Why do we so often discuss the grace of God before we discuss the fear of God? For that matter, why do we discuss the grace of God over the righteousness He demands? I have heard the phrase, "God will meet you where you're at," way too many times for my liking. I don't dispute the truth of the statement but when you hear it too many times, it breeds complacency. It seems as though we spend so much time dwelling on God's grace and its infinite sufficiency that we miss the next step. After we are saved by grace (Eph 2:8) then what? Where does righteousness fall into the equation or the fear of God?
Definition of Righteousness:
The Hebrew word for righteousness is tseh'-dek, Gesenius's Strong's Concordance:6664—righteous, integrity, equity, justice, straightness. The root of tseh'-dek is tsaw-dak', Gesenius's Strong:6663—upright, just, straight, innocent, true, sincere. It is best understood as the product of upright, moral action in accordance with some form of divine plan.
Lets start the converation with CS Lewis (a book I'm sure you are all avidly reading this Holiday Season). To paraphrase two points made in Mere Christianity, Book III, Chapter V - Sexual Morality, he says: 1) the more you feed a desire, the stronger the desire becomes (whether it is a good desire or a bad desire); and 2) the only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection. He hits the nail right on the head with these two points.
Let me connect these points with my initial questioning. By over-emphasizing grace, we take away the desire to feed the right desires. Consequently, we create a mindset that chooses to find solace in grace "after the fact," over finding solace in obedience by choosing that which is righteous "before the fact." And the more we find ourselves making the wrong decisions, the harder it is to stop. This is a huge problem. We should be busy living how we were meant to live and in doing so, staving off the need to stretch God's grace to its infinite limits.
Moreover, we inhibit the desire to pursue righteousness by instilling an overly grace-oriented mindset. This is Lewis's second point. The Christian walk is a long cultivating process, whereby perfection will never be had but the pursuit thereof should be. We should never be content with where we are at. Instead, we should constantly seek to improve, to grow closer to the Lord, to not just be hearers of the word but also doers (James 1:22-25). I think this fervent pursuit of God and His righteousness is part parcel of the statement, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5 & Matthew 22:37) which is called the foundation of all law and prophets by Jesus.
Alright gentleman, let the games begin!
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Relevant Scripture
Let me throw some verses into the mix to end the post but let me also encourage you to seek out understanding of these verses.
-In Romans, Paul says, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin... and having been freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness." (Romans 6:17-18)
-Solomon ends the book of Ecclesiastes by saying, "fear God and keep His commandments, b/c this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."
-Solomon begins the book of Proverbs with, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)
-Jesus says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
-Moses proclaims, "Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?" (Deuteronomy 10:12)
-In the book of James, Jesus' brother James says, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who look intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25)
-Lastly, Paul says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Phil 4:8)
