Who Are The

RIGHTEOUS?

Who Are The

RIGHTEOUS?

Proverbs 10 & 14

The date wasJune 14, 1942

The world was plunged into a

war that spanned the nations and geography

Into that muck and mire, Franklin D. Roosevelt

spoke these words...

“The belief in the four

freedoms of common

humanity—the belief in man,

created free, in the image of God-is the crucial…

…difference between

ourselves and the enemies we face today. In it lies the absolute

unity of our alliance,

opposed to the oneness…

…of the evil we hate. Here is our strength,

the source and promise of

victory. We ask the German people, still

dominated by their Nazi…

…whipmasters, whether they would rather

have the mechanized hell of Hitler's ‘New’

Order or—in place of that,

freedom…

…of speech and religion,

freedom from want and from

fear.

We ask the Japanese people,

trampled…

…by their savage lords of

slaughter, whether they would rather

continue slavery and blood or—in place of them,

freedom…

… of speech and religion, freedom from want and from

fear.

We ask the brave,

unconquered people of the…

…nations the Axis invaders

have dishonored and

despoiled whether they would rather

yield to conquerors or—have freedom of

speech and…

…religion, freedom from want and from

fear.

We know the answer. They

know the answer. We know that

man…

…born to freedom in the image of God, will not forever

suffer the oppressors’

sword.

Then FDR offered this

prayer!

On this Memorial Day

weekend, as we remember those

who have perished

fighting for the virtues and nobility of

freedom and truth…

…let us pause to remember the source of such freedom

and truth.

Proverbs 14:33-34

“Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has

understanding, but

what is in the heart of fools…

…is made known.

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any

people.”

Our effort is not to

celebrate war, but to

understand its purpose when

absolutely needed.

To be clear, war is the

ultimate failure of mankind

and, perhaps, the highest

example of our fallen nature.

We Must Be a Righteous

People

Accountableto God

Romans 13:4

“For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in

vain…

…for he is God’s minister, an avenger to

execute wrath on him who

practices evil.”

St Augustine asserted,

peacefulness in the face of a grave wrong

that could only be stopped by violence would

be a sin.

Defense of one’s self or

others could be a necessity, especially

when authorized by a

legitimate authority

“They who have waged

war in obedience to

the divine command, or in conformity with His laws,

have represented in their persons…

…the public justice or the

wisdom of government, and in this

capacity have put to death wicked men; such persons

have by…

…no means violated the

commandment, ‘Thou shalt

not kill.’”Augustine in the

‘City of God’

We Must Be a Forgiving

People

HumilityBefore God

Thomas Aquinas used the

authority of Augustine’s

arguments as he laid out three

conditions under which a war

could be considered ‘just’.

‘Just’ War

Must be waged

by a Properly Instituted Authority

‘Just’ War

Must occur for a Good and Just Purpose

rather than for Self-Gain

‘Just’ War

Peace must be a Central

Motive even in the Midst of

Violence

England, Germany,

Japan, Mexico, Canada are but

a few of our

former enemies that we now count

as our greatest allies!

God establishes the deep moral

order whereby

righteous is defined!

“The memory of the

righteous is blessed...”Proverbs 10:7a