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The government of God is the governmental administration of the righteous, holy, faithful, and loving God:
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God is righteous, and His government is established upon righteousness—1 John 1:9; Rev. 15:3; Psa. 89:14:
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God’s government requires righteousness; righteousness is a matter of God’s government—v. 14; 1 Pet. 2:23-24.
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Righteousness is related to God’s outward acts, ways, actions, and activities; everything God does is righteous—Rev. 15:3.
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The righteousness of God is what God is in His actions with respect to justice and righteousness—1 John 1:9; Rev. 16:7.
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Righteousness is related to the kingdom of God—Rom. 14:17:
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God’s throne is established with righteousness as the foundation—Psa. 89:14.
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Where God’s righteousness is, there His kingdom is also—Isa. 32:1; Heb. 1:8-9.
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In the death of Christ we have died to sins so that we might live to righteousness—1 Pet. 2:24:
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As God’s people living under His government, we must live a righteous life—Matt. 5:20; 1 John 2:29; 3:7.
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The expression live to righteousness is related to the fulfilling of God’s governmental requirements—1 Pet. 2:24:
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We were saved so that we might live rightly under the government of God, that is, in a way that matches the righteous requirements of His government—Psa. 89:14; Matt. 5:20.
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In Christ’s death we have been separated from sins, and in His resurrection we have been enlivened so that in our Christian life we might live spontaneously to righteousness under the government of God—Rom. 6:8, 10-11, 18; Eph. 2:5-6; John 14:19; 2 Tim. 2:11.
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Because God’s government requires righteousness, 2 Peter 3:13 says, “According to His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells”:
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This means that everything will be in order, headed up, and regulated.
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Everything will be governed, controlled, and under the proper rule, for the throne of God, the kingdom, the divine administration, will be there, and the result will be peace and joy—Rom. 14:17; 15:13, 33.
Morning Nourishment
1 Pet. 2:24 Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed.1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also has been begotten of Him.
[In 1 Peter 2:24] the phrase having died to sins literally means “being away from sins.” When Christ carried up our sins onto the cross and died, that death accomplished many things. The death of Christ terminated us, and this termination can keep us away from sin. The best way for people to be kept from sins or from sin is for them to be put to death. No matter how many sins a person may commit, once he has died, death separates him from sins. Peter speaks of being away from sins; Paul speaks of the one who has died being free from sin. Through Christ’s death we can be kept away from sins so that we may live to righteousness. Apparently, being kept away from sin terminates us; actually, it enlivens us so that we may live to righteousness. (Life-study of 1 Peter, p. 188)
Today’s Reading
The subjective aspect of the cross continues in our experience today by the Spirit. The life-giving Spirit is working within us continually to carry out the subjective aspect of Christ’s cross in our being. Daily we are undergoing the inward working of the cross of Christ, and daily we are being made alive so that we may live to righteousness. Therefore, it is not difficult to overcome sins, because through Christ’s death we are being kept away from sins. His death has drawn a separating line between us and sins. Being kept away from sins, now we are alive. There is no need for us to strive or to try to energize ourselves. We simply live, and this living always has an inclination toward righteousness. This is the experience of our Savior saving us daily.We should not have only the objective cross, but the subjective cross as well. The objective cross needs to become subjective to us in our experience. This depends upon the working of the life-giving Spirit within us. When we call on the name of the Lord and have fellowship with Him, the life-giving Spirit operates within us. Spontaneously we experience the subjective working of the cross to make a separation between us and sins so that we automatically live to righteousness.
Now we need to ask why Peter uses the expression live to righteousness [1 Pet. 2:24], This is related to the fulfilling of God’s governmental requirements. Actually, God’s government requires just one thing—righteousness. This is the reason 2 Peter 3:13 says, “But according to His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” In 1 Peter 2:23 we see that the Lord Jesus continually committed all to the One who judges righteously. Then in verse 24 Peter indicates that we should live to righteousness. Peter’s concept here is governmental; righteousness is a matter of God’s government. We have been saved by our Savior to live a life that matches the righteous requirements of God’s government.
God is righteous and His government is established upon righteousness. Psalm 89:14 says that righteousness is the foundation of God’s throne. Therefore, as God’s people living under His government, we must have a righteous life. We must live to righteousness. But because in ourselves we are not able to live this kind of life, the Savior saves us to live a life of righteousness, a life that fulfills the righteous requirements of God’s government.
It is important for us to realize that Christ our Savior has carried up all our sins onto the tree and died there for us. Now His death separates us from sins and enlivens us so that we may live to righteousness. Spontaneously, we are under God’s government and have no problem with His government because we live to righteousness. (Life-study of 1 Peter, pp. 189-190)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Peter, msg. 21