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Living Righteously

"To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrifice" (Proverbs 21:3).

The Hebrew word saddiq is translated as righteous or just, its original meaning meant straight or right.[1] In the Old Testament righteousness is closely linked with God's judgeship.[2]  "But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness" (Psalms 9:7-8). God is a just judge, he punishes the wicked and delivers his people who are obedient. By his grace he establishes a covenant with a people, (1 Chronicles 16:16-17) and in his faithfulness to this covenant he shows his righteousness in the form of salvation to his people.[2]  Faith counted for righteousness, God's covenant with Abraham was brought about by faith, "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).

 Much of the New Testament is taken up with the purpose of showing that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah, righteousness and salvation is centered in him and is closely related to the kingdom of God.[2] John the baptist prepared the way and Jesus is the righteous Son and redeemer who is bringing the kingdom to fulfillment. We seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and everything else will be given to us (Matthew 6:33). Knowing that the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the father, we seek it (Matthew 13:43). This kingdom is like a merchant finding a pearl of great value, like a treasure found hidden in a field, and like a net thrown into the sea which gathers fish of all kinds (Matthew 13:44-47). This kingdom of Grace is worthy of emotion, passion, and excitement; like finding a rare pearl, a hidden treasure, or like catching a rare fish or many of all kinds. 

Righteousness is that which is straight and right, it is the right way, the narrow path. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their false righteousness; they trusted in themselves and their moral accomplishments of following the law. God dislikes false righteousness, hypocrisy, and lukewarmness of life without his passion. Our righteousness is in Christ; he is the way, the truth, and the life. We must live out righteousness but how do we? How shall I come before God, with sacrifices of a 1000 rams or 10000 rivers of oil, shall I give my firstborn, the fruit of my body, for the transgression of my soul? Some things are more acceptable to God. "He has told you, O man, what is good and what does Yahweh require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:6-8). The kingdom of God is of mercy, humility, righteousness, peace, justice, it is about living righteously so that we are salt and light to the world (Matthew 5).

Justice, mercy, and humility is more acceptable to God than sacrifices. "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:28-35). God seeks justice for those who are afflicted, the widows and orphans, he gives mercy to sinners, and favor to those who are humble. Should not we? Our righteousness is not in the things we do but through Grace by faith in Jesus. Grace brings liberty, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2). Grace is not a liberty to continue living the way we lived before, even though we are free from the law of sin and death, we are now under the law of the Spirit. The law of the Spirit sanctifies us and brings life and peace. We are to be spiritually minded, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to think on things that are pure and good. We are to love mercy, to seek justice, to walk humbly with our God.

We are justified in Christ at salvation, given the Spirit of God as assurance and as power to help us walk by the Spirit, living it out righteously. We are chosen, called to be separate, to walk the right way, we are called to be holy as he is holy. To live righteously requires God's spirit and our commitment. Our commitment to live righteously is a call to sanctification, it is becoming weak so that he may become stronger, it is denying self and taking up our cross and following him. The liberty is in that I now have the passion of Christ in me, it is not a duty, a law to follow in fear of punishment, it is inside my Spirit. "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). It says I love him because he first loved me, it says there is no greater love than someone would lay down his life for a friend. How many people do you know who would lay down their life for you? Do we understand God's love as such, is the Spirit of God in us?

I follow Jesus to live righteously because through my righteous living others may come to know his great love, they see him through me. At the last supper Christ gave a new commandment, one that he said would identify his disciples to the world; this commandment was to love each other as he has loved us. His Grace is everything, His Mercy and Love is good, just, and everlasting. If we understand such love, justice, and mercy, should we not give it to others? Jesus's prayer recorded in John 17 is that believers would be in unity as the Father and He is one, be as one, doing so others would know that he was from God. What better evangelistic tool can we have? Jesus also said that if you love me you will follow my commandments. Was he saying that if we love him we will follow the law? The ten commandments?

If our righteousness is in Christ's works, in redemption, and not in following the ten commandments or the law, would Jesus point us back to the law to live righteously? Of course not, no one was ever made righteous by the law. Hebrews 11 writes of those from the Old Testament who were counted righteous by their faith. Faith is a constant theme throughout the bible, old and new testaments, and so it is that God is looking at our hearts, not the external, he is a heart seeker. Fulfilling the law is to love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And to love our neighbors as ourselves. And to love and be in unity with believers as he loves us and is in unity with us and the Father. It is these laws he is writing on our hearts, if we follow these laws we live righteously, praising him, and through this others will know that Jesus is of the Father and that we are his disciples; by us living righteously.

“ For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).

Like Incense - Hillsong 


[1] Elwell, Walter. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Mi: Baker Academic, 2001
[2] Ibid., pg. 1033

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