Unrighteousness in the Camp
God’s kind of righteousness is not passive. It has apositive effect on society. “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) and “youare the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).
Righteousness is not to be ineffective. Salt that is notsalty is good for nothing. Light that is hidden is not light. Men do not praiseGod for bad deeds in the lives of Christians.
These are principles which I would like to amplify furtherin a more radical way. There are two events in biblical history which takethese truths to two opposite extremes. One is the destruction of Sodom, and theother is the minor defeat of Israel at Ai. The stories are found in Genesis 18-19and Joshua 6-7. In the first case, God had promised the safety of a very wickedcity if there were found in the city ten righteous people. In the other case,God allowed the defeat of a righteous nation by a wicked city because there wasone unrighteous man in the camp. Thirty-six other men were killed because ofthis man’s unrighteousness.
I think that these are not opposite principles, but onlyopposite effects of the same principle. God will spare a wicked city if thereis an adequate righteous witness in the city. However, God will not give victoryunless there are all righteous people in the camp. We as Christians havesettled for the first option. We are content with minimum light, just enough tokeep the Sodoms of the world from being destroyed. We are not willing to purgethe unrighteousness in ourselves and in the church in order to take the Ais ofthis world with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
One is a defensive view, and the other is an offensive view.We (the church today) who, like Joshua, have an offensive view, have endeavoredto take the Gospel with unrighteous men in the army. The Lord is not with usfor victory.
We here at CCM are seeking to increase our methods of war.It is not enough that we increase our methods if the Lord is not with us forvictory. We need all of our men and women walking in the light as He is in thelight. Would you ask God to show you if there is any unconfessed, unforsaken sinin your life? Then confess and forsake it. And then pray for us.
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