Psalm 11 & 1 Peter 4.7-11
At the beginning of the use of video cameras an American football team transformed itself from a mediocre performer to a top flight team in one season. When the captain of the team was interviewed, he said after every match the coach made them watch a video recording of the match and examined in detail the performance of every team member. Analysis like this and much more is now common place but if coaches had read Psalm 11 they might have caught on to this approach earlier. ‘The Lord is in his holy temple …. His eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.’ vv4,5a
David refused to run and took his stand trusting in the Lord. v1 His stand takes the form of behaving righteously. David links the holiness of God in heavenv4 with righteous deeds on earth. ‘For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.’ v7
Does this support the notion that going to heaven depends on how good a life we lead? No, it does not. Biblical teaching is that when God looks at a person who has faith in Christ he sees Christ’s righteousness not their own. This is termed imputed righteousness. ‘This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.’ Romans 3.22 The righteousness here is the outworking of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
Peter sees the outworking of righteousness as being alert, sober minded to promote prayer, deeply loving, hospitable and applying one’s gifts to the benefit of others. 1Pet 4.7-10 ‘So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.’ 1Peter 4.11 The challenge for us is how to do it when in lock down. To summarise Peter, teachers should teach and servers should serve. v11