Depending on the translation, the Bible mentions Righteousness between 500-600 times. It is spoken of in both the Old and the New Testaments. Scriptures in the Bible continually encourage/admonish us to be “righteous.” “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor.” [Proverbs 21:21] Jesus said, “For I tell you, if your uprightness (also translated as “righteousness”) does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.” [Matthew 5:20]
Questions about Righteousness
So, if being righteous is so important, it might be worthwhile to examine it for a bit. What is “righteousness,” and why should we pursue it? Can we achieve it, and if so, how?
About Righteousness
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “righteousness” as “the quality of being morally right, or justifiable.” In other words, being righteous means being “right” or correct in one’s thoughts, words, and deeds.
But, who/what defines what is “right?” Righteous behavior is encouraged by many of the world’s religions; Christianity is just one of them. In all cases, righteousness is characterized as a person’s consistently behaving in ways that are associated with good behavior, both toward the person’s chosen Deity and to his fellow men. Honesty, integrity, strong moral character, and charity are examples of characteristics that are ascribed to someone who is adjudged to be “righteous.”
A righteous person is also seen to have a vibrant spiritual life. Their actions in life serve as testaments to their devotion to their faith and reflect favorably on that faith and the beliefs it espouses.
Questions Answered
Then, the answer to our question of “who/what defines what is right?” is, “the beliefs and tenents of the practitioner’s faith.” For Christians, our faith, its beliefs, and its tenents are defined by God, speaking through the Bible and through our own consciences. Thus for Christians, it is God who defines “right.”
Earlier, we posited the question, “Why should we pursue righteousness?” There are myriads of answers to this question, but the fundamental answer is, “Because God tells us to.”
“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” [Micah 6:8] In other words, “Be righteous.”
We next asked, “how can we achieve righteousness?” I see a two-part answer to this question.
The first part is, “We, by ourselves, can’t.”
We can aspire to be righteous. This aspiration is the basis for the calls to “good actions” so prevalent in the Bible. I.e., “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy,” [Proverbs 31:9] and others too numerous to mention.
We can also act righteously. “For the grace of God…teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” [Titus 2:11-12] To paraphrase a famous quotation from Dale Carnegie, “Act righteously, and you’ll be righteous.” Consistent actions tend to become habits, and good habits can help us to be better people.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Because of our aspirations and actions, we may appear to be more righteous than someone else. But, because of our innate sinfulness, we are unable to achieve and maintain the “pure” state necessary to become and remain completely righteous.
We can “look” and “sound” righteous to others (and that is not all ‘bad’), but to BE righteous, we must become and remain righteous inwardly as well as outwardly, and that is something beyond even the most devout, the most desirous, or the most dedicated among us.
We can, as John Wesley said, “…go on to perfection,” but, for us, it will always be a journey; it will never be a destination.
The Good News and The Bad News
“So,” you ask, “if we cannot hope to be good enough to be legitimately called righteous, what hope is there for us?” “If God commands us to be “righteous,” and we cannot be, are we not doomed?”
Herein lies the second part of my answer to the question above. That is while we cannot hope to become and remain truly righteous by our own efforts and strivings, God has provided a way for us to attain our goal.
When we become members of the Christian Family of Faith and accept Jesus’s gifts to us, we become righteous through Him and because of His grace. In Romans 3:21-22, Paul assures us, “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
In other words, Christ, via His gift, has made all who believe in and follow Him, righteous. That which we could never do on our own, God has done for us.
Now, as we’ve discussed in prior posts, the two operative words here are “believe” and “follow.” Belief is necessary, but it must be supported by our actions during our lives. Only when we begin to act like Jesus, will we begin to be like Jesus. And that is what is necessary for our belief to become tangible to ourselves and those around us. We must, consciously, take on the task of “going on to perfection” (see Luke 6:46-49). And we must do so knowing that we will fall and fail.
The Good, Good News
But because of Jesus and His Promise, we will always be able to rise again in the knowledge that our sincere attempts to be like Him will be sufficient. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” [Galatians 6:9] If we truly believe in Him and follow His commands, we will, through Him, not just aspire to be righteous; we will be righteous.
Then, our righteousness will shine from us like a beacon through the night, calling others to Him. And when others refer to us as “righteous,” it will be true, because that’s what we are.
We are righteous. Thank You, Jesus!
Gods Blessings On You All,
Richard
October 18, 2019
