Psalm 15 – How Do I Obtain Top-Level Clearance To God?

Theologians call this “imputed righteousness”. Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

Psalm 15:1 (NLT) says, “Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts.”

William Secker says, “When the wheels of a clock move within, the hands on the dial will move without. When the heart of a man is sound in conversion, then the life will be fair in profession. …” (quote from The treasury of David, Spurgeon, C. H.)

Out of relationship with Christ, we have the possibility to live blamelessly, to do what is right and speak truth from a sincere heart.

PSALM 15:1-2 – FREE SPEECH AND MISINFORMATION versus TRUTH AND GOSSIP

Psalm 15:1-2 (NLT) says, “Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? … Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends.”

I find it fascinating, Lord, that You mention gossipers and backstabbers among murderers and immoral acts in Romans 1:28-32 (NLT). It says “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and GOSSIP. They are BACKSTABBERS, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

It seems the power of the tongue to speak evil is equivalent to the worst of sins. In an age where one person’s Free Speech is more akin to sledging or slander and another person’s Misinformation is more of a denial to consider another person’s view, Psalm 15 speaks instead of TRUTH versus GOSSIP. It speaks of what builds up a community rather than what tears it apart.

Even in Leviticus 19:15-17 (NLT) Lord, You say, “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people … ”

1 John 4:19-21 (NLT2) says, “We love each other because He (God) loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.”

Lord Jesus, You said, in Mark 12:30-31 (NLT) “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”