Righteousness is doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. Justice is also established by His standards. However, mercy and truth go before Him because none are righteous or just in His sight without His mercy. Even so, after His mercy His truth will surely follow.
This study is to seek understanding of current events from a biblical worldview. This is because the written Word of God was given to us so that we could see Him as He is and see the world as He does. Only then can we be His true representatives, which is our basic calling.
So why do we have Christians who are found all the way across the political spectrum from extreme liberal to extreme conservative if we are all reading from the same Bible? First, most sadly, you can now find a translation that will agree with your perspective or agenda, so we are not all reading from the same Bible. Actually, not many are even reading the Bible to get their perspective. We discussed before how a study showed that 65 percent of Americans claim to be born again, but only about 6 percent had a biblical worldview. How could this be?
If we are followers of Christ, we are His disciples and should have the primary devotion in our lives to see as He does, think as He thinks, and understand with His heart. Yet as Spurgeon once said, he could find 10 men who would die for the Bible for every one that would read it. We obviously have the same today. The Bible is Gods Owners Manual for humans. If we want to know how to fix what is wrong with us, we need to go to the manual that was given to us by our Maker, who knows better than anyone else how we should work.
Reading our Bible is actually fundamental, but there is more if we are going to walk in His truth. Even if we read the Bible, if we do not read it by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, we will not understand it correctly. However, He has prescribed a very simple way that we can be sure of seeing it as He intended. To read the Bible to prove our own agenda, perspective, or prejudice is not to read it by the Spirit of Truth. In John 7:17-19, Jesus states the basic key to understanding truth, whether it is through reading the Bible or in anything else: If anyone is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself (John 7:17).
To discern the truth in teaching, or anything, starts from a foundation of being willing to do Gods will just as it requires. To do this, we must be willing to embrace His truth regardless of whether it agrees with our agendas, present perspectives, or prejudices. Because we are also told that God resists the proud but gives His grace to the humble (see James 4:6), we have to approach it with humility, which is demonstrated by being teachable, rather than from a perspective that we already know what is right.
We have all seen how people who have a strong agenda will interpret everything in the light of what they already believe. How can we be strong in our convictions, yet maintain the humility that God gives His grace to, which includes His truth? We have been given a biblical test for this in the next verse after the one quoted above, John 7:18: He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
The Greek word translated glory in this passage could have been translated recognition. When we are seeking our own glory, or recognition, we will not be speaking by the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth came to lead us to Jesus, and when He is leading us, that too will be our motiveseeing Jesus lifted up.
The Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 11:3-4, But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. The closer we can stay to the simplicity of devotion to Christ and His purposes, seeking His glory, and wanting to do His will, not letting political agendas, or other motives colour what we do, we will be able to know the truth and walk in it. Reproduced from Morning Star Ministries with permission.
Post published in: Opinions