The Effect of Righteousness

Isaiah prophesied in a time of great distress for his nation. It seemed that nothing was going right. They were under threat from all sides: politically, morally, economically. In the midst of this Isaiah gives a prophetic encouragement that we now see fulfilled. It is the outbreak of RIGHTEOUSNESS in our midst. Isaiah said that this would happen when “the Spirit is poured on us from on high”. Those who have surrendered to Jesus now live in the fulfilment of this Pentecostal event.

Isaiah 32:15-18 NIV

[15] till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. [16] The Lord's justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. [17] The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. [18] My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

Righteousness is now in our midst in the person of the Lord Jesus, available to all who call on His Name.

What will be the effect of this? What can we expect to see as a result of this?

“justice …. peace …  quietness and confidence forever”.

Then why do we see, in the Church, the opposite of this? In the very place where justice peace, quietness and confidence forever should be manifest we find quite different things. How can this be?

There is only one answer to this as far as I can see. The problem cannot be with God. It can only be with us. It can only be that we have so grieved the Holy Spirit that He is prevented from demonstrating the effects of the Righteous One in our midst.

Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit came, He would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement: “about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” John 16:9-11.

We seem to forget this. We, in the church, are meant to be witnesses to these things, firstly by modelling this to the world, and only then proclaiming it. Our proclamation has no effect if there is no modelling.

We are to model three things in this passage:

• 1.     Belief in Jesus: not just formal assent, but a belief  that captures our life and transforms us into His image and likeness.

• 2.      Complete faith in the one we cannot see but in whom we have an intimate relationship. It is this intimate relationship that transcends our limited vision and rejoices in the One who sits at the right hand of the Father.

• 3.      Complete faith in the victory won for us on the cross of Calvary. This means we operate in love, not in fear, in acceptance and not in rejection, in joy and not in despair. We know that Jesus has won the victory and that the apparent “victory” of evil in our world is only temporary until all have had the chance to accept the Lordship of Jesus. Then He will return and bring all things into obedience to the God of justice and love.

What then of the effects of righteousness we are supposed to see now? This is meant to be the face we project to the world since this is the inner reality of our lives. Unless our faith is only skin deep.

Let's get back to our core business!

Let's demonstrate the peace, joy and confidence we have in the righteous one in our midst. This can only happen when we lay aside our own agendas, proclaim Jesus and Jesus alone to a needy society, and live in the light of that.

It would only be then that we become the head and not the tail, when the agenda is not set by vocal minorities that have the opposite agenda, and that peace is allowed to reign in our society again.

Idealistic? Unrealistic? In this world, maybe. But we are not citizens of this world, but of heaven. And heaven will reign on earth when Jesus returns. Let us be found about His business when He does return!