Loving Justice and Righteousness

Psalm 106:3 Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!

Having grown up in a religious, church-centered culture, the words “justice” and “righteousness” were part of my vocabulary, nearly from the beginning. However, I had virtually no comprehension or understanding of what those terms actually mean – they just became synonyms for “behave yourself, and you won’t get in trouble with God.”

I’ll acknowledge that there is a nugget of truth there, but the reality is far more appealing and fulfilling. “Righteousness” and “justice” are words that refer to the essence of who God is, and how He sees reality from His eternal perspective. God creates everything – including you and me – from His perfect vision of what we will be when the process of our lives is complete, when mercy and grace have had their full effect, and we are fully transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

In Psalm 45:7, the Messianic King (Jesus!) is said to “love righteousness and hate wickedness.” This is not primarily speaking of behavior, but of loving the perfect essence of every person and situation that is in God’s heart, and hating the sin-caused distortion of that perfect essence. So, “righteousness” is essentially the true nature of who you are in God’s vision of you.

“Justice,” then, is the process of bringing you and me into that perfect state of righteousness. According to Isaiah 42:4, King Jesus will not rest or give up until justice is established in the entire earth – in other words, until all things are fully conformed to the vision God had when He created it and called it “very good.”

Here’s some really good news – Jesus’ righteousness (His perfect alignment with the Father’s design and will) is given to us as a free gift (Romans 5:17-18), which includes the power to become what we were created to be! He has infused into you and me the desire and the capability of being fully conformed to God’s design, and loving the process!

This is why Jesus says in Matthew 5:6 that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be fully satisfied! He’s not just talking about learning to love good behavior, but receiving the revelation of who we are in the mind of God, and then pursuing that reality with everything in us. The result? Full satisfaction, every longing fulfilled, every desire realized!

Psalm 106:3 tells us that if we “keep justice” and “do righteousness,” we will be blessed. In other words, guard and protect this understanding, live in line with the revelation of God’s heart concerning you, your family, your friends, your city, and full joy and blessing will be the result.

Gary Wiens

It Takes Light To See Light

Psalm 36:9 – “In Your Light We See Light”

I’m drawn to this little phrase from Psalm 36 this morning, because it is one of those short, pithy sentences that articulates a deep and powerful truth – it takes light to see light. Seems obvious, but this is the revelation of one of the basic principles of how the Holy Spirit works, both to initiate relationship with individuals, and to help us understand how we as followers of Jesus approach life in contrast to those who have no relationship with Him.

C.S. Lewis said something like this: “I believe in the truth of God’s Word for the same reason I believe in the sun; not only because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else clearly.” When God, in His mercy, sends the Spirit of revelation to someone, the eyes of that person’s heart are “enlightened,” and they are able to see things as they are.

In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus encountered a blind man seeking healing. He described Himself as “the Light of the world” (v.5), and then healed the man’s eyes. When questioned about the miracle, the man simply said, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” (V.25).

In Luke 15, Jesus told the story of the prodigal son, who left his father’s home to attempt to find fulfillment in the far country of self-indulgent living. When he became bankrupt in every way, he “came to himself,” and went back to his father’s home, where he was restored. One interpretation of that phrase is that “he saw things as they really were.” In other words, it dawned on him, a light bulb went on in his head, the shadows cleared away, and he woke up to reality.

In 2 Corinthians 4:6, the writer tells us that salvation has come to us because God the Father shined in our hearts the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. He sent the light of truth, and those who believe in Jesus woke up and saw the light, and decided to follow Him.

By the mercies of God, “those who walk in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2, quoted about Jesus in Matthew 4:16). Because our Father takes the initiative to shine the light of the Gospel of Jesus, anyone who chooses to see can see. The seekers of Light will find Him, even though there are many who will remain in darkness because they love it (John 3:19). That is the choice that condemns people – in love with darkness, they reject the Light, and nothing can be done for those who refuse to see.

Jesus, in Your light we see light, the freedom to choose truth and goodness over evil and darkness. Send Your Spirit of revelation, awaken the hearts that still sleep in darkness, and let brightness of Your Kingdom fill all the earth. Amen.

Gary Wiens

Gaining Access to the Presence of God

In Psalm 15, the question is asked, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” The writer is identified as David, who has touched God’s presence in such wonder and amazement that he longs to not just go there from time to time, but to stay there, to live and remain in the presence of his God.

So the Lord responds to David  with some powerful statements of the character qualities that He is looking for in those who would enter into His Presence and remain there. I want to focus this article on two of the phrases that God speaks in verse 2: the one who wants to be in the presence of God all the time must “work righteousness,” and must “speak truth in his heart.”

It’s really important here to be clear on the meaning of the word “righteousness.” This is not primarily good behavior; rather, righteousness is being aligned with God’s definition of reality, conformity by the power of the Holy Spirit to God’s design of your life and character. Right behavior arises out of being aligned with His definition of your life, and living out of that true place.

The fundamental thing that every believer in Jesus must understand about this passage is that Jesus Himself has done this perfectly, and is now in the Father’s presence as the perfect fulfillment of every demand of righteousness and truth. Through the miracle of the new birth, by the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, Jesus has infused His righteousness into you and me, and given us the raw material we need to walk in righteousness even as He did.

Practically, this simply means to seek out, from the Word of God, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, what God’s definition of your life really is. The more we comprehend what He intended when He thought us up, the more we are able to be aligned with that reality, and live in agreement with His thoughts – namely, live in righteousness.

Speaking the truth in the heart, then, is simply the outworking of internal righteousness. We agree with what God thinks, the truth concerning ourselves, those around us, the world situation, and we speak in our hearts, and then through our lips what He thinks. The more that our minds and hearts are in agreement with Him, the freer we are to simply stay in His presence, to abide there.

This kind of person is a world-changer. We think of ourselves and others according to righteousness – agreement with God’s opinion – speak those things in the secret places of the heart and then in the open places of our relationships, and the atmosphere begins to change by the power of the Word of the Lord.

Jesus has done it. He is in the Father’s presence, speaking the truth about you and me, and about everything else. He has invited us to listen in, and to agree with what He is thinking and saying. As we do, the influence of the Kingdom of God changes our environment, His presence increases, and the glory of the Lord begins to fill the earth, just as He promised it would.

Gary Wiens