Micah 6:8 ‘….but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God.’

This is, of course, the answer to the question, What is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, O man? The Lord says here that He has showed us what is good and that which He requires of us is to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before Him. These words are, by far, much easier to read than they are to do! They are much easier to hear than to do! They are much easier to sing than to do! But if we would do that which is good; that which is well pleasing to our we must then do justly, and love kindness, and walk humble with our God.

Exactly what is it to do justly? Wherein is justice made known to us that we may do it? Is it not in the law of Jehovah? And is it not personified in the One who perfectly kept the law, Jesus Christ the righteous? May we not then look into the perfect law of God as we find it in the Word, that is, the Scriptures, as well as in the life of the Incarnate Word to learn what is required of us if we would do justly? Are not the commandments of God given through Moses a summary of all that is holy, and righteous, and good? Has not the Psalmist declared in Psalm, 19:7, that the law of God is perfect? Is not the breach of that very law that which brought down the curse of God upon all Adam’s posterity? And is it not because of that righteous curse that man is now so deeply in bondage to his sin, that even his plowing is wicked? , Sin has turned everything upside-down so that men call evil good, and good evil. Man has corrupted himself and can do nothing but sin. Indeed, Jeremiah has been caused to declare it so of all mankind, that the heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt; who can know it?—17:9. How then can a man be just with God? How can he do justly who is accustomed only to doing evil? How can that which is crooked be made straight? Were a man able to begin today living in perfect obedience to the law of God, yet would he not be capable of satisfying the justice of God, for he would remain unrighteous in the sight of God, his former sins still being reckoned against him. In order to do justly, one must be reckoned just through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. He may then do those good works unto which he was hitherto appointed according to Paul’s statement to the Ephesians, For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.—2:8-10. So we see that while salvation is not through good works, it is unto good works! It is as we do justly that we are walking in these good works. As certainly as the faith is not of ourselves, so neither are the good works in we are to do justly. Yet it remains our responsibility to do them before our sovereign God.

Secondly, we are to love kindness. How deep a search of our own hearts is necessary for us to recognize that this loving of kindness finds no native soil in them? While we may have, even before conversion, done deeds of kindness for others, can we say, in truth, that we then loved kindness? Were these acts of kindness not likely to have been performed for the love of applause, or the love of recognition, rather than any love for the sake of kindness? And even now, do not these new hearts that we have received by God’s grace often require to be quickened, or stirred up to this manner of love? Are we not, sadly, more prone to the performance of a thing out of a sense of duty rather than out of a sense of love? Indeed, is it not lovingkindness that is expressed in the entire concept of loving kindess? And is not lovingkindness a word manufactured by Englishmen in order to express a Hebrew word for profound mercy; so profound that there was not found an English word to accurately translate? We may see a glorious relationship between what we have called lovingkindness, and doing justly, if we them of them in terms of their corollaries, mercy and truth. For it is the Person of Jesus Christ that mercy and truth have met together, that righteousness and peace have, indeed, kissed.—Psa. 85:10. So then, to do justly, and to love kindness, is the way of imitating Christ and being conformed to His image.

Thirdly, that conformation is continued and enhanced when we walk humbly with our God. This also is in imitation of Christ, for He was the epitome of meekness and lowliness.—Matthew 11:29. Paul has set this truth before us in words that have become to the believer like apples of gold in network of silver. When he reminds us in Philippians, along with ourselves, that Christ, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.(2:8). Such humility is entirely above and beyond the scope of our understanding, or even our imagination; it is so high that we cannot attain unto it. Nonetheless, this belongs to those things which Micah says God has showed us that He requires of us. Search as we may, we will never find any of these requirements met by us apart from the grace of God in Christ. They belong to our progressive sanctification and the fruit of the Spirit, both which are the gifts of God, and again, not of ourselves. But all praise to Him who reigns above, and Him who has ascended above! The blessed Word informs us that Christ has provided all things necessary unto salvation for those He came to save. Christ has been made unto us, Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 10:30, wisdom from God, and righteousness AND sanctification, and redemption. Our sanctification, is among those many gifts that God has bestowed upon His elect for Christ’s sake.

Furthermore, it is the fruit of the Spirit which contains every one of these requirements. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control. And the Spirit Himself is a gift of the Father to the Son which He has bestowed upon His people at the prayerful request of that beloved Son. It is this Gift; the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you. Truly, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have commanded their people what they would have them to do, and they have faithfully, and righteously, given precisely that which they have commanded.

David Farmer, Elder

Fellowship Bible Church