1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law does he meditate day and night.
Born Sinners Called to Live Righteous
It is said that we are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. Paul explains in Romans 5:12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” So we understand by this passage that just as we are born dying, we are also born sinners. At first glance, these truths would seem to relegate Psalm 1:1 to nothing more than poetic ‘injustice’—for if we are born into sin, how can we fulfill what Psalm 1:1 commands?
Free will is not explicitly stated in the Bible, yet we see throughout the Old Testament and New Testament that God allows believers and nonbelievers alike to follow the path of righteousness, or the path of sin. The path of righteousness is not without sin, but to the contrary, the path of sin is without righteousness. A perfect example is King David, although he committed adultery and murder, God still considered David a man after His own heart. This is because his heart was not rooted in adultery and murder, rather it was rooted in following God’s commands, and leading His people righteously, although he did commit adultery and murder. Though we are born into a fallen world, and as such we will stumble, it is God’s desire that we do not live a life rooted in sin—which is a life that separates us from Him.
Turning From a Path of Sin to Walk With Jesus
For the vast majority of us, we begin life on the path led by sin. God knowing this would be our condition, sacrificed His only begotten Son to bear our sins and pay our sin debt. When we turn from the path of sin to the walk with Jesus, Psalm 1:1 becomes poetic ‘justice’. God can bless us when we no longer walk in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the path with sinners. We become meek with humility, no longer angry with a scornful tongue that speaks the devil’s lies to weaken others. Instead of seeking momentary pleasures of the flesh we become patient and practice self-control, and selfish motives are replaced with consideration for others.
Walking with Jesus means receiving Him as Lord and Savior, believing the Gospel in your heart, not merely professing it with your tongue: that Jesus died, was buried, and rose three days later. When God sees this faith in your spiritual heart, He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within you. This begins the transformation of your desires from being carnal to spiritual. You practice denying your flesh while growing a desire to be obedient to God. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” This is the true definition of being ‘born again.’ The words of scripture become clear where they used to be misunderstood or overly complex. Where you once saw a God of anger, you now see a God of love and discipline in the Old Testament—a Father that chastised His children to bring them back to Him—just as He does with us today.
Darkness Hidden Within Light
With our natural eyes, we do not recognize the evil that disguises itself as light (2 Corinthians 11:14). We often confuse the desires of our hearts with blessings from God when we receive them. The infatuation that yearns for a relationship with someone, if it ends painfully, feels like precious time was wasted—often resulting in a fear to love again. The obsession for a new home or car that leads to deeper debt, when patience may have revealed something far better from God. The frivolous spending on what we feel we ‘deserve’ that distracts us from responsibilities which should have taken precedence. The list of ways Satan deceives us through our selfish desires is endless.
Do not believe the voice of evil that says you have done too much wrong to be deserving of God’s grace. It is the enemy’s desire to separate you from God, and second only to sin itself is the attempt to make you feel unworthy of God’s love and redemption. Angels dwell in God’s immediate, unshielded glory, and this is why angelic free will does not come with redemption—judgment is swift and final. We see this when Lucifer and the angels who followed him were cast out of heaven when they became prideful and sinned against God. Human free will does come with redemption because of our earthly weakness and fallen nature. It is this grace through faith and salvation that stirred Satan and his fallen hosts to jealousy, and drives them to work nonstop to separate God’s children from their Father.
Faith is Our Protection, God’s Word is Our Weapon
It is God’s desire—and our only protection from spiritual deception—that we cultivate a relationship with our Father in heaven. We know from Jesus’ temptation in the desert that Satan knows every word of Scripture. We also see how Jesus used God’s Word to make the devil flee for a season. Satan knows our tendency to be double-minded, which is how he was able to twist God’s instructions to Adam and use them to tempt Eve’s curiosity.
In Ephesians 6:10-18, we read about the “Whole Armor of God.” We learn that faith is our protection and the Word of God is our weapon against evil in the spiritual realm. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:16: “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked,” and in verse 17 he writes, “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” When we are rooted in faith and know the Word of God, we not only know who God is, but also have the protection of God. Mental attacks by the enemy are thwarted when we use the Word of God as a weapon—which is exactly what Jesus demonstrated.
God’s Wisdom Reveals His Glory Through Us
God’s Word teaches us that every one of us is able to receive His love, mercy, and grace—despite the mistakes we make along the way or the sinful path we may begin on. Scripture is filled with people who were forgiven after choosing to serve Him. Peter denied Christ three times, yet Jesus restored and chose him to feed His flock. One of the thieves crucified beside Jesus was promised a place in Paradise the moment he acknowledged Jesus as the Christ.
Paul was the chief persecutor of those who followed Jesus—not only imprisoning believers but sending many to their deaths. He lived with a devilish zeal to eradicate all who followed Christ, whether they were Jew or Gentile. Yet Jesus chose him to be the apostle to the Gentiles and to establish churches throughout the then-known world. Paul stands as a testimony that God, in His infinite wisdom, often chooses those we consider the “worst of the worst” to bring the brightest glory to His name, gathering the lost sheep back into His fold.
The potential to bring glory to God’s name is within every one of us. Although we are made lower than the angels, we are blessed with the free offer of redemption through faith in Christ who died for us. Every day granted to us on earth is a fresh opportunity to defeat the devil and his fallen hosts, while drawing others out of darkness by the godly light that shines through His children.
Scriptures That Testify to Our Human Nature of Sin and Our Battle to Live Righteous
Romans 5:12
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned.”
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
1 Peter 5:10
“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”
Romans 5:17
“For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
A Prayer for Strength and God’s Light to Lead You in Righteousness
Father God in Heaven, being born into this world, I was born into a life of sin that separated me from You. Your calling to my heart proves You will never leave nor forsake me. Your sacrifice of Your only begotten Son proves that neither hell nor high water can keep Your love from me, unless I choose to deny it. I pray for strength to walk the path lit by Your light—the path that leads to eternal life, with conviction to live godly life in the way of the righteous, sitting among the humble. In the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Trinitarian Benediction
May God’s grace and mercy always find a dwelling place in your heart.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ, may you never forget that you have been saved.
And may the Holy Spirit lead you away from the troubles of this world.