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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Lord Is There, continued
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9—NIV)
Holiness and obedience have to do with our relationship to God. Righteousness has to do with our relationship to people, in particular our behavior toward them.
Part of the Law of Moses has to do with our behavior toward God while part has to do with our behavior toward people. The same is true of the commandments issued by Christ and His Apostles. Part have to do with our behavior toward God and part with our behavior toward people.
We are to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. John pointed out that if we cannot love our neighbor whom we can see our love for the invisible God is in question.
The massive need in the earth in our time has to do with the behavior of people toward each other. Much is said and written by secularists as well as Christians about destructive relationships. Only the Lord Jesus has the power to change people so they behave toward each other constructively. The world is ever learning but simply cannot understand the role of the Lord Jesus in human behavior; simply cannot understand that until we are right with God we can never be right with each other.
God has defined righteousness in terms of the behavior of His creatures.
These laws are being written in our mind that we may understand them, and in our heart that we may obey them. When the nations of the earth, who do not know their right hand from their left concerning God's ways of righteousness and holiness, see the behavior of the saints and hear their words, then they can understand what is expected of them. The light has come.
The purpose of the new Jerusalem is to radiate the Divine light throughout the creation so it can be witnessed by people and the angels. Those who put away from themselves the behavior that God defines as wicked will have access to the new Jerusalem. There they can receive eternal life from the Tree of Life and healing from its leaves.
But those who refuse and rebel will stand in danger of the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire always retains authority over eight specific areas of behavior (Revelation 21:8). As long as an individual acts in these ways the Lake of Fire has a claim on him or her, even though the person trusts in Christ. Yet, in the case of a believer, the claim is suspended until Christ has had an opportunity to enable the person to change his or her behavior and behave righteously.
It really is a simple picture.
Through the Holy Spirit the ascended Christ has given gifts and ministries to His Body.
The purpose of the gifts and ministries is that Christ may be brought to maturity in the members of His Body.
The purpose of bringing the members of His Body to maturity is that they may be suitable as a dwelling place for Himself and the Father.
The purpose of thus creating a dwelling place for Himself and the Father is that They may dwell on earth among the nations of saved people.
As God and Christ dwell in the Church, the light of righteousness and praise radiates to the ends of the earth.
This is what it is all about.
The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE. (Ezekiel 48:35—NIV) (from The Lord Is There)