Righteousness and Peace and Joy
“We are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13) In that age righteousness will be characteristic of New Jerusalem and even fill the entire new earth.
Today the earth is full of wars, crimes, contentions, and strivings, competitions to be the leader or the best at something. Yet inwardly, as the Lord’s believers, we should live in the condition expressed in Romans 14:17, “the kingdom of God is…righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The sequence of righteousness, peace, and joy is important. When we believed into the Lord Jesus and received Him as our Lord, He became righteousness to us from God (1 Cor. 1:30). The more He lives in us to be our daily living, the more this righteousness is expressed.
Such righteousness then brings us peace inwardly, and to a large extent, peace with those around us. As a result, we have joy. This is primarily inward at the present time but will increase inwardly and also fill the environment in the new heavens and new earth.
These current, inward, attributes are our foretaste of New Jerusalem. Remember that they begin with Christ our righteousness. We praise Him, sing to Him, and pray Lord, be my righteousness, be all that I need to fully live with You today.
Posted by Don on June 18, 2025
https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2025/06/18/righteousness-and-peace-and-joy/