is a life lived according to His ways.

Deuteronomy 6:25

Scripture defines it even more directly:

“And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before YAHUAH our Elohim, as he hath commanded us.”

Clearly Tim is not defining righteousness.  He is attempting to define what it means TO BE righteous. That is very important distinction. It is the distinction between the act of justification and the work of sanctification. See how he lists "a religious state" as a definition he apparently rejects. We are justified by faith apart from the law. That is a state of being. 

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Sanctification is the outworking of that justification through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Hebrews tells us that the sacrifice of Christ perfects (justifies) us and sanctification follows. This underscores that our righteousness is a completed past-tense reality in Christ, whereas Tim’s definition makes it an ongoing, uncertain future goal based on our obedience. . 

The righteousness Tim describes is one of law keeping. The law makes us righteous. Abraham was righteous because he kept the law. 

16:44 Abraham kept the law and the sabbath. And so did Isaac and Jacob.  I mean how can they be called righteous if there was no law by which they could be judged as righteous? The very notion is ridiculous from the start.

Sabbath Series: Introduction Commentary Only

However, the Bible tells us NO ONE is righteous. 

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

That is righteous through our own doing. Because there is no righteousness is us it must be imputed to us from without. Abraham was DECLARED to be righteous because of his faith. 

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

That is Bible 101 and Tim calls it ridiculous from the start!

Biblically speaking, righteousness is not a vague concept.

It is living according to the commandments of Elohim.

Psalm 119

The longest chapter in Scripture repeats the same truth again and again:

• Your law is truth

• Your commandments are righteous

• Your statutes lead to life

Psalm 119 teaches that the Word of Yah is the standard of righteousness. It never teaches His law as bondage!

This is all wrong. While the law does represent a standard of righteousness it is one which is unattainable and condemns. The law reveals sin. 

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Keeping the law does not make men righteous. 

Galatians 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

And yes, Paul does call the law bondage. 

Galatians 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Peter calls the law a yoke which the nation of Israel was unable to bear.

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Again, for Tim, to be righteous is to keep the law. It has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.  

Matthew 5

Messiah confirmed the same foundation.

In the Sermon on the Mount He taught:

“Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Yahusha did not abolish righteousness.

Pharisees did and they are defined as the benchmark, generally, for not saved because their manner is not righteousness.

He called His followers to live it from the heart.

Jesus didn't abolish righteousness? Who said he did? Note that Jesus says our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. That is not an admonition but a rhetorical device indicating it's impossibility. As we saw above the Bible declares there are none righteous. 

So how does one become righteous? Through the imputation of the righteousness of  Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ was righteous. What made him righteous was not his adherence to the law but the nature of His very person which is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is intrinsically righteous. He says we can share in that same righteousness. 

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

The same glory that the Father gives the Son is also given to us.  

2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

On the cross Jesus took our sins upon him and paid our debt. In return His righteousness is imputed to us. This imputation is done through faith. 

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Verse 21 undoes all of Tim's definition. The righteous of God without the law has been manifested and is witnessed by the law!  The law is a school master to lead us to Jesus Christ. To teach we are made righteous by keeping the law is to make the work of Christ of no effect. 

1 Cor 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Christ and Christ ALONE is our righteousness. And He is totally absent from Tim's definition. 

The Foundation

True righteousness is:

• Knowing the ways of Yah

• Walking in His commandments

• Loving His truth

• Living it from the heart

It is not religion.

It is relationship expressed through obedience.

This Week’s Reading

Take time to read and meditate on:

• Genesis 18:19

• Deuteronomy 6:25

• Psalm 119

• Matthew 5

Let Scripture define righteousness.

Foundations Series – Week 10

Because truth must be built on the right foundation.

Yah Bless.

That is Tim's conclusion. I agree the scripture should define righteousness and "truth must be built on the right foundation." However, Tim has erected a faulty foundation on sand. There is no truth here. This definition of righteousness is completely man-centered and leaves out Jesus Christ! As we have seen Tim also omitted Jesus Christ in his previous definitions of faith and covenant. For him it is all about keeping the law. If Tim is right then Christ died in vain.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

A Christian foundation that doesn't require Christ is not a foundation, it's a legalistic facade. There is no place or need for Jesus Christ to have faith, be in covenant with God, or to be righteous according to this scheme. Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture teaches a gospel that is fundamentally Christless, graceless, and faithless. 

The God Culture: What Is Covenant?

Having looked at the definition of faith as given by Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture let's take a look at his definition of covenant. Both faith and covenant relate to one another. It is by faith one is grafted into the covenant. But as we saw previously, Tim defines faith as works which means one has to work, be obedient, to be in the covenant. 

What Is Covenant?

 

FOUNDATIONS

What Is Covenant? (Biblical, non-denominational framing)

Here is the first problem. It sounds like Tim is being neutral. Like he is gung-ho for Sola Scriptura. Alas, that is not the case. His rejection of "non-denominational framing" is really a rejection of the Church. Tim is on record calling the Church the synagogue of Satan and claims he is here to restore the truth. 

The synagogue of satan was installed and their doctrines as what we call the early church today but the true early church was wiped out. 

New Sabbath Series Trailer

Any Statement of Faith or creed from the Church amounts to Freemasonry.

So how then do we govern ourselves? Who do we follow? What church do we attend? Is there a denomination that gets this right?

You will never find denominations in scripture. His ekklesia cannot be broken into such. In our age, there are a Remnant of believers only. It is not 1.5 billion but a few in terms of the population of the world. They are one and defined as keeping His commandments. Those come from the Bible as should all of our doctrine.

Any organization one enters is a creation of men. You will notice just about all of them attempt to boil down their theology into a Statement of Faith or Mission Statement of sort. These are meaningless as any Statement of Faith that does not include every letter of the Word is no such. The origin of such practice is freemasonry as the Bible never says to create a Statement of Faith. You will find every False Prophet comes from the church within and has a great resume and great sounding Mission Statement. That is Pharisaism not Bible. If one can whittle their faith down to a sentence or paragraph, they are extremely shallow.

Rest: The Case For Sabbath, pg. 416

That is all more than a little ironic since this definition amounts to a Statement of Faith. Tim is not only using the scriptures but he is using his own words to explain them. That is not much different from the Westminster Confession of Faith which explains doctrines and provides the Bible passages which prove those doctrines. 

Covenant is the relational framework Elohim established from creation to govern His kingdom, define humanity’s purpose, and restore what was broken by sin. It is not a contract between equals, but a binding oath initiated by Elohim, rooted in His character, promises, and authority.

In Scripture, covenant means:

Elohim binds Himself by oath (Gen 15; Gen 22:16–18; Ps 89:3–4)

Humans are invited into loyalty, obedience, and trust, not negotiation

Blessing flows from alignment; curse from rebellion (Deut 28)

Covenant is always relational before it is legal

From the beginning:

Creation itself is covenantal (Gen 1–2: order, authority, boundaries)

Adam’s role was priest-king stewardship under covenant

Sin is covenant violation, not merely rule-breaking 

Throughout Scripture, covenant is progressive, not replaced:

Adamic → Noahic → Abrahamic → Mosaic → Davidic

All find their fulfillment and confirmation in Messiah, not cancellation

This is partially correct. The covenant God has established with men is initiated by Him. However, man is not merely invited into the covenant. God unilaterally enters into covenant with whomsoever he will, namely the elect. To make the covenant a matter of invitation tramples on the doctrine of God's decree and sovereign election. He chooses whomsoever he will and passes by all the rest. He chose the nation of Israel above all other nations.

Deut 10:15 Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

Amos 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Every Israelite child was automatically a member of the covenant God made with that nation. The sign of the covenant was circumcision. Of course while every member of the nation was part of the visible covenant people not all were actually members of the elect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel (Romans 9:6). Meaning the covenant is much deeper than blood or promises of land.

Here is the covenant given to Abraham. 

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Note that the promise is given to Abraham's seed. Who is that? Ultimately it is Jesus Christ. 

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

In his definition of covenant Tim has left out Jesus Christ. He has omitted the covenant between the Father and the Son. 

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is called the pactum salutis or the covenant of redemption. In this eternal, pretemporal covenant, the Father appoints the Son to redeem the elect. That covenant is foundational to understanding the Gospel and the covenant of grace. However, this is no place to discuss it as the topic is too immense. See Herman Witsius' two volumes On the Economy of the Covenants for a thorough discussion of covenantal theology. 

The so-called “New Covenant” is not new in content, but renewed, internalized, and written on the heart (Jer 31; Ezek 36), just as the prophets foretold.

Covenant explains why Messiah came, what sin is, what obedience means, and how restoration works.

Without covenant:

The Gospel becomes abstract

The Kingdom becomes vague

Grace becomes disconnected from purpose

With covenant:

The story is unified

Messiah is correctly understood

Scripture speaks with one voice

Shabbat Shalom. Yah Bless.

The end of this definition, that the covenant is necessary to understand why Christ came, is correct but the first part is woefully wrong. Tim says there is no new covenant. There is only a renewal of the old! That's not what the Bible says. 

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. 

Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 

And if Tim does not wish to listen to Paul let him hear Christ. 

Matt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Yes, the new covenant is indeed...NEW! The old has been fulfilled and is no longer in force. The entire purpose of the old covenant, namely the law, was to lead us to Christ! 

Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Tim cites Jeremiah 31 in support of the covenant being not new but renewed. However, Jeremiah disagrees with him. 

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Tim is correct in noting that the covenant is internalized with the law being written on the heart but that only undermines his contention that it is renewed. The old covenant was with ONE NATION, Israel. Yes, gentiles could be grafted in but the covenant was with that one nation only.  The new covenant is with the world, the gentiles, all those whom Christ has elected to salvation and who he will graft into Himself by regenerating them, drawing them, and giving them the gift of faith to believe the promises. But Tim teaches we are to keep the law and the measure of our law keeping is what grafts us into Christ, makes us righteous, and keeps us in covenant with Him. 

20:05 For us to not keep his law, uh-oh here it comes, is also to not love Him. As if we love Him what do we do? John 15, keep my commandments. Even in revelation what are they found doing at the very end the end times remnant? Keeping His commandments, His law.  Do we love him? This is a covenant folks and it is  the way it works. See that's the way he defines this. It's a covenant relationship. This is intimacy with the Creator.  He loves you that much. He wants to be intimate with you in relationship. Are we in relationship with Him or not?

Sabbath Series: Part 3B. Messiah Kept the Sabbath.

Thus law keeping is the essence of the covenant according to Tim. 

A more Biblical definition of the covenant is to be found in the Westminster Confession of faith. 

I. The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him, as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God’s part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant.

II. The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.

III. Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace: wherein he freely offered unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved, and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life, his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.

IV. This covenant of grace is frequently set forth in the Scripture by the name of a testament, in reference to the death of Jesus Christ, the testator, and to the everlasting inheritance, with all things belonging to it, therein bequeathed.

V. This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins, and eternal salvation, and is called the Old Testament.

VI. Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed, are the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them it is held forth in more fullness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.

https://thewestminsterstandard.org/the-westminster-confession/#Chapter%20VII

There are only two covenants of God made with man. One is the covenant of works made in the Garden of Eden which Adam broke when he ate the forbidden fruit. Because Adam is our federal head all men are subject to this covenant and its penalty which is death. The second is the covenant of grace made to all of God's elect people through faith in Christ. This covenant was administered differently in times past but is now revealed in its final form under Jesus Christ. All of the law including the sacrifices and ordinances pointed to Him and are now fulfilled and abrogated. 

Tim's definition of covenant is not Biblical at all. It leads one away from trust and faith in the promises of God to trust in one's own works instead. It also presents a false view of the new covenant as being a renewal of the old. Tim’s covenant is actually a repackaged Covenant of Works. Ultimately there is nothing but heresy in this definition. The fact that it sounds good on its face is what makes this poisoned apple so dangerous.