Note: This was written before the author’s conversion to Orthodoxy.

While many Protestants do not consider the Book of Baruch Canonical, what we can all agree upon is that this early Jewish writing did teach correct doctrine.God has complete foreknowledge of events, including man’s disobedience and monergistically fallen, depraved men are saved:

For I know that they will not obey me, for they are a stiff-necked people. But in the land of their exile they will come to themselves and know that I am the Lord their God. I will give them a heart that obeys and ears that hear…and turn from their stubbornness and wicked deeds (Baruch 2:30-31, 33).

For you have put the fear of you in our hearts so that we would call upon your name; and we will praise you in our exile, for we have put away from our hearts all the iniquity of our ancestors who sinned against you (Baruch 3:7).

The righteousness that saves is an alien righteousness given to us by God Himself:

[P]ut on forever the beauty of the glory from God. Put on the robe of righteousness that comes from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting…For God will give you evermore the name, ‘Righteous Peace, Godly, Glory’ (Baruch 5:1, 2, 4).

For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him (Baruch 5:9).

In the words of Paul:

I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith (Phil 3:8, 9).

Amen and amen.