Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries (ministering in the very halls of our national government) wrote that there are five specific traits of
righteousness
that must characterize a nation’s leaders in order for it to prosper. With the understanding that those of us who serve (or have served) in law enforcement are in fact part of "the government" and called to SERVANT leadership, this very much applies to us as well.
The Greek word for righteousness --
dikaiosune --
is used 86 times in the New Testament. The simplest and easiest way to remember the definition of this word is “right-way-ness.” A careful observation of
Proverbs 14:34
reveals a cause and effect relationship between great nations, great servant-leaders, great cops and even "great" (solid) Christians in general. In fact, The much of the book of
Proverbs
literally screams about the relationship between righteous governmental leaders (that includes us in law enforcement) and the overall health of a city, state or nation!
How do you define what
righteousness
and
righteous
(servant) leadership looks like, and what is the proper application to us who serve in law enforcement? Let's break down Ralph's 5 points to get God's answer!
(1) TO BE RIGHTEOUS MEANS YOU MUST KNOW YOU ARE CALLED TO SERVE, NOT BENEFIT.
In
Proverbs 16:12
, Solomon provides insights to his son, Rehoboam, the next leader of Israel, as to what it is that will establish and secure his reign and position of servant-leadership:
“It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, for a throne is established on righteousness.”
In the heart of a public servant, there must be regard for others whom you serve as being more important than yourself
(Philippians 2:3).
God requires that leaders whom He appoints to govern a country, His ordained institution of the state
(Romans 13:1),
be a blessing to the people they serve.
Ecclesiastes 8:9
specifically speaks to the degree of selflessness a leader must possess in his job:
“A man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt.”
This is a powerful way of putting it:
a leader is to be so selfless that it hurts his own interests
! In short, God has called us to serve in this way: it has to cost us something (personal sacrifice)! Only then can selfish motives possibly be eradicated and replaced by the
righteous
motives of selfless service commanded of in Scripture!
In summary,
righteous
behavior stems from one’s calling in Christ, knowing He appointed you to office, and that it is up to Him to preserve you in office. Likewise, behaving
wickedly
(corruption) will stem from thinking one is self-appointed and therefore must be self-preserving (most officers have no idea that it is God who appoints/calls us to the role of a police officer and government service in general).
(2) TO BE RIGHTEOUS MEANS YOU MUST BE JUST
A major responsibility of civil government -- including law enforcement -- is
“the punishment of evildoers”
(1 Peter 2:13–14).
Within that realm of responsibility is the dispatch of just treatment through due process. A major responsibility of every elected or appointed official then is to make sure the city, county, state, or nation has an excellent judicial system, especially God-fearing
righteous
prosecutors and
judges (something much lacking of late). Look what
Proverbs 20:8
tells us in this regard:
“A king who sits on the throne of justice disperses all evil with his eyes.”
From the time of Moses, the leaders of Israel were judges, which also meant they were military generals and yes, even "police officers" and prosecutors. Then, when kings replaced the judges, Israel’s kings would decree justice from their throne. They were to rule in fear of God. So it should be today in our lawmaking, enforcement, and adjudication. Here's what God tell us on this through
Proverbs 24:23–25
(added emphasis mine):
It is not good to show partiality in judgment. He who says to the wicked, “You are
righteous
,” him the people will curse; nations will abhor him. But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.
Proverbs 31-8-9
adds,
“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”
It is only through, godly (as in biblical),
righteous
lawmakers, law enforcement, and courts that a state can have any semblance of justice.
Judging righteously
stems from
righteous
leaders for sure.
But how are those
righteous
leaders created, raised, and trained? Ralph writes this: "In God’s design, they are to be manufactured by the institution of the church" (what we rightly call "discipleship").
In summary, the second of the five characteristics of
righteousness
is
justice
. Are you comfortable being a servant (first); and are you committed to being
just
? Such
“exalts a nation.”
(3) TO BE RIGHTEOUS MEANS YOU MUST BE DISCERNING.
Ralph writes, "If
righteousness exalts a nation
, then it follows that good discernment by a public servant—to associate with people of integrity—is a sure path to national prosperity. To do otherwise is to be unduly, continually tempted by evil.
Bad company corrupts good morals
states Paul in
1 Corinthians 15:33."
Too often, righteous officers, chiefs, sheriffs and government officials associate with or hire the wrong kind of people who do not represent their values (to wit, a lack of Spirit-led discernment). This is why I so-often stress the importance of infusing our ranks, and government in general, with committed Christians who will serve, lead and enforce from a RIGHTEOUS biblical worldview.
Proverbs 25:5
(here, in the context of
training
his son):
“Take away the wicked before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.”
Proverbs 29:4:
"A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it."
The wise, godly servant-leader associates with and hires people who represent his or her godly character. On the other hand, surrounding yourself with corrupt and/or
wicked
people will ruin you, your agency, community, state and even our nation.
In summary, the third characteristic of godly, biblical
righteousness
is one’s ability to be discerning of the influence of others on you. Are you a servant, just and discerning? Are you seeking the Holy Spirit's leading? Such
“exalts a nation.”
(4) TO BE RIGHTEOUS MEANS YOU MUST HAVE CONVICTIONS.
“Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”
(Proverbs 25:26)
One forms
convictions
through regular Bible study, prayer, and
"iron sharpen iron"
fellowship with other believers. In summary, the fourth of the five characteristics of
righteousness
is conviction. Are you a man or woman who is a servant, just, discerning, and in possession of
resolute
convictions based on God’s Word? Such
“exalts a nation.”
(5) TO BE RIGHTEOUS MEANS YOU MUST BE PRAYERFUL.
The last of these 5 characteristics of
righteousness
found in
Proverbs
is that of being
prayerful
. Note what God tells us through
Proverbs 15:8–9
in this regard:
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves one who pursues righteousness.”
Here,
prayer
is equated with
righteousness
. What every agency, state and country needs most are men and women who fervently seek God’s guidance in their personal and state affairs.
That said, God tells us in His Word that He only hears the prayers of leaders and citizens who are upright and
righteous
from His perspective, meaning they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (as I've stated before, God is not mandated to hear the prayers of unbelievers).
Scripture is clear here. For those who are at odds with God, who passively or actively reject the Son of God, their prayers, beyond the prayer of repentance, go
unheard:
“The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”
(Proverbs 15:29)
“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.”
( John 9:31)
“If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear; but certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.”
(Psalm 66:18–20)
“He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”
(Proverbs 28:9)
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”
(Isaiah 59:2)
In summary, the last of these 5 characteristics of
righteousness
is prayerfulness. Are you a servant, just, discerning, conviction-driven, and
prayerful
? Such
“exalts a nation.”
Finally,
let's briefly look again at our second main Scripture passage from the book of
Proverbs:
"The wicked flee when no one pursues but the righteous are as bold as a lion."
(Proverbs 28:1).
So who are
the righteous?
Who are the lion-hearted (bold) righteous ones?
Only
those who trust in the Lord -- those who have a genuine, saving faith in Christ and bank their hope on the mercy and power and wisdom of God (to wit, a genuine, born again Christian as only God can define it). These are the ones against whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and whose sins are forgiven. We who are
"in Christ"
are made
righteous
not with a righteousness (goodness) of our own, but rather have the imputed righteousness of God. The
righteous
are ultimately those (and ONLY those) who are made
right
with God because of His grace and what He did for us on the the cross versus anything we've done by our own merit (our so called good works or good deeds) or service in law enforcement, military, government or any other areas of service.
Does that describe you? If not (or if you're not sure), then scroll down to the
Know God?
section below (and please
reach out
if you have questions!
MC
____________________
KNOW GOD?
(1) Do you hold to an utterly false hope that you can "earn" or otherwise "badge" your way into heaven and escape hell because you consider yourself to be a "
good
" cop or "good" person (the "I'm good" mess)? That you can be "good" enough without God? That mere "belief" is enough to "save" you? That you "deserve" heaven because of your so-called "good" service? Take the
Good Person Test
and see how you do!
(2) Jesus' first recorded words in His earthly adult ministry included,
"Repent and believe in the Good News,
" --
Mark 1:15.
To
repent
is a "180" -- a complete,
radical
change of mind and heart as it relates to our sin (as God defines it). To "believe" (
pisteuo
in the original Greek) as Jesus intends it here is to wholeheartedly trust and
surrender
your life to Him in faith in the same way we have "faith" that our body armor will do its job against the rounds it is intended to stop; that a well-maintained weapon will function properly when used in against criminals intent on destroying us or others; or that our parachute will open when it is supposed to on a combat jump (we stake our very lives on it)! For more, see
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
(3) This same concept of "
believe
" (the saving kind) is further revealed in
John 3:1-21
where Jesus says, "
... you must be born again
." Again, note our Lord's emphasis on the word "
must
" (not "may" or "should" or even "someday"): this is ultimately the life-saving AND life-changing personal relationship (and NOT "religion") with Jesus Christ that I stress here every week (see
What does it mean to be a born again Christian
? [hint -- there is no other kind]).
(5) Need more? Then check out this powerful, short video message that also comes to us from
Travis Yates
:
Cops and Salvation
(6) Have you now said "yes" to Jesus as Lord and Savior but are wondering what to do next? The "now what" is also an important part in dealing with the issues that can lead to suicide and sin in general. Click on,
Now what?
MC
