Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay Throughout scripture there are multiple indictments against self-righteousness and self-righteousness’ exaltation of personal morality over true mercy and justice. One of the chief complaints of Jesus against the religious elite of His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees is the following:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Matt. 23:23 NAS) Outwardly speaking, the Pharisees were the most “righteous” of anyone: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20 NAS) Paul acknowledged his blamelessness while he was a Pharisee: “although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” (Phil. 3:4-6 NAS) While riches do not determine one’s godliness (or lack thereof), in first-century Judaism, riches went hand in hand with morality and self-righteousness: “And a certain ruler questioned Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ 19 And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 "You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" 21 And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." 22 And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" 27 But He said, "The things impossible with men are possible with God." (Lk. 18:18-27 NAS) James, whose epistle includes a severe chastisement of the Pharisees, confirmed the link between financial wealth and self-righteousness: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (Jas. 5:1-6 NAS) Christ, again, notes this connection between the Pharisees’ riches and self-righteousness: “Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. 4 "And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5 "But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 "And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi.” (Matt. 23:1-7 NAS) It is not the goal of this article to address riches and their connection to the self-righteousness. The above passages are addressed to point out that this was a condition which existed in first-century apostate Judaism. It is the goal of this article to demonstrate that in stark contrast to outward morality and self-righteousness, the over-arching character traits of justice and mercy were and are present in the true people of God. Monetary riches simply accompanied the self-righteous and the self-righteous condemned the poor or humble in spirit (under the Old Testament, this was characterized by the broken spirit over sin before the holy God). This was true throughout the history of Israel and of course at the time of Christ. Christ linked the self-righteousness of the Pharisees with their lack of mercy/compassion as they condemned God’s people: "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matt. 12:7 NAS) There is a distinct connection between mercy and justice. But identifying what true justice is can be difficult if we approach the word “justice” with the traditional mentality of “justice must be served.” In the modern evangelical world high priority is placed upon meting out justice. That is, many in the right wing evangelical world pride themselves on being strong on making sure criminals get what they deserve. The intention here is not to prove that criminals should not get what they deserve. Rather, it is to show that the word “justice,” as used in scripture can often have the meaning of equality. Too often we distort the meaning of justice to actually refer to the opposite of the Bible’s definition depending on the context. Therefore we must demonstrate how the Bible uses the word “justice” in order to grasp why Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not applying justice. After all, if any group of people wanted to apply strict punishment to law breakers, it was the Pharisees. As modern evangelicals typically use the word “justice,” the Pharisees applied it well, whether it was the stone the adulterous woman (John 8:5), or to point out the sinfulness of others while vindicating themselves (John 8:41; Luk 18:11). That is, they were strong on “justice,” according to the modern evangelical definition/application of the word. Therefore, it would not make sense to apply the modern definition of “justice” to Christ’s meaning here as he criticizes the Pharisees for neglecting justice: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Matt. 23:23 NAS) Interestingly, the word justice is sometimes translated as “judgment” (e.g. the KJV’s translation of Matt 23:23). The New American Standard Version uses the word “justice” 9 times in the New Testament. However, the Greek word used in Matthew 23 occurs 43 times in various forms. It the word “krisin” or “krisis” from where we get the cognate, “crisis,” which essentially means a decisive stage or period where change happens, that is, what a judgment yields. The contexts in which God implores His people to exercise justice have to do with making changes through fairness or equality, and as such, those contexts implore humility and mercy as the fruit and/or cause of justice. Just as the Pharisees were obsessed with tithes and offerings and Jesus chided them by telling them they should place more weight on justice and mercy, so Isaiah and Micah makes similar contrasts. The Israelites were consumed with offerings and animal sacrifices, and both Isaiah and Micah contrast such a spirit with admonitions to have justice and mercy: "Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. 14 "I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing them. 15 "So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.” (Isa. 1:13-17 NAS) “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? 7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my first-born for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:6-8 NAS) Justice, cannot therefore, be referring to meting out punishment for wrongdoing but rather is in reference to fairness. The people of God are to see one another as equal before God, needing humility and mercy, and exercising the same before one another. Jesus’ words harmonize perfectly with Isaiah and Micah and He address the same issues and makes the same contrast. That is, for Jesus and the prophets, the exercise of justice coming from the people of God must result in equality of spiritual status before God rather than the exaltation of self-righteousness above another sinner. Paul and Barnabas applied this: “…and saying, ‘Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.’” (Acts 14:15 NAS) They acknowledged that their “nature” was the same as those in Lystra who were worshipping false gods. In Psalms: “And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. (Ps. 9:8 NAS) Peter expressed similar sentiment after having healed a lame man: “But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?’ ” (Acts 3:12 NAS) There was no comparison or self-exaltation, but instead there was a complete disavowingof any power or personal morality which others might assume with the accomplishment of such a miracle. Again, Peter makes certain those around him know his humanity: “And when it came about that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." (Acts 10:25-26 NAS) However, the self-righteous make separations between them and others. Isaiah demonstrates the character traits of those committed to false religion: "I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, 3 A people who continually provoke Me to My face, Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks; 4 Who sit among graves, and spend the night in secret places; Who eat swine's flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots. 5 "Who say, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!' These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.” (Isa. 65:2-5 NAS) This separation is a manifest characteristic of those without mercy. Jesus, who, as God incarnate having every right to claim His divinity, took upon Him the form of a servant (Phil 2:5-11) and exercised justice by eating and spending time with sinners, which the Pharisees rebuked: “And it happened that as He was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" 12 But when He heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 "But go and learn what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matt. 9:10-13 NAS) Micah, who told the people to “love mercy” (6:8) speaks of God’s love for mercy: “Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt give truth to Jacob And unchanging love to Abraham, Which Thou didst swear to our forefathers From the days of old.” (Mic. 7:18-20 NAS) Jesus, as God incarnate, demonstrated that He indeed “delights in unchanging love.” He displayed this without partiality. Partiality is the character trait of the self-righteous, or those who “deal treacherously” a practice which God sternly rebukes through Malachi: "Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers? 11 "Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 "As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who presents an offering to the LORD of hosts. 13 "And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 "Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 "But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then, to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. 16 "For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously." (Mal. 2:10-16 NAS) James also condemns this practice of partiality and the bringing of sinners to the presence of all in order to judge them: “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? 8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” (Jas. 2:1-13 NAS) They were quick to exercise the meting out of justice punitively rather than mercifully, which is why Christ uttered the well-known, “judge not lest ye be judged.” In context: "Do not judge lest you be judged. 2 "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 "And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:1-5 NAS) Likewise: “And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it shall be measured to you; and more shall be given you besides.” (Mk. 4:24 NAS) This type of justice connected with mercy is the character trait of the dwelling place of God: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before Thee.” (Ps. 89:14 NAS) If righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne, and the Church has not only been commissioned as the ministers of truth and justice (equal standing before God) but also She has become the righteousness of God, then the Church has become the foundation of God’s throne, that is, the place where He dwells. “His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.” (Ps. 87:1-3 NAS) The dwelling place of God is the Church, that is, the righteousness and justice of God. We are God’s righteousness and justice in position as the dwelling place of God as well as the application of righteousness and justice of God among God’s people. Justice for Jesus does not equal judgment. Consider: "Do not judge lest you be judged. (Matt. 7:1 NAS) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Matt. 23:23 NAS) The same Greek root is used here, krino (crisis), aforementioned. Therefore, we must be certain of each individual context. Jesus is not contradicting Himself. When Jesus commands to “judge not,” and yet chides the Pharisees for omitting the weightier matter of justice, there is an obvious distinction which must be made, depending on the context, as the words are used interchangeably to refer to something that has a punitive connotation as well as something that has the connotation of fairness. Each context makes these things apparent. For example, here is a punitive context: “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6 NAS) But the following seems to be in keeping with the themes of mercy and gentleness, and thus justice would likely refer to fairness: "A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory. 21 And in His name the Gentiles will hope." (Matt. 12:20-21 NAS) The Septuagint renders the following using κρίσιν twice in this context: “κάλαμον τεθλασμένον οὐ συντρίψει καὶ λίνον καπνιζόμενον οὐ σβέσει ἀλλὰ εἰς ἀλήθειαν ἐξοίσει κρίσιν 4 ἀναλάμψει καὶ οὐ θραυσθήσεται ἕως ἂν θῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κρίσιν καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν.” (Isa. 42:3-4 LXT) The English translation conveys a deep sense of fairness and not punitive measures in this prophecy of that which was fulfilled in Matthew: "A bruised reed He will not break, And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed, Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law." (Isa. 42:3-4 NAS) “His law” is the royal law of love and restoration, as Paul notes: Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:1-2 NAS) The “law of Christ” is mercy, and this is evident throughout the Gospels and the application of this mercy is the fulfillment of the law of Christ. When we speak of judging and Christ judging people, the contexts must be properly evaluated so as to not make the mistake of assuming it is punitive when it should be fairness. The self-righteous latch onto the punitive contexts and seem to thrive on jots and tittles by misapplying those contexts. Those who understand the broken and contrite heart and the application of the Gospel and mercy of Christ latch onto the proper understanding of mercy/fairness contexts. Our standing is before God. The children of God must see each other as God sees us. We do not “judge” according to what we see or hear but we judge righteous judgment as Christ judged: “And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. 9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble,” (Ps. 9:8-9 NAS) “And the strength of the King loves justice; Thou hast established equity; Thou hast executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.” (Ps. 99:4 NAS) Of the King it is said that He “loves justice.” Micah writes: “Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt give truth to Jacob And unchanging love to Abraham, Which Thou didst swear to our forefathers From the days of old.” (Mic. 7:18-20 NAS) God delights in unchanging love and implores the same of us: “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8 NAS) Doing justice goes hand in hand with loving kindness (mercy) and walking humbly. There is no humility in exercising punitive judgment, for it is rooted in self-righteousness and ultimately condemns itself: “Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, And from the snares of those who do iniquity. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I pass by safely.” (Ps. 141:9-10 NAS) This refers to the judgmental words of the self-righteous with the intent of harming the people of God through judgment: "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. 37 "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." (Matt. 12:36-37 NAS) The punitive judgment which comes upon the self-righteous is their own words. The trap they set for others traps the self-righteous. This is precisely why Paul urged withholding self-righteous and punitive judgment: “Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” (Rom. 2:1 NAS) Jesus preceded Paul with the exact same idea: "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 "And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:2-5 NAS) Upon the merciless there would be no mercy: “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” (Jas. 2:13 NAS) But for the people of God who have been given mercy by God, they show mercy: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matt. 5:7 NAS) The Pharisees were devoted to strife and division, and mercilessness is antithetical to unity and communion. Mercy is restorative. Law and self-righteousness judgment work wrath and disunity. James wrote that “mercy triumphs over judgment.” It should be no surprise that the mercy seat sat atop the ark (Ex. 25:21-22; 26:34; 30:6; 40:20; Lev 16:2,13,15; Num 7:89) which contained the law, showing its triumph over the judgments of the law. Of Christ it is said: “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;” (Rom. 3:25 NAS) The King James Version translates “propitiation” as “mercy-seat.” The same Greek word, ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion), is where we get our word, “hilarious” or to make happy. The New American Standard Bible translates the same word which is used in Romans 3:25 as “propitiation,” while in Hebrews the same version translates it the following way: “And above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.” (Heb. 9:5 NAS) The word is translated as “propitiation” four times in the New Testament: “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;” (Rom. 3:25 NAS) “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb. 2:17 NAS) “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 Jn. 2:2 NAS) “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 Jn. 4:10 NAS) It is curious that the word “propitiation” is never used in the English translations within the Old Testament. It is always translated “mercy seat,” and in the Septuagint it is always some form of ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion). This point is elaborated because it was through the mercy seat that God would meet (“commune” KJV) with the High Priest: "And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 21 "And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. 22 "And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.” (Exod. 25:20-22 NAS) It was at the mercy seat where God would meet (Septuagint “ginosko”) with Aaron. Notice the positioning: the angels peering into the mercy seat which symbolized God’s presence; it was through the mercy seat that God’s presence would come “from above the mercy seat.” Through the mercy seat, heaven would come to earth, and in Christ, we have the reality of this. Mercy (the mercy seat, i.e. Christ) brought heaven to earth reconciling (restoring) God and His people) and it is through mercy that His people are restored one to another. This mercy seat (propitiation or hilasmos, i.e. sacrifice that makes God happy) has turned God’s face toward His people so that there is no breach. Amos speaks of this breach being restored, and James confirms that through Christ the breach between Jew and Gentile was eliminated. Just as the law left a breach between the Israelites and God, so also there was a breach between Jew and Gentile. Christ’s blood eliminated both breaches, and the two (Jew and Gentile) are one with God and one with each other. So it follows that we are the eternal Church applying mercy continually one toward another through the blood of Christ, the ultimate reconciler of all things: “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Col. 1:17-22 NAS) Ward Fenley If you were edified by this article, please consider supporting NCMILIVE, as we seek to proclaim the Gospel, grace, and reign of Christ. 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Ward FenleyWard has two sons, Austin and Trumann. He was a music teacher in the public school system for 16 years, and enjoys hiking, composing, and of course, writing about and discussing theology. He has written two books and many articles dealing with the kingdom and grace of God. Ward's primary focus is on the subjects of the conscience and mercy in Scripture and how those elements relate to our everyday lives and those around us. He believes that love shown through mercy is the captivating element which not only proves the existence of the kingdom of God, but is also that which draws unbelievers to inquire into our faith in Jesus Christ. Ward received his Master of Arts degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Archives
December 2021
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