A beautiful mind - Just (Part 4)
Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments. Psalm 119:137
The third attribute God gives us to think liberally is just, which some translations translate as "right". "Just" in Greek is "dikaios", which means righteous, innocent, conformed to God's will.
In Romans 3:10 it says that “There is none righteous, no, not one”, so how do we attain a righteous mind? "For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness. Psalm 11:7," Jesus Himself is righteousness, so when we are in Him, we are in His righteousness. The next question is, how do we walk in His righteousness? It can only be done by faith, as "the just shall live by faith. " Romans 1:17.
Consequently, when our minds are filled with faith and truly believe that Jesus's sacrifices are sufficient for us and capable of forgiving all sin and cleansing our unrighteousness, our minds are free from shame, condemnation and accusation. The human mind, on the other hand, is prone to self-righteousness, legalism, and condemnation of ourselves and others. These sins hinder our relationship with God, making it difficult for us to see what God sees in order to attain a sound mind or exercise righteous judgment.
A just mind is a sound mind. The sound mind is free from fear, since fear causes us to be confused and doubtful. In contrast, a sound mind is driven by love, power, and self-control. Having a sound mind gives us clarity and allows us to take captive our thoughts so they are obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
God gives us a sound mind when we are righteous in Christ. He gives us love, the power to overcome flesh, and the self-control to avoid feeding evil and impure thoughts.
Thus, we can reflect more Christ-likeness in our thinking and apply soundness and fairness in situations, such as loving what is right, doing what is right, and relating to people rightly. John 7:24 says “Judge with righteous judgment.” We are not supposed to judge others, but we should be “discerning,” and our righteous judgment should be based on God’s word and His truth.
Just minds are filled with God's love, mercy, and forgiveness, which are opposed to self-righteousness and condemnation. As a result, we are able to think from God's perspective and extend His mercy and forgiveness to others. Our minds can be free from grudges and bitterness even if injustice occurs to us or in the world, as our faith in God will bring redemption and justice. May the blood of Jesus cleanse our minds so that we may think rightly.
Blessing prayer: Jesus, you are righteous and you love righteousness; May our minds be pure and blameless in your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen
