Judgment is Necessary

Who are the righteous? In 1 John 3:7 we read that “Whoever practices righteousness is righteous,” as God is righteous. And righteousness is God’s judicial approval, i.e. what is deemed right by the Lord, i.e. what is approved in His eyes. And what God approves is all that is holy, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, submissive to God, and obedient to God and to his commands. And this is made possible to us by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, whereby we die with him to sin and now walk in obedience to him.

And when it says here that the path (the way, the walk) of the righteous is “level,” it means that it is uprightness (or straightness), which means decent, honest, moral, honorable, law-abiding, trustworthy, and authentic (real, sincere, truthful). But it is God who makes straight the way of the righteous. We can only be righteous in the eyes of the Lord by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, and via death to sin and walks of obedience to his commands, by the grace of God, and empowered by God; not of the flesh.

When we, by faith in Jesus Christ, believe on the Lord Jesus, it should transform our lives. Sin should no longer be our practice, but now righteousness and holy living should be what we practice, in lifestyle. And our Lord and his commands and his will and purpose for our lives should be the desire of our souls. We should not be those who are looking out for “loopholes” in order to excuse away sin so that we can go on sinning without conscience and without feelings of guilt. We should desire obedience to God.

We should also not be people who just give God a cursory nod, i.e. a quick and superficial gesture given to him without much thought or engagement with him and with his plan for our lives. We should not be those who give God a brief acknowledgment of him before moving on to something else. But sadly that is how many people are approaching faith in Jesus Christ, as this one-time acknowledgement of what he did for us on that cross, and in his bodily resurrection, before they continue living however they want to live.

Instead, we are to be the people of God who yearn for the Lord, even in the night, and who honestly and sincerely and earnestly seek the Lord and his truth and his righteousness in surrender to his will and in walks of obedience to his commands. We should desire to know the will of God and then to do it in his power, strength, and wisdom. We should be those who are learning and who are applying righteousness to our daily walks of faith. For this is not just about what Jesus does for us, but what is required of us, in return.

And it is absolutely true that if favor is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness. And this is happening big time in the USA today. So many people have diluted and altered the gospel to make it a mere profession of faith in the Lord where obedience and repentance are either dismissed entirely or they are made optional and not required of God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. So many profess the name of Jesus, but many continue then in their wickedness without conscience.

So, it appears that the only way in which the Lord is going to reach the hearts and minds of those who profess his name, but who live the opposite of God’s will, is going to be through judgment. And I believe the USA and “the church” in the USA are already under the judgment of God, because so many have believed the lies and rejected the truth of God’s word, and they are living by the flesh and not by the Spirit in righteous and holy living. It is what the church and my nation need to get right with God, to obey him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You


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Judgment is Necessary
An Original Work / October 6, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love