Can someone be declared-righteous multiple times?

Can someone be declared-righteous multiple times?


Abraham: 

Abraham would have had faith already in Genesis 12, and he has been explicitly "DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS" ("justified") in Genesis 15 according to Paul in Romans 4 and also later in Genesis 22 according to James in James 2.


Abraham had faith: Genesis 12:

It is written in Genesis 12: "the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth out of your land and out of your relatives, and out of the house of your father, and into the land which I will show to you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you will be blessed. And I will bless the ones blessing you, and I will curse the ones cursing you, and in you will all the tribes of the earth be blessed.” And Abram went as the LORD spoke to him" (Genesis 12:1-4).

It is written in Hebrews about this passage in Genesis 12 that Abraham had FAITH : "(By) FAITH Abraham, being-called, obeyed to-go-out to (a) place which he-was-going-to receive for (an) inheritance. And he-went-out not knowing where he-was-going" (Hebrews 11:8).

Paul commented on the passage of Genesis 12, writing: "Now the Scripture, having-foreseen that God DECLARES-RIGHTEOUS the Gentiles OUT-OF FAITH, announced-the-good-news-beforehand (to) Abraham: that “All the Gentiles WILL-BE-BLESSED in you” [Genesis 12:3]. So-then the (ones) of FAITH ARE-BEING-BLESSED TOGETHER-WITH ABRAHAM, the (man of) FAITH" (Galatians 3:8-9).


Abraham explicitly declared righteous one time: Genesis 15:

It is written in Genesis 15: "And Abram believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).

Paul quoted this passage in Genesis 15, indicating that Abraham was DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS when he believed: "if Abraham WAS-DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS out-of works, he-has (a) boast — but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? — “And Abraham believed God, and it-was-credited (to) him for righteousness”." (Romans 4:2-3).


Abraham explicitly declared righteous another time: Genesis 22:

It is written in Genesis 22: "Abraham built the altar, and laid the wood on [it], and having bound the feet of Isaac his son together, he laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand to take the sword [or, knife] to kill his son. And [the] Angel of the LORD called him out of heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Behold, I [am here].” And He said, “Do not lay your hand upon the child, neither do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, and for My sake you did not spare your beloved son.”" (Genesis 22:9-12).

James referred to this passage in Genesis 22, indicating that Abraham was DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS out-of works and not by faith alone: "Abraham our father — was-he not DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS out-of works, having-offered Isaac his son on the altarDo-you-see that faith had-been-working-with his works, and the faith was-perfected out-of the works? And the Scripture was-fulfilled, the (one) saying “And Abraham believed God, and it-was-credited (to) him for righteousness”. And he-was-called (a) friend (of) God. Do-you (all) see that (a) person WAS-DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS out-of works, and not out-of faith alone?" (James 2:23-24).



David: 

David may have been DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS ("justified") in the past several years prior to being DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS again after being forgiven for a sin that he committed later in his life.

When referring to being "DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS" (Romans 4:2), Paul quoted a passage from Psalms 32 written by David, as it is written "the (one) not working but putting-faith upon the (One) DECLARING-RIGHTEOUS the non-worshiping — his faith is-credited for righteousness. JUST-AS DAVID ALSO SAYS (as to) the blessedness (of) the person (to) whom God credits righteousness apart-from works: “Blessed (are the ones) whose lawless(-deeds) WERE-FORGIVEN and whose SINS were-covered" (Romans 4:5-7).

In Psalm 32, David was recounting how he confessed the SIN that he committed when he murdered someone, in which he wrote: "I acknowledged my sin, and I did not cover my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my iniquity to the LORD against myself.” And You FORGAVE the NON-WORSHIPPING (state) of my SIN" (Psalm 32:5). David said that after he acknowledged and confessed his iniquity, the LORD "FORGAVE the NON-WORSHIPPING (state)" (Psalm 32:5) of his SIN. This is important because in Romans 4, Paul mentioned how God is "DECLARING-RIGHTEOUS the NON-WORSHIPPING" (Romans 4:5) and how it was "JUST-AS DAVID ALSO SAYS" (Romans 4:6) that one's "lawless(-deeds) WERE-FORGIVEN and whose SINS were-covered" (Romans 4:7). 

This would suggest that after murdering someone, David may have needed to be DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS by having his sins forgiven. David would probably have been DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS also before this event happened as he was a believer for many years before that event. 

This would also be consistent with the fact that someone can be DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS from sin. 

For more information, check the following article:
Declared-righteous from what?Click here



Sons of God through faith in Galatia: 

The sons of God through faith in Galatia might already have been DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS ("justified") in the past, and yet they may have been expected to be DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS in the present as well. 

The sons of God in Galatia had faith in the past: Galatians 3:

Paul wrote "(to) the churches (of) Galatia" (Galatians 1:2). They received the Spirit out of the hearing of faith, as Paul wrote "did-you-receive the Spirit out-of works (of the) Law or out-of (the) hearing (of) faith?" (Galatians 3:2). They were all sons of God through faith after having been baptized, as Paul wrote: "you all are sons (of) God through faith in Christ Jesus! For all you who were-baptized into Christ put-on Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27).


The sons of God in Galatia would have been expected to be declared righteous later in the present tense: Galatians 4:

From here it may be reasonable to assume that they would have been already DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS out of faith in the past. Yet Paul warned them that they also needed in the present tense to make sure that they were trying to be DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS the correct way, warning them that "YOU who ARE-[TRYING-TO-BE]-DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS by (the) Law were-rendered-not-working from Christ. You-fell-out-of grace" (Galatians 5:4). 

For related content: 
Declared-righteous can be described in the past, present, and future tense:
Click here



Phinehas: 

Phinehas may have been DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS ("justified") in the past several years prior to being DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS again later when he would have committed an act of righteousness.

Phinehas would have had faith: Exodus 14:

It is written in Exodus 14: "the sons of Israel went into (the) midst of the sea on the dry (land), and the water of it (was) a wall on (the) right and a wall on (the) left. Then the Egyptians pursued (them) and went in after them, every horse of Pharaoh, and the chariots, and the horsemen, into (the) midst of the sea" (Exodus 14:22-23).

It is written in Hebrews about this passage in Exodus 14 that "(By) FAITH they-crossed the Red Sea as through dry land — (of) which having-taken (the) test, the Egyptians were-swallowed-up" (Hebrews 11:29). 

Among those who crossed by FAITH could have been "Phinehas" (Numbers 25:7), which was amongst "the midst of the congregation" (Numbers 25:7) which crossed the Red Sea by FAITH and was then in the wilderness in Numbers 25. Because "Phinehas" (Numbers 25:7) was in the midst of the congregation which was saved from Egypt, it could be implied that he may have been DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS in the past in order to be among them. 


Phinehas would have been declared righteous: Numbers 25:

It is written in Numbers 25 about Phinehas that "Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, rose up out of the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand, (and) went in after the Israelite man into his tent, and pierced (them) both through, both the Israelite man, and the woman through her womb; and the plague ceased from the sons of Israel. And it was, the ones having died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest has caused My wrath to cease from (the) sons of Israel, in My jealousy, the jealousy among them, and I did not utterly destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy. Thus say (to him), ‘Behold, I give to him a covenant of peace; and it will be to him and to his seed after him a perpetual covenant of priesthood, for which he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”" (Numbers 25:7-13).

It is written in the Psalms about the event in Numbers 25 that "Phinehas stood up, and propitiated, and the destruction stopped. And IT-WAS-CREDITED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Psalm 106:30-31). The expression "IT-WAS-CREDITED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Psalm 106:31) can be used interchangeably in the case of Abraham to being DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS, as it is written: "if Abraham WAS-DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS out-of works, he-has (a) boast — but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? — “And Abraham believed God, and IT-WAS-CREDITED (TO) HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS”." (Romans 4:2-3).



God: 

God may have been DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS ("justified") by someone in the past prior to being DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS again later by other people.

God: Psalms 51 with David:

It is written in Psalms 51 that "DAVID" (Psalms 51:1) said: "Have mercy upon me, O GOD" (Psalms 51:1), "Against You only I sinned, and did the evil before You, in order that YOU shall be DECLARED-RIGHTEOUS in Your words, and shall prevail in Your being judged. " (Psalms 51:4).


God: Luke 7 with tax collectors:

It is written in Luke 7 that "THE TAX COLLECTORS DECLARED GOD RIGHTEOUS, having-been-baptized (with) the baptism (of) John" (Luke 7:29).


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