The Righteous Rise

Sometimes in reading the Bible I come across verses that shatter my misconceptions I didn't know I had!  I read Proverbs 24:15-16 which states, "Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not plunder his resting place; ¹⁶ for a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity."  Both the wicked and the righteous will fall into sin, for they live in a body of flesh.  The difference between them is the righteous will rise again and again, while the wicked will fall and be unable to rise.  The wicked have no resting place under the oppressive weight of their guilt and sin before God, while the righteous are those who rest in the forgiveness offered through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

We might think that a righteous person is one who no longer sins, while in actuality those who are righteous are those whose sins are forgiven.  There is none righteous, not one is righteous in his own strength save Jesus Christ.  The devil will use our faults against us, to condemn us by saying:  "You think you are righteous?  See what wicked thoughts you entertain!  Look at how you acted!  There's no hope for you now!"  The righteous can be duped to remain down when it is Christ who lifts us up!  David says in Psalm 32:1-2, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ² Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."  A righteous man is he who has his sins forgiven by the blood of Christ.

Since God in His grace and justice has forgiven us of our sins, we are now free from sin and are given the responsibility to live righteously.  This righteousness is not according to the law, but according to the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us in faith.  When we are disillusioned by our own faults we can know we have begun to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.  As long as we live in this flesh, we are sinners in need of cleansing and salvation.  We are called to work out our own salvation - not that we could earn our salvation through doing good - but that we would walk worthy of our high calling as children of God.

When you fall into sin, ask God to lift you up!  Let us reach out to Him.  As Jesus rose from the dead and defeated sin and death, we too can be raised up by the same power which works in us by His grace.  A righteous man will fall, but we will rise again!  Praise God for this incredible truth!