"LOOKING . . . "
The book of 1st John opens with a description of the One who was from the beginning and came to earth in the flesh. There are several statements made in the opening to show that John was talking of an actual person. John says this"...which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon..." The looked upon is a way of saying, "I stared for a considerable time and studied the makeup of this person."
In looking at Psalm 15, I find David sitting in a "Secret Place" musing through a forenoon and coming to the conclusion that his citizens needed more explanation of how this community ought to appear to the rest of the world. It does not sound as if he were doing this for discipline, just for information and instruction. I have no theological proofs to offer, it is a gut sense that brings me to this summation.
Remember now, David asked of himself and God, "Who may worship in your sanctuary Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?" and then David began the answer, which very well could be and probably is directly from God, through the Spirit. "Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts."
"Those who lead blameless lives..." Wow, that narrows the group of qualifiers in a hurry. I am sure that is very difficult at the best and impossible at its worst. Blameless? you got to be kidding. How is it likely? This "Blameless" theme runs throughout the New Testament often referring to the end times and the return of Jesus Christ. "Without spot and blameless." says Peter in his second book. And by human effort it is impossible, but with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, possibility is possible.
To be subject to blame is to be worthy of blame or reproach or censure. To live blamelessly is to not be or feel guilty of wrongdoing. In reading the writings of Michael Molinos, a 17th century mystic, I found he believes the sincere desire to live a blameless life by an act of faith and resolve is enough to guide us on a path to an undistorted relationship with the Lord who lives within us. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross covered all past guilt, repentance delivers us today and forgiveness is the icing on the cake.
To "...do what is right" is to live in righteousness. 1st John again speaks to this point by saying, "He who practices righteousness is righteous just as He is righteous." Practice is an ongoing pursuit we developed when we first began to speak. If we did not get our message across we cried and tried again until we got it right. That is practice. Crying is not permissible as an adult. We are to purpose to get it right and try again and again until it is no longer trial and error but the practice of a holy lifestyle.
The Holy Spirit, who really authored David's Psalms, is always orderly. Therefore, when we address the third portion of this injunction, "...speaking the truth from a sincere heart." we are to have already tackled the first two, that is living blamelessly and righteously. The Scriptures become essential to speaking the truth and without time in the words of God, his truth will escape us. We can speak only from our experience or opinions and not from being established in God's truth. That is what is required here.
Another note as to using this material in your life. It is not intended that a person should take just a small portion of this Psalm and put it into practice but rather to use the total piece. Too often we see or hear a way to improve our lives and jump right in and make a mess because we have not considered all the information available before takeoff. I would hope you will put this in memory and either go to Psalm 15 and read the entire piece or wait until I have finished the rest of it here. If you wait, you will have time to ingest what has already been presented and hopefully be open to more.
The book of 1st John opens with a description of the One who was from the beginning and came to earth in the flesh. There are several statements made in the opening to show that John was talking of an actual person. John says this"...which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon..." The looked upon is a way of saying, "I stared for a considerable time and studied the makeup of this person."
In looking at Psalm 15, I find David sitting in a "Secret Place" musing through a forenoon and coming to the conclusion that his citizens needed more explanation of how this community ought to appear to the rest of the world. It does not sound as if he were doing this for discipline, just for information and instruction. I have no theological proofs to offer, it is a gut sense that brings me to this summation.
Remember now, David asked of himself and God, "Who may worship in your sanctuary Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?" and then David began the answer, which very well could be and probably is directly from God, through the Spirit. "Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts."
"Those who lead blameless lives..." Wow, that narrows the group of qualifiers in a hurry. I am sure that is very difficult at the best and impossible at its worst. Blameless? you got to be kidding. How is it likely? This "Blameless" theme runs throughout the New Testament often referring to the end times and the return of Jesus Christ. "Without spot and blameless." says Peter in his second book. And by human effort it is impossible, but with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, possibility is possible.
To be subject to blame is to be worthy of blame or reproach or censure. To live blamelessly is to not be or feel guilty of wrongdoing. In reading the writings of Michael Molinos, a 17th century mystic, I found he believes the sincere desire to live a blameless life by an act of faith and resolve is enough to guide us on a path to an undistorted relationship with the Lord who lives within us. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross covered all past guilt, repentance delivers us today and forgiveness is the icing on the cake.
To "...do what is right" is to live in righteousness. 1st John again speaks to this point by saying, "He who practices righteousness is righteous just as He is righteous." Practice is an ongoing pursuit we developed when we first began to speak. If we did not get our message across we cried and tried again until we got it right. That is practice. Crying is not permissible as an adult. We are to purpose to get it right and try again and again until it is no longer trial and error but the practice of a holy lifestyle.
The Holy Spirit, who really authored David's Psalms, is always orderly. Therefore, when we address the third portion of this injunction, "...speaking the truth from a sincere heart." we are to have already tackled the first two, that is living blamelessly and righteously. The Scriptures become essential to speaking the truth and without time in the words of God, his truth will escape us. We can speak only from our experience or opinions and not from being established in God's truth. That is what is required here.
Another note as to using this material in your life. It is not intended that a person should take just a small portion of this Psalm and put it into practice but rather to use the total piece. Too often we see or hear a way to improve our lives and jump right in and make a mess because we have not considered all the information available before takeoff. I would hope you will put this in memory and either go to Psalm 15 and read the entire piece or wait until I have finished the rest of it here. If you wait, you will have time to ingest what has already been presented and hopefully be open to more.
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