Righteousness Over Rightness
And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. (Luke 9:54-56) Being righteous and being right are two completely different things. Christians are not to be right about men, but to show the world the love and righteousness of God. Loving God and our neighbors as ourselves are the greatest commandments, and by them, God's love flows through us to a world in desperate need of that love. That is how righteousness expresses itself through us — not by winning arguments, but by winning souls. We do well to remember this. What a shame for Christians to hold up legal standards for others, while basking in the grace of God! How sad and hypocritical are those who si...