Blameless

Who can stand before a holy and righteous God with the status, “blameless”? Sinful humanity is a disaster in this regard. Blamelessness is commanded by God (Gen 17:1; 18:3) because God and His ways are altogether blameless (Ps 18:25, 30). The wicked blame God, but He is blameless when He judges them (Ps 51:4).

For this reason, being haters of God (Rom 1:30), men of bloodshed hate the blameless (Prv 29:10), who are called “children of God” (Phil 2:15; 1 Jn 3:10), and who delight God in their walk (Prv 11:20). It is written, “How blameless are those whose way is blameless (Ps 119:1).” There are a few people granted this character title in Scripture.

Noah was blameless in his time (Gen 6:9), which is noteworthy, considering that in his generation, every inclination of everyone’s heart was only evil all the time (Gen 6:5). In this, Noah is a type of Jesus Christ. Job was blameless (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3), but this did not preserve him from trouble in the world. In this, he, too, was a type of Christ. Obviously, there are exceptions to the wisdom that the righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way (Prv 11:5).

God sets the blameless in His way (2 Sam 22:33), and the blameless will remain in it (Prv 2:21). Now, if God makes my way blameless (Ps 18:32), then, surely he knows the days of the blameless (Ps 37:18). It is Christ’s imputed righteousness that guards the one whose way is blameless, and who is delivered from evil (Prv 28:18), even though he is considered a joke (Job 12:4). The blameless will fight back when they are ambushed (Ps 64:4). Satan, who once was blameless (Ezek 28:15), has his fiery darts (Eph 6:16), for the likes of Zacharias and Elizabeth (Lk 1:6), whose shield of faith proved strong on the day of testing.

All of this was by God’s design, in His predetermined plan (Acts 2:23), before the foundation of the world, when He predestined His elect people, to be presented holy and blameless and beyond reproach before God (Eph 1:4; Col 1:22). This is God’s eternal decree for His beloved, the church (Eph 5:27), who will be preserved until the Day of Christ (Phil 1:10). He is able to make you stand in His glorious presence, blameless, with great joy (Jude 1:24).

Knowing this amazing grace, Christian, how then does God instruct you to live? We turn to the Apostle Paul to help us answer this question. Paul was blameless in his Judaism, in the sight of men (Phil 3:6), but he needed Jesus Christ, in order to be blameless in God’s statutes (Ps 119:80; Ezek 36:27). Paul was a violent man as a Jew, but he became a man of peace with a posterity, as a Christian (Ps 37:37). With a secure, blameless position in Christ, it is the duty of the Christian to be diligent to be found spotless (2 Pet 3:14), in his behavior toward believers (1 Thess 2:10). Just as Jesus Christ, the Righteous, ministers to us, we are to be blameless in our ministries (Ps 101:6), both in Word (Rev 14:5) and deed (Acts 24:16).

Christian, rejoice that God will confirm you, too, unto the end, blameless, in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:8). You have been washed by the blood of the Lamb and with the water of His Word (Eph 5:26). There is no charge that can be brought against you by the accuser of the brethren because there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).

It should be your ambition to please God (2 Cor 5:9), and it is the faith He has given you as a gift (Phil 1:29), which pleases Him (Heb 11:6). Do you believe you have such a lofty status as “blameless” before Him? Remember, it was God in Christ who suffered and died to give you this right standing before God. Rejoice in this because He lives, and you live as a result (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13).

Christians are called to be holy (1 Pet 1:15-16), and it is the Holy Spirit of holiness who indwells (Rom 8:9, 11), guides (Jn 16:13), helps (Jn 14:27), and who is willing and working God’s eternal good pleasure in us (Phil 2:13; Heb 13:21). In other words, your blameless status before God was planned, executed, and applied to you who belong to Christ (1 Cor 3:23). What remains for the blameless in Christ to do? Give thanks.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

October 14, 2022