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Righteousness and Peace Kiss

You may have heard the phrase, “God hates sin, but loves the sinner.” Would it make a difference if we changed those words to this: “God hates sin because he loves the sinner”? If it were not for His heart of love toward us, why would he tolerate sin in His creation for even a moment?

Why didn’t God end the human race immediately after Adam and Eve ate forbidden fruit?

At least part of the answer lies in the first thing God did following their sin. He came looking for them, and calling to them, “Where are you?”[1] It was only after God re-established a connection with them personally, that He told them what the consequences to their disobedience would be – consequences, which would take the Son of God to the cross.[2] Yes, there was judgment, but before the judgment, there was mercy. Yes, there were consequences that plunged our race into darkness, but before it all played out, God came looking for us – because He loves us. He treasures us and considers us worth dying for. Amazing!

We sometimes think that God is so concerned about our sin that He can see nothing else. We struggle to be at peace with His declaration of love and acceptance of us. We bow under the weight of our failures and suffering, confusion and sorrow.

When I consider my many failures to trust God and the many moments I’ve put myself ahead of Him, I am tempted to shame and regret. Yet, I don’t believe that is anywhere close to what God wants for me, or you. God doesn’t rejoice in judgment and shaming. He rejoices in salvation. God doesn’t clap for joy when we get “our just do” and when we feel the depths of sin-birthed misery. He weeps – and calls to us – and goes to the Cross for us.[3]

We must agree that sin profanes God’s holy name and is an offense against His holy presence. It is a reprehensible act of defiance against God’s desires, design, and plan for us. Because of sin, we are separated from God and in sin will die apart from him. Our lives are forfeit without God. We cannot save ourselves. Without God’s mercy and grace seeking us out, calling for us, and sacrificing for us, the righteousness of His holy character and Kingdom would demand that we were excluded from life forever.[4]

But righteousness and peace have kissed in God!

“Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.” (Psalm 85:9-11 ESV)

Kissed

The word “kissed” is a term of endearment, familiarity, and friendship. It is associated with family and intimate friendship, not the courtroom.

In God there is a perfect oneness of holy character in Himself and out-reaching, sacrificial love toward us.

The love in Him that “kisses” His purity of heart and soul is captured in the word peace, or in Hebrew, shalom. Shalom is a word with an eternity of meaning in it – perhaps something like that moment when the groom kisses the bride after declaring undying love.

The Bible represents shalom as a gift of God to His children by faith and uses it to describe a life of indescribable tranquility and prosperity, love and security – life bursting out at the seams with newness and grace and beauty! Our God is a God of Peace – “perfect,” because His heart is perfect. In him, righteousness and peace have kissed.

It is morally right that God put us away from Him forever, but more than hating the sin, God loves the sinner and gives up Himself that we might live. And, more than seeing our sin only as an offense against himself, our Father grieves over what sin does to us, His prized creation and precious children. He knows sin destroys relationships, our minds and our bodies. And as deeply personal as it gets, our Father knows sin destroys our fellowship with Him and separates us from the gifts He intends to give us. Is it any wonder that He identifies our sin as an enslaving master and our death as His enemy?

So yes, sin is morally offensive to God’s holiness, but even more grievously, it is a grief to His heart of longing love for us. It is because of His love for us, not His hatred of sin against himself, that the Father was moved to send His Son to be the Savior of our souls.

His wrath is aroused against evil, yes, but He sees sin not only as an act of war against His kingdom, but especially as an attack against His family.

In reflection of the story of The Prodigal Son,[5] songwriter Benny Hester captured this beautifully,

“Almighty God | The Great I Am | Immoveable Rock | Omnipotent powerful | Awesome Lord | Victorious Warrior | Commanding King of Kings | Mighty Conqueror | And the only time, The only time I ever saw Him run | Was when He ran to me | Took me in His arms | held my head to His chest |And said, ‘My son’s come home again’. | Looked in my face, wiped the tears from my eyes | With forgiveness in His voice | He said ‘Son, do you know I still love you?’” [6]

And I answer, “Yes, Lord!”

[1] “’Where are you? is God’s first recorded question in all of history. [It’s] the very shortest question of the entire Hebrew Bible [Genesis 3:9]. And it hasn’t stopped echoing across the topography of time…In Hebrew, it’s actually only one word, ayekah. That one word God is speaking into this moment even right now, where are you?” – Ann Voskamp (WayMaker Bible Study | Session 1 | Harper Christian Resource); Cf. Adam where are you (Don Francisco) with lyrics (David Hellsten)

[2] John 3:16-17 NIV – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

[3] Jesus did not clap for joy over the destruction of a rebellious Jerusalem. He wept for grief.

Luke 13:34-35 NIV – “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Luke 19:41-44 NIV – “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.’”

[4] In Christ, we are set free of sin and death, and delivered from God’s wrath that rests on us because of sin. When the curse of sin is removed, so is the wrath!

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11 ESV.

[5] Luke 15:11-32

[6] When God Ran (Phillips Craig Dean): “Son, do you know I still love you?”

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