Righteousness

Righteousness

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law; you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20

If you have a lot of ambition or greed in prayer, it is wrong. "My church, my this, my that" has no place in prayer to God, only his love. In Matthew, Jesus clearly told us, "Don't worry about what you eat or wear, that is what the gentiles desire. Just seek for the kingdom and its righteousness." Unification Church members happen to have lots of blessings, but how many received their Blessing through this formula way?

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Blessing and Resurrection March 31, 1991

I have always walked the road of public righteousness throughout my life, so I never feel lonely I can exhibit great courage because God is with me and the universe is supporting me as I walk according to the Principle. Nothing can stop me from moving forward. Even my physical death will not be able to stop my work on this earth. However, those who oppose righteousness will truly be stopped by death. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he spoke to the women weeping beneath him, "Do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children." Even the crucifixion could not stop the power of Jesus' righteousness; it continued to move forward. Jesus was only concerned for the future of the children of Israel. What is the purpose of public righteousness, then? It is to leave behind something better than oneself.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Pure Way of Truth and Public Righteousness July 18, 1982

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will he given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:31-34

What did Jesus mean when he exclaimed that we should first seek God's kingdom and its righteousness? It would be lamentable if the minds of God and man diverged over mere material things. Being in a state of unity with God's mind, Jesus wished the minds of men were united with his mind.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Let Us Restore God's Kingdom and His Righteousness October 13, 1957

Righteousness refers to that quality in a person that leads him to pursue goodness and further its purpose. Unrighteousness refers to that quality in a person that leads him to pursue evil and further its satanic purpose. A righteous life is absolutely necessary for the attainment of goodness.

Exposition of the Divine Principle: Creation 4.3.3

Paying the last penny

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar: First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer; and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Matthew 5:23-26.

Have you ever wondered how a world filled with such evil and corruption could come from a God of love and goodness? If you read the Bible carefully you will see that the fall of man involved the loss of Adam's entire family First, the position of parents was lost through the fall of Adam and Eve.

Second, the position of children was lost as Cain murdered Abel. God's blueprint for an ideal family and world perfection was lost. Therefore, to restore the original family God works in reverse to reclaim the positions of Cain and Abel, and then the positions of True Father and True Mother.

This pattern of reconciliation of Cain and Abel as the foundation for restoring the parents has been God's consistent formula throughout the history of restoration. The separation of fallen mankind into a Cain-Abel division occurs over and over again in Judeo-Christian history. God first of all separated fallen mankind into two "brotherly" sides of Cain, symbolizing Satan, and Abel, symbolizing God, to work out the hatreds resulting from the fall.

God used the method of having Abel be hit first and sacrificed. As a result, Abel could stand on that very foundation to embrace Cain and recover the blessing given to the elder son. For example, the religion that most advances the purpose of salvation always receives Satan's most severe persecution. It walks the path of constant opposition yet continues its sacrificial effort to save the sinful world. Likewise, good people always stand in the position to be struck first and sacrificed.

Looking almost anywhere in our fallen world, it is easy to notice struggles between good and evil, similar to the struggle between Abel and Cain. These struggles start in the conflict between each individuals mind and body. The mind, which represents the Abel side, struggles to overcome the body, which represents the Cain side. The struggle within individuals has expanded to the family, nation, and world. As a result, humankind at every level has always been divided into two opposing camps, one good, or Abel-like, and the other evil, or Cain-like, locked in struggle. It has always been God's intention, however, that both sides be restored and reunited, not that one triumphs over and destroys the other.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: True Parents and the Completed Testament Age May 1993

What, then, is the meaning of restoration through indemnity? When someone has lost his original position or state, he has to make some condition to be restored to it. The making of such conditions of restitution is called indemnity. For example, to recover lost reputation, position, or health, one has to make the necessary effort or pay the due price. Suppose two people who once loved each other come to be on bad terms; they need to make some condition of reconciliation before the love they previously enjoyed can be revived. In like manner, it is necessary for human beings who have fallen from God's grace into corruption to fulfill some condition before they can be restored to their true standing.

Exposition of the Divine Principle: Restoration 1.1

The U.S. government's intention in indicting me [on tax charges] was not so much to wage a court battle, but to scare me out of this country The indictment was issued while I was out of the country and the Department of Justice hoped that I would not return. But their expectations were totally wrong. To avoid that battle would have meant acknowledging defeat without putting up a fight. They didn't know that I have always taken the path of restoration through indemnity

I will never shy away from paying the price. Therefore, I willingly returned to America to face the battle. Furthermore, many outstanding people in history have been wrongly condemned through a court decision. I didn't try to escape because I knew that I could not avoid any battle, small or large, if I expected to turn around the destiny of history.

Jesus Christ was condemned and crucified by the government of his time. Many saints were persecuted and condemned by evil governments. History has been stained as evil continually tries to stop righteous people. Thus, some champion must finally come forward and win the victory not only for himself but to vindicate providential history and all the saints who were victimized by the evil political systems of their time.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Victory Celebration August 21, 1985