RIGHTEOUSNESS

What does it mean, to be righteous?  There are many scriptures that speak of God's righteousness and there are many scripture that speak about our righteousness.  How can we, as mere human beings, made of dust and dirt, ever be righteous before our Creator who is righteousness himself?  We are fallen creatures with selfish desires and filled with sin. So many times in our lives all we want to do is what we want to do and hardly even look at God, let alone know who He is and how righteous He is.  We seek our "self" most of our lives.  We are very selfish created beings.

 

So why do the scriptures tell us over and over again to be righteous? 

 

Proverbs 21:21 (NLT)

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

 

Ephesians 5:8-10 (NKJV)

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

 

Matthew 5:20 (NKJV)

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

Webster Dictionary defines righteous as:

acting in accord with divine or moral law

free from guilt or sin

morally right or justifiable

acting rightly

upright

according to what is right

righteous actions

a sense of what is right

 

Being morally right can be different in the eyes of each person depending on what their convictions are.  One person's idea of what is right many times does not match another persons idea of what is right.  Look at the comparison of what the criminal believes in and what the law abiding citizen believes in.  A criminal may believe that he can take whatever he wants from whomever he wants to take from while the law abiding citizen believes that it is illegal and is a crime and should be punished.  Each person makes a determination of what they believe is right and just for themselves.  Each person has their own idea of what truth is.  We live in a world where truth can be whatever you want it to be regardless of the reality of it.

 

But God is a spiritual being.  He is not a created being. He is the Alpha and the Omega.  He is the Beginning and the End.  He is I AM.  He always was.  He always is.  Our finite minds have a hard time thinking about our Spiritual Father who is infinite.  His righteousness is compete.  It is without flaw.  It is perfect just as He is.  We are not.  So again, how can we be righteous in His eyes?  How can we ever meet that expectation?  How can we ever be like Him in righteousness?

 

Isaiah 55:9 - For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

 

Romans 11:33 - Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

 

Psalms 113:4 - For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens.

 

Being right in the eyes of God is based upon His standards and not man's standards. He has given us teachings on how to be righteousness over and over in the Bible.  He has set the law down in writing and tells us to follow these laws.  His laws are not man's laws.  His ways are not man's ways.  Our conduct in the world is taught in scripture.  Our attitude towards others is taught in scripture.  Our use of words in the world is taught scripture.  Everything on how to go through day by day life on earth is taught in the scriptures.  We chose whether or not to live by those teachings or should I say, His law.  

 

Isaiah 33:22 - For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

 

When we choose to follow Jesus as our Lord, king and savior we choose to follow His laws. 

 

John 10:30 - I and my Father are one.

 

We choose to walk as He walked and talk as He talked.  We choose to do things His way and not the way of the world.  We come to the point where we know we are not of this world and are separated from the ways of this world.  We understand that the prince of this world is the evil one who seeks to steal, kill and destroy all things of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  The devil is filled with rebellion and wants to make us rebel against the laws of God.  We understand the battle is between good and evil and a fight for the souls of the people born into this world.  We understand that the devil wants to lead us away from God and His righteousness.  He wants us to be in rebellion to God so that our souls will be judged against God's law.  He does not want us to have any part of God's righteousness.

 

Every day we make choices to follow God and his righteousness or follow the ways of the world.  We have been given free will to determine the outcome of our lives.  We choose what to pursue in life.

 

Proverbs 21:21 - Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.