Eyes On The Righteous

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.”  (1 Peter 3:12, NIV 194).

My Musings – Paul, in his letter to the Church in Rome, declares — “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:9–12, NIV 1984). And yet Peter, in his first Epistle tells us that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.”  So, what gives?

Now we know that Peter and Paul did not always see eye-to-eye on things, and both passages seem right (actually both are inspired).  So how do we reconcile this seeming contradiction?  Which one will we end up disagreeing with?  Neither.  Paul actually clears it up a little later in chapter 3 of his letter. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” (Romans 3:21–25, NIV 1984). Like a good mystery novel, just when all the pieces don’t seem to fit, it all comes together.  No one is capable of being righteous “under” the law, so God provides a path to righteousness “apart from the law” that “comes through faith in Jesus Christ.“

My Advice – There will be times, as you study God’s Word that you will find things that seem to be at odds.  Frequently, non-believers may throw them in your face in an attempt to throw you off your faith.  Hang in there.  If it is in God’s word, it is true.  Keep digging and praying for an answer.  His ears are attentive [your] prayer.”

Author: thebrewisamusing

I was raised in a Christian family and my earliest childhood memories include regular Sunday school and Church attendance as a family. I was taught that our Judeo-Christian values were not just a part of our Sunday routine they should be part of our character and influence all aspects of our lives. I was also taught that as important as these values were they could not save us. We must also be “born again” by accepting Christ. View all posts by thebrewisamusing