Am thinking there may be questions lingering in our minds after considering that evil sinners are seen as “righteous” in God’s eyes if they are ‘in Christ’…and that such people are to be considered well off and to be envied– not because they “have it all together”– but because they have seen their deep spiritual poverty and need of God’s mercy (Matt 5:2-3).
Will such “righteous” persons (even if they never throw around the word “righteous”) tend to be affirmed by their community because are now enabled to increasingly reflect the spirit of Christ “against which there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23); and the kind of wisdom that is non-controlling and peace-loving in intent (James 3:17-18)? Or will such “righteous” people be resented because, in the above mix, there will still be plenty of their own flesh and failure?
If the answer to such a mix of “tangled questions” includes a recall of what Jesus said about being concerned “if all speak well of us” (Luke 6:26), then does this net out to making it our goal to work at loving all, doing good, condemning no one, while still being willing to make enemies, and draw unfriendly fire along the way–sometimes because of our own foolishness–and sometimes (in the best case) because we are lovingly throwing light on the foolishness of others? Or is there a simpler way that such a tangle of questions misses?
(+18 rating, 18 votes)
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