Day 3 - June 8, 2011

What is righteousness? Or more specifically what is the definition of righteousness? Now I must preface this post with the statement that Righteousness is not something that I fully understand. To some extend I grasp the concept of rightousness but I admit I have a lot to learn. Nor have I modeled righteousness very well either. It's like the idea of Perfection, I grasp the concept but I am far, very far, from perfect. With that said, let's get started.

Merrium-Webster defines Righteousness as acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin. First of all, let's look at the part of speech, I would have guessed an action verb, but no it is an adjective, and yes this is a run-on sentence. Righteousness is a state of being, a description, a virtue, an attribute that describes how one acts. A person can be described as having righteousness if they are acting in accordance with a divine or moral law, or if they are free from guilt or sin. 

Romans 4:3

New International Version (NIV)

³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”


What is a divine or moral law? Ok, where do I begin? Umm, the bible, God's inspired word, God's divine and moral law. That was easy. Just kidding, here it goes. Take for instance the current laws we have in this country. Would acting in accordance with the laws of this country, or any country for that matter, be considered acts of righteousness? Hmmm, how do I put this politely, NO! Obeying the laws of this land constitutes the bare minimum needed to have a functioning society. Even though, in America, the framers of our constitution based it on principles found in the bible, our laws today that stem from the constitution cannot begin to be considered divine or moral. The point is that the emphasis must be on the divine and moral aspect of the Law.  As Christians, our Ultimate authority is God's law. In Exodus 20, God gave the Isrealites the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:1-20

New International Version (NIV)

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

 ¹ And God spoke all these words: ² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
 ³ “You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.
 ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
 ⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
 ⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
 ¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
 ¹³ “You shall not murder.
 ¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.
 ¹⁵ “You shall not steal.
 ¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
 ¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
 ¹⁸ When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
 ²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”


Then Jesus came and expanded upon these principles to help us further understand God's Law, and the need to obey it...

Matthew 5:17-20

New International Version (NIV)

The Fulfillment of the Law

    ¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ 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.


Hopefully, this introduction to the definition of rightousness was enough to start you on the journey of searching for more meaning.  My prayer is that this discussion will lead us to a point that we will understant a little bit more about what righteousness is, how much we need it, and how to pursue it.