One person’s right is another person’s abomination. Occupied land can be undiscovered paradise and First Nations can become migrants overnight in the only land their ancestors knew for thousands of years. The Palestinian who resists the Israeli state is a hero to his people and a terrorist to Israel. If you can handle the truth, genocide was not always an evil practice and everyone on the planet needs the services of a levitical priest.

Right source, right means, and right result

From A to Z the record of covenant keeping reads like an obit. They are all dead, even when circumcised, and dead for not believing the promises. The slightest deviation from pure source, untainted means or method, and any lack of perfect satisfaction including the need for forgiveness makes Sinai righteousness wholly unattractive.

There is not just one type of righteousness and righteousness has certification from our understanding of its sources, tools or means, and result. dikaiosune at one time meant that one was complying with the laws, statutes, and judgments. It seems to have migrated to where we would need to have a levitical priesthood and an appropriate altar. If dikaiosune means something other than claiming to be in covenant (when in fact one is not) we have been in the wrong race.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

Malachi 2:6

Abraham – right for believing

Long before Abraham’s trip to Moriah God accepted Abraham’s faith as righteousness. The righteousness that we think we see coming from Mount Moriah is the scoundrel’s type. It is the rotten smell of behaviour without the aroma of divine acceptance. If God accepts faith as righteousness why does anyone feel he or she needs a cover story like “here are some other things I do”.

The priest was a teacher, a man who set the example of freedom and righteousness. So what is he doing ordering a defendant in court to be punched in the mouth?

Assaulting a defendant in court!
1) And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. 2) And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 3) Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? 4) And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? 5) Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

Acts 23:1-5

Changing the world

If the law was in the hearts of ancient Israelites why did they repeatedly disagree with and desert God?  Be not deceived.  If you want to be dead meat for the mutilation mill just keep on talking about that righteousness of human deeds.

Who can we say was being changed in ancient times by Moses’ law being introduced into their country?  We know that the success in making disciples among the Gentiles was in making the Gentiles twice as devilish as the Jews. Still we believe the prediction at the end of Daniel’s prophecy.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Daniel 12:3

Crunch time for all operations

Now here is John (Malachi 4:6), charting a path for the times. It involves sorting out what from the past and our current generations must get discarded. Only a proud fool thinks that he gets to keep all his ancestral practices or that he alone gets to live in dignity in Abraham’s land.

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

Malachi 4:6

We do not need to imagine what made John’s task successful after thousands of years and hundreds of priests and prophets. The heartwarming stories in the Old Testament of restoration and revival did not change the direction in which Israel or Judah was heading. They could nor invent enough inspiring sayings to cover up the dilemma of a rocky marriage.

Psalms 119:142

Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

This is the truth one embraces with eyes closed. This is the reliable road to death. Life never comes from anyone’s law. This is not the truth that dies to save humanity.

The law is not a faith venture

Yup! Law and faith are odd partners. The marks of Christ are the wounds he received from his friends. His handwritten message is in blood: his life given as our payment, his life given as our inheritance (Holy Spirit),

And the law is not of faith: but, The man that does them shall live in them.

Galatians 3:12

You will not wake up one of these days to hear “The law will set you free or “Those freed by the law are truly free“. The facts are clear as day.

And all of you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32

If the Son therefore shall make you free, all of you shall be free indeed.

John 8:36