He that walketh uprightly
Or "perfectly" F5; see ( Genesis 17:1
) ; not so as to be without sin entirely, but as not to be
chargeable with any notorious crime, and living in it; moreover,
perfection and uprightness often signify sincerity, and the
phrase here may design an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile;
whose faith is unfeigned, whose love is without dissimulation,
whose hope is without hypocrisy, and his whole conduct without
fraud and deceit; likewise such an one may be said to walk
uprightly who walks according to the truth of the Gospel, and by
faith on Christ and in Christ, as he has received him; and such
an one is fit to be a member of a Gospel church;
and worketh righteousness;
not in order to his justification before God; for not such an
one, but he that trusts in the Lord for righteousness, shall
inherit his holy mountain, ( Isaiah 57:12
Isaiah
57:13 ) ; but he that works the work of faith, and believes
in the righteousness of Christ; who looks to it and receives it;
that lays hold on it and pleads it as his justifying
righteousness; he that does righteousness in this sense, is
righteous as Christ is righteous, ( 1 John 3:7 ) ; and such
an one is a proper person to dwell in his house; and who also by
faith does works of righteousness, and whose life is a series and
course of righteousness, as a fruit of his faith, and in
consequence of his having laid hold on the righteousness of
Christ;
and speaketh the truth in his heart;
receives Christ who is the truth, and the Gospel the word of
truth into his heart, and makes an hearty profession of the same
before men; and both speaks according to his light in the
Scriptures of truth, whenever he speaks of divine things; and in
common conversation speaks truth from his heart to his neighbour,
and does not speak with a double heart, or say one thing with his
mouth, and intend another in his heart; see ( Psalms 12:2 ) ; or
endeavour to deceive persons, and impose a falsehood on them, or
tell them lies; for as such a person is not fit to dwell in a
private house, or to be in a civil society, much less is he a
proper person to be in the house of God.