Proverbs 21:21–The Pursuit of Righteousness

Proverbs 21:21–"Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor."

This is an easily misunderstood proverb.  If one were not careful this verse could be interpreted out of context, thinking that the type of righteousness and kindness that is pursued is of little relevance to the discussion.  But I assure you that this is not the case.  What I mean to say is that our own righteousness is a worthless trinket compared to the surpassing awesomeness of God's righteousness, like the difference between a a grain of sand and sunshine.

Righteousness, of the kind and degree that this verse encourages, is wholly dependent upon God so that the effects–life, righteousness, and honor–would come to fruition in our lives.  Quite literally, it is as we receive the righteousness of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:22) that we are able then to fulfill all of the requirements that a righteousness of this kind demands.

So in the end this verse is not about us striving to be more righteous or more kind.  This verse is, like nearly every passage of Scripture, about faith.  O that we would devote ourselves to the righteousness of God that only comes through faith!

James 5:16b–The Power Of A Righteous Prayer

James 5:16b–"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Prayer is powerful.  It transforms lives and invokes the power of God.  Even more so, prayer is communication.  It is our line to God.  But as this line is available to all humans through Christ, it is also severed by unrighteousness and sin.  However, while the transaction of prayer is a real ordeal the necessity for the sincerity of our hearts and the value of our devotion is not unweighted in this.  What I mean to say, and what I think James is saying, is that, quite frankly, the righteous person, because of the process of attaining righteousness (devotion to Christ over time) the prayers of the righteous possess a depth and power otherwise inaccessible.

This is to say that righteousness is what strengthens our line of communication with God.  Let us strive for and pursue righteousness so that our prayer would not be merely noise but would be empowered by the Lord!

Romans 1:16-17--Righteousness of God Revealed

Romans 1:16-17-"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed-a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'the righteous will live by faith.'"

This verse is full of theology, brimming with the very heart of the the Gospel of Christ.  It speaks of the power of God, of His righteousness revealed, and how salvation is appropriated to God through faith.  But it is the last line, 'the righteous will live by faith,' that spurs me on to excitement.  To be sure, this statement is a combination of description and prescription, meaning that not only does it describe for us how the righteous will live, but it also prescribes for those who would desire to be righteous how they should live.  Because of this, this verse is as convicting as it is affirming.  It compels the believer who has determined to try to live righteously to ask the honest question: how well am I living by faith?

Perhaps we would do well to keep this question and this verse before us as we strive to live lives of godliness.

Amen.

Proverbs 14:34–Righteousness Versus Sin

Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

I think this verse is so timely for our present national predicament.  We live in a culture that calls good evil and thinks of sin as good.  We've so heralded personal freedom that we've lost touch with decency, modesty, and holiness.  But we need not think that this is how we must live; we are not obligated to follow along with the cultural milieu.  In fact, we are continually reminded by Christians that we are not of this world although we remain in it.  The truth is that we have an obligation to consecrate the sinfulness around us, beginning with the sin that is in us.  This happens, quite plainly, through giving ourselves fully to Christ.  Let us then set it in our minds and in our hearts to fix our eyes on Jesus and live lives of righteousness that He has called us to.

Are You Hungry?

Being a human, in the most basic sense, demands adhering to three basic bodily responsibilities: intaking nourishment, expelling waste, and refreshment in sleep.  It behooves the human to schedule fulfilling these duties through the day.  Today, however, I neglected to eat.  Actually, by the time I got home from work, I was nearly swooning with hunger pains.  To be sure, it had only been half a day or so, but I was hungry.

Fortunately, my wife was given the day off and, as I made my hunger known to her, she was able to have dinner prepared for me when I arrived home.  But as I was changing out of my clothes before sitting down to eat, I contemplated my hunger and a verse was brought to my mind.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matt 5:6).

Considering my bodily hunger led me to consider my spiritual hunger.  How hungry am I for righteousness?  Am I in pain in my thirst for Christ?  It seems an odd thing, but a good thing to take an inventory, to adjust our barometer to think of how much we desire God.  Let us then make a practice of considering the level of our hunger and our thirst for God and His goodness!

The Holy Standard of God

In 1992, the Rapid City, South Dakota police department arrested Dennis Lee Curtis, a known armed robber.  Curtis had been on a years-long robbery spree and the police were relieved to finally arrest him with relative ease. When the police were filing him at the station, they had Curtis empty his pocket. They were full of the usual stuff: wallet, gum, lint, etc.  But as the officers looked through his wallet they came across a piece of paper with a peculiar list on it:

1. I will not kill anyone unless I have to.
2. I will take cash and food stamps--no checks.
3. I will rob only at night.
4. I will not wear a mask.
5. I will not rob mini-marts or 7-Eleven stores.
6. If I get chased by cops on foot, I will get away.  If I get chased by vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line.
7. I will rob only 7 months out of the year.
8. I will enjoy robbing from the rich to give to the poor.

Although Curtis was an armed robber, his list revealed that had developed and held to an ethic, a sense of morality that he lived by.  At Curtis's trial, the defense presented this list to the court in an attempt to show that, though Curtis had broken the law, he was not as bad as some other seemingly moral-less criminals.  Needless to say, the judge was not swayed and Curtis was sentenced to prison for his crimes.

The point is that no matter the moral code that we may create to make ourselves out to be "good enough," we are held to the higher, perfect law of God.  In reality, no matter what standard we set for ourselves, it is nowhere near the holy standard of God.  Scripture could not be more unified in this regard.  God is a perfect judge, His law is perfect, and man is unable to meet its requirements (Psa. 7:11; Isa. 64:6; Rom 3:10-23; 2 Cor. 15:10).

This reality should prompt us to humility and to faith in Christ, for only through Him may propitiation for our sins be made.  Recognizing our counterfeit-law is a necessary step in destroying it so as to strive for the highest, holy law of God, which is Christ Jesus crucified.  Let us then empty the wallets of our criminal selves and light our false-laws on fire!

Strengthen our Tensile Strength for God

In any load-bearing apparatus, there is a tensile limit, a maximum amount that can be supported before the compression goes beyond the allowance and it breaks.  For instance, an elevator's tensile limit is the maximum amount of weight that the advanced system of pulleys and counterweights can handle before the elevator is overloaded, the cables break, and the car crashes down to the bottom of the shaft.

Similarly, humans have a tensile limit for God.  We have a maximum amount of God's glory that we can possess within our person.  Think of it in logical terms: man, an in-eternal, material-based, finite, fallible being does not have the capacity to comprehend, let alone hold within himself an eternal, omnipotent, infinite, holy, and transcendent Being.  This task requires a powerful, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, indicates that believers must pray so that the Holy Spirit will strengthen with power our inner beings so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith more fully (Eph. 3:14-21).  Paul, quite directly, is saying that it is through the strengthening of our inner beings by the Holy Spirit that our inner tensile strength is increased so as to allow more and more of Christ Jesus, in all His glory, to fill the depths of our beings.

The reality is that, because of sin, we have hard hearts unable to receive God into our inner most beings (Isa. 6:9-10; Matt. 13:15).  Only through a change of a supernatural kind are we able to receive God's grace.  It is through God's Holy Spirit working in us to transform our hearts from stone to flesh, and to increase our tensile strength to allow the necessary room and strength for Christ Jesus to takeover our very lives.  This is a beautiful thing: that God would, by His grace, strengthen our cores so that we could hold Him within it!  Sanctification, in the truest sense.  Praise God!

Pursuit of Righteousness

Much has been made about the pursuit of holiness, that most eager and beneficial quest.  However, the focus on chasing holiness, as it pertains to sanctification, can often neglect another parallel though not synonymous endeavor: the pursuit of righteousness.  Whereas the pursuit of holiness is intent on the purification that is part of sanctification, the pursuit of righteousness is concerned with seeking God's absolute moral good, His justice.

Proverbs says, "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor (Pro. 21:21)."  Or, as Solomon writes earlier, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Pro. 15:9)." It can be easily seen, then, that pursuing righteousness is both encouraged and rewarded.  It should then seem as no surprise that Paul also exhorted Timothy to pursue righteousness (1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22).

A working definition of righteousness is in order. Righteousness is a character trait possessed by God, referring to His moral perfection.  His righteousness is based on who He is, in that, He is morally perfect and just in His very being.  Thus, the pursuit of righteousness can be summed up as a purposed pursuit of God, particularly of His morality.

The pursuit of righteousness then differs from the pursuit of holiness in that it is based on the specifics of His moral perfection and justice.  Although holiness is intimately tied to this, righteousness is that which is right, and God being ultimately the right, the pursuit of righteousness is the pursuit of God, focused like a lazer on His justice.  Logically, the practical question needs to be asked, "how do you pursue righteousness?"

Because righteousness is defined as the perfect morality and faultless justice of God, the pursuit thereof reflects the fervent study and personal application of God's righteousness.  Luckily, and not surprisingly, the pursuit of righteousness is intricately tied to the study of Christ Jesus.  Think of it, Jesus represents the perfect meting out of God's justice while simultaneously acting as the living example of His absolute moral perfection.

Therefore, the pursuit of righteousness necessitates the study of Jesus as the Christ.  Understanding that Jesus acted out the righteousness of God in that He became the instrument of God's justice, to pursue righteousness is to pursue Christ.  Let us then study, pray, and pursue Christ Jesus so as to seek after the righteousness of God!

The Marks of a Fool

Scripture contains three Wisdom books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job.  In these books, wisdom is examined and highlighted as the preferred manner of life for believers.  Although both Job and Ecclesiastes are focused on wisdom's worth, Proverbs employs a method of parallel antithesis in order to define wisdom.  In this, the wise man is held up to the fool.  There is then much to learn about the wise through understanding the foolish.

Proverbs 1:7 defines the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  This verse is really saying those that despise wisdom and instruction are fools.  If we do not seek after wisdom, we will not learn the right way to live.  Moreover, if we do not seek and accept instruction, we will never grow beyond our own preference and proclivity.  Wisdom and instruction require the ability to receive rebuke and admonishment with grace and humility.  If we cannot take on this posture, wisdom will forever remain outside of our reach.

Although foolishness is a character trait, it does not occur within a vacuum, it has external indicators.  The chief among these is the reality that a fool will think and believe foolishly, which ultimately means that a fool will live foolishly.  The most foolish thing a person can think and believe is the most obvious and self-evident truth possible: God exists, and we are not Him.  If we are not rooted in this fundamental truth, we are fools.

Psalm 14:1states that, "The fool says in his heart, 'there is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is no one who does good."  This Psalm is both profound and true.  The root of foolishness is the lie of atheism.  Remember, foolishness is not primarily an intellectual ordeal.  Instead, foolishness is a worldview, a posture of irreverence and transgression.  Inevitably, the life of a fool will be marked by corruption and derision.  This does not mean that a fool cannot be sincere or kind, but, like all unrepentant people, these are a veil that conceals the depraved heart beneath.

Becoming wise and accepting instruction are not passive endeavors.  Growing into the wise people of God that He desires us to be demands active participation and intentional pursuit of Him.  The truth is that we are all fools, every one of us.  Only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit can we cast aside our foolishness in favor of wisdom.  Let us then press in to Him as to put to death our foolishness and be made alive to His wisdom!

The Art of Practice

Practice is intensely practical and purposeful.  Every professional athlete or musician recognizes the distinct value of excellent practice.  Luckily, the principles of practice can be aptly applied to the whole of life.  If we consider Christian life, then, in terms of practice, a number of revealing images about the nature of life begin to rise to the surface.

A definition of practice serves as a necessary starting point for this dialogue.  Practice can be reduced to a method of repetition purposed for improvement.  When musicians practice, they may play the same song or scale innumerable times but all with the intent of progress.  Unfortunately, if the second part of the practice process, the focus on growth, is neglected, then it is not beneficial practice but more akin to repeatedly beating one's head against a brick wall: not going to make much headway beyond an achy head.

Instead, practice needs a dedicated focus on growth.  Like watering a garden, practice serves to feed growth.  In the case of practicing for life, we are tending to the growth of spiritual traits, holiness, and righteousness.  Quickly, the valuable necessity for developing a theology of practice begins to comes into view.

Scripture actually has much to say about practice, particularly in reference to those who practice unrighteousness and ungodliness (for a passing study see Gen. 44:5, 15; Deut. 18:9-10; 1 Kgs. 11:11; 2 Kgs. 21:2; Isa. 32:6; John 8:34; et al).  A general point should be made here.  If we are not practicing righteousness, we are unwittingly practicing unrighteousness.  Our natural, fleshly inclination is towards sin.  Therefore, it takes a focused effort for us to repent from our natural practice of unrighteousness to a Spirit-led practice of faith and holiness.

Methodology is not without its usefulness in this regard.  A good methodology can keep our aim sure in our quest for godliness.  There are two basic parameters to adhere to in the pedagogy of righteousness. The first is the Word.  If we are to grow in the image of Jesus, we have to become intimately acquainted with His Word.  This requires not only becoming familiar with the content of Scripture but also growing in applying the content to our own lives.

The second part of pedagogy is teaching.  Just like musicians have instructors and athletes have coaches, we need teachers who can guide our growth by exposing our blind spots and offering new material in accesible ways.  In the case of faith, this is referred to as mentoring.  Effective mentoring requires that not only that we are mentored but also that we mentor as well.  Thus we will be able to practice both learning the content of the Word and the application of the Word.  If we neglect either of these facets in the practice of righteousness, we will not see the growth God desires of us.

Paul, Peter, John, and the writer of Hebrews are unified in referring to the pursuit of righteousness in terms of practice (Phil. 4:9; 1 Tim. 4:15; Heb. 5:14; 2 Pet. 1:10; 1 John 3:7).  John escalates the necessity of practice by stating clearly, "By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his neighbor (1 John 3:10)."

This should compel us to take a more serious assessment of what we might be practicing in our own lives in order that we may be sanctified to practice righteousness with earnest rigor and Spirit-filled fervor.  Let us then eschew our fleshly practices of unrighteousness and to adopt a pedagogy of spiritual practice to become more like Christ!

Jesus the Justifier

Justified by faith (Rom 5:1).  The sheer depth and density of such a statement is staggering.  Paul made no small declaration by saying that faith is the means to justification's end.  Because of the breadth of theology administered by the profundity of this simple phrase, their are libraries full of books about it; clearly, this is important.  A good place to begin is to address what Paul means by "justification" and what he means by "faith."

Justification, in its basest form, is a legal matter.  To be considered just necessitates legitimate reasoning and overcoming the burden of proof.  In the case of salvation, the burden of proof is sin.  Luckily, we have an advocate in Jesus, the Justifier before God, the Heavenly judge.  Therefore, declaring us to be justified is wholly dependent on the Lord justifying us before His own eyes.

Moreover, justification refers to justice being meted out.  In this case, justice is paid for by the blood of the spotless lamb, Jesus.  In order for the perfect justice of God to be met, a perfect justifier had to provide the cost justice required.  Jesus is that provider.  By His perfect, sinless life He met the necessary requirements of God's justice.  In His death, Jesus paid the price of justice, served sin's sentence so to speak.  And by His bodily resurrection, He has not only met justification's requirements but has covered the cost of justification for all mankind.

Enter faith.  In order for anyone to have Jesus' justification applied personally to their sin accounts and be found just before a holy God, faith is the necessary requirement.  The reason that it is by faith that justification is administered to humans is logical.  If justification were to be appropriated by works of merit, the amount of justification applied would need to be consistent with the value of the merit's acts.  Therefore, reason stands that because God's requirements of justice are perfect and man is incapable of meriting perfect righteousness, then there needs to be another manner of accruing perfect justification.

Christ acts as our perfecter justifier.  Through faith in Him we are deemed justified.  Justification then becomes our punched-ticket of entrance into the Kingdom of God.  By faith, the justification of Christ is appropriated and applied to our lives.  Faith is the conduit for justification's application to our lives.  The content and object of our faith is Jesus.  Only by faith in Him, His life, death, and resurrection, are we able to be justified before the Lord.  Let us then run to Christ in faith and thus take joy that He justifies us by the blood of Jesus!

Abraham's Righteousness

In Christ, we have become sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7).  This is a favored distinction of Paul's for believers, yet it is pregnant with theological import.  Understanding that we have become the progeny of Abraham and inherited his covenant through confession and belief in Jesus sheds valuable light on both the Old and NewTestaments as well as the whole of salvation history.  Because of this, the righteousness of Abraham warrants further examination.

The famous statement concerning Abram occurs in Genesis 15:6, "he believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness."  The righteousness of Abraham was a matter of faith in the promises of God. Up to this point in chapter 15, God had called Abram to leave his country and extended family to journey to an unknown land.  Abram obeyed in belief acted out.  As a result, God covenanted with Abram through a promise.  Abram believed that God's promise was sure and worthy of obedience and faith.  Therefore, God credited righteousness to Abram as a result of his faith.

Similarly, believers have been called away from our previous lives to enter the unknown land of salvation.  He has called us from our previous pluralism and pagan worldliness in the promise of light and eternal life.  It is by belief in His promises that we become His and, through faith, enter into His Kingdom.

Thus, when Paul equates Christians with Abraham in the manner by which righteousness is credited, he is indicating that not only does righteousness predate the law but, by implication, it does away with any works-based salvation.  Abram's faith had been enacted before it was credited to him as righteousness.  Therefore, our righteousness is credited by the activation of our faith, meaning that the righteousness by faith necessitates action.  Faith that is not actualized does not accrue the righteousness of God and is not true faith (James 1:22-25; 2:14-26).

When Paul says that we have become the descendants of Abraham by faith, he is declaring that our righteousness, like Abraham's, is reliant solely on our faith acted out, not dependent on works of the Law (Rom. 4; Gal. 3).  We need only have faith, trusting that Jesus fulfills all of the promises of God.  This faith should compel us, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to action.  Thus faith is wholly realized and righteousness accredited not by any works of the Law but by faith actualized in the hearts and lives of believers.  Praise God for His promises that are utterly fulfilled in Jesus!