"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Mat 5:6 NRSV)
Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38 NRSV)
Those whose inner desire is for righteousness, will be fulfilled. They will inherit the Kingdom. We are talking here about true righteousness. God's standards, achieved by God's means.
God knows that we are weak and fearful a lot of the time. However, he does not confuse our weakness with wickedness of the heart.
There are many who, when intimidated, will act against their best conscience. They do not want to, and if the external pressure was removed, they would act righteously. This was true of Abraham in the matter of Sarah his wife when he feared that Pharoah would desire her. He anticipated trouble and told Sarah to tell a lie to keep them out of trouble. He repeated the same tactic again with Abimelech king of Gerar. My mother grew up in Nazi Germany and tells of times when she was told to be quiet about dissenting opinions held within her household for her own good. She obeyed the advice.
God knows those whose hearts are essentially given over to his righteousness, longing for his appearing. They may display moral weakness and compromise, but God sees that they are essentially 'men after his own heart' like David.
Do not allow the Devil and your own thoughts to condemn you concerning failures which do not fully reflect your heart.
For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. (Psa 35:7 NRSV)
They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn. (Psa 35:12 NRSV)
There are those who delight in wickedness and cruelty for it's own sake, even when there is no evil being done or being threatened. These people cannot be trusted with heaven because they will misbehave even when there is no reason to. They are originators of evil, rather than complicit with evil. They are wicked.
Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; and who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, you will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, they will will deal treacherously with you. (Isa 33:1 KJV)
David exhibited behaviour which was wicked when he committed adultery and arranged murder. However God chooses to forgive him. He expresses hot displeasure at what David did, and says that discord will be sown in David's family. However God does not take his Spirit, his salvation or his promises away. David had a heart after him. Since the fall man has had a body, 'the flesh', which is inclined to sin. I do not believe it has to sin, because Jesus walked in a body of flesh and was tempted. He suffered human weaknesses but did not succumb to them (Hebrews 4v15). The New Birth happens when we want God and do not want to sin anymore; at least not in our heart of hearts. Progress in the Christian life happens when we resist sin in the flesh. If we sin after the new birth, there is forgiveness when we confess our sin (1 John 1v9).
An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. (Prov 17:11 KJV)
An evil man seeks only rebellion. He is motivated by rebellion against God in the deepest place of his heart. He is, like Satan, an originator of evil rather than one who is oppressed or tempted by another and responds with compromise and therefore sin. Such a one will reap an eternal environment of evil people. No rest.
And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. (Isa 19:4 KJV)
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isa 45:7 KJV)
This last verse is intriguing. Ultimately God takes responsibility for the existence of evil because he set in motion a universe in which it was and is possible for evil to develop. However he is never the originator of evil.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (James 1:13 KJV)
He permits evil to overtake evildoers as a discipline and as a warning against the pursuit of evil. He allows evil to infringe on the lives of the righteous to draw them closer to him and to show forth his glory in us to a lost world, assuming we handle it correctly.
God does not hold us responsible, in terms of our eternal destiny, simply for evil deeds committed. He has taken the punishment for these himself. However, he does hold us responsible if we refuse to take his remedy for evil within us. The remedy, of course, is faith in the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ.
Ultimately therefore evil is rooted in rebellion against God. This focuses down for us now, after the fall, on our acceptance or otherwise of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
What looks like extreme wickedness, such as the case of David in 2 Samuel 11, does not result in David being judged a wicked man. Ultimately, because he has a heart after God, seen in his subsequent contrition and repentance, God sees David as weak rather than wicked. Conversely, there are those whose sin looks less severe, but who have a heart to boundless sin if they thought they could get away with it. They look to have a minor weakness but God can see they are actually wicked.
Someone once said that there are those who wrestle with God hoping to lose, and those who wrestle with God hoping to win. In other words, there are those who see sinful rebellion in themselves and don't want it, and there are those who actually love it and are unrepentant.
Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38 NRSV)
Those whose inner desire is for righteousness, will be fulfilled. They will inherit the Kingdom. We are talking here about true righteousness. God's standards, achieved by God's means.
God knows that we are weak and fearful a lot of the time. However, he does not confuse our weakness with wickedness of the heart.
There are many who, when intimidated, will act against their best conscience. They do not want to, and if the external pressure was removed, they would act righteously. This was true of Abraham in the matter of Sarah his wife when he feared that Pharoah would desire her. He anticipated trouble and told Sarah to tell a lie to keep them out of trouble. He repeated the same tactic again with Abimelech king of Gerar. My mother grew up in Nazi Germany and tells of times when she was told to be quiet about dissenting opinions held within her household for her own good. She obeyed the advice.
God knows those whose hearts are essentially given over to his righteousness, longing for his appearing. They may display moral weakness and compromise, but God sees that they are essentially 'men after his own heart' like David.
Do not allow the Devil and your own thoughts to condemn you concerning failures which do not fully reflect your heart.
For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. (Psa 35:7 NRSV)
They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn. (Psa 35:12 NRSV)
There are those who delight in wickedness and cruelty for it's own sake, even when there is no evil being done or being threatened. These people cannot be trusted with heaven because they will misbehave even when there is no reason to. They are originators of evil, rather than complicit with evil. They are wicked.
Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; and who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, you will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, they will will deal treacherously with you. (Isa 33:1 KJV)
David exhibited behaviour which was wicked when he committed adultery and arranged murder. However God chooses to forgive him. He expresses hot displeasure at what David did, and says that discord will be sown in David's family. However God does not take his Spirit, his salvation or his promises away. David had a heart after him. Since the fall man has had a body, 'the flesh', which is inclined to sin. I do not believe it has to sin, because Jesus walked in a body of flesh and was tempted. He suffered human weaknesses but did not succumb to them (Hebrews 4v15). The New Birth happens when we want God and do not want to sin anymore; at least not in our heart of hearts. Progress in the Christian life happens when we resist sin in the flesh. If we sin after the new birth, there is forgiveness when we confess our sin (1 John 1v9).
An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. (Prov 17:11 KJV)
An evil man seeks only rebellion. He is motivated by rebellion against God in the deepest place of his heart. He is, like Satan, an originator of evil rather than one who is oppressed or tempted by another and responds with compromise and therefore sin. Such a one will reap an eternal environment of evil people. No rest.
And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. (Isa 19:4 KJV)
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isa 45:7 KJV)
This last verse is intriguing. Ultimately God takes responsibility for the existence of evil because he set in motion a universe in which it was and is possible for evil to develop. However he is never the originator of evil.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (James 1:13 KJV)
He permits evil to overtake evildoers as a discipline and as a warning against the pursuit of evil. He allows evil to infringe on the lives of the righteous to draw them closer to him and to show forth his glory in us to a lost world, assuming we handle it correctly.
God does not hold us responsible, in terms of our eternal destiny, simply for evil deeds committed. He has taken the punishment for these himself. However, he does hold us responsible if we refuse to take his remedy for evil within us. The remedy, of course, is faith in the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ.
Ultimately therefore evil is rooted in rebellion against God. This focuses down for us now, after the fall, on our acceptance or otherwise of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
What looks like extreme wickedness, such as the case of David in 2 Samuel 11, does not result in David being judged a wicked man. Ultimately, because he has a heart after God, seen in his subsequent contrition and repentance, God sees David as weak rather than wicked. Conversely, there are those whose sin looks less severe, but who have a heart to boundless sin if they thought they could get away with it. They look to have a minor weakness but God can see they are actually wicked.
Someone once said that there are those who wrestle with God hoping to lose, and those who wrestle with God hoping to win. In other words, there are those who see sinful rebellion in themselves and don't want it, and there are those who actually love it and are unrepentant.
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