1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Do you know the definition of iniquity? I thought I did, at least I know what I have been taught. So I looked it up in the original Greek to discover I didn’t understand it as well as I thought. This is the primary definition in the New Testament.

Injustice, of a judge.

That got me to thinking about the formation of judgment. Am I an unjust judge? How did I formulated my sense of right and wrong? My natural instinct was to say that my parent taught me right from wrong, but it was not true.

I learned injustice from being treated by others as if I was something other than what I am. Being judged unfairly teaches you injustice. My parents treated me as a son. There is no injustice in that.

Psalm 58:1 Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

I have always treated a man as a man and a lady as a lady. My lesson from being parented was to treat people on a basic level, adding nothing. I didn’t paint a man or woman to look a certain way to make myself feel comfortable. That is what I learned about being a judge. It was all about making myself comfortable.

Men of conscience have to be able to live with themselves, but the conscience is nothing more than a reflection of the condition of the heart.

Psalm 58:11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

I can only keep my conscience clean if I leave judgement up to the righteous judge. In that way I avoid being the unjust judge.

1 Timothy 1:5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (ESV)

Deuteronomy 29:29 Amplified Bible “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed and disclosed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may do all of the words of this law.”

Only the Amplified Bible Version adds the words “and disclosed”. I find that rather intriguing. There is a difference in concept between reveal and disclose. It might not sound like much but I can see a different in terms of relationship.

2 Kings 4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

This shutting of the door is for privacy, that those within can only see what God is doing. This is the image of revealed; privacy, intimacy, a special knowledge.

Disclosed is the opposite of closed doors. Opened to all.

Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

Revelation 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

The thought pattern being that the bride will wear revealing apparel in the bed chamber, but in public will wear apparel which brings honor to the bridegroom.

Whenever you have a mystery revealed in private, think about how that would reflect upon your Lord and Savior before you disclose it in public.