RIGHTEOUSNESS

OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW :

H6666 צְּדָקָה tsdaqah (tsed-aw-kaw') n-f.

1. rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity)

 

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK:

G1343 δικαιοσύνη dikaiosune (dik-ai-os-oo'-nay) n.

1. equity (of character or act)

 

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD IN EVERY WAY.

THE PRINCIPLE OF FIRST MENTION.

THE PRINCIPLE OF FIRST MENTION DICTATES THAT THE FIRST TIME A WORD IS USED IN THE BIBLE ITS CONTEXT ESTABLISHES AN IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE WHICH AFFECTS OR DETERMINES ALL FUTHER INTERPRETATIONS.

THE FIRST TIME ‘RIGHTEOUSNESS’ IS USED IN THE BIBLE IS IN GENESIS 15:6 - 

Gen 15:4 Now the word of the LORD came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body  will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

 6 Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

 

‘BELIEVED’ IS THE HEBREW  - H539 אָמַן 'aman (aw-man') v. WHICH MEANS ‘TO TRUST OR BELIEVE’.

‘RIGHTEOUSNESSS’ IS THE HEBREW - H6666 צְּדָקָה tsdaqah (tsed-aw-kaw') n-f. MEANING ‘RIGHTNESS’.

 

WHAT IS AMAZING IS THAT IN GENESIS 15:6 NOT ONLY IS THE WORD ‘RIGHTEOUSNESS’ USED FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT THE WORD ‘BELIEVED’ IS ALSO USED FOR THE FIRST TIME. GOD INTRODUCES TWO WORDS INTO THE BIBLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS VERSE AND CREATES AN UNBREAKABLE LINK BETWEEN THESE TWO WORDS. TO BELIEVE ALSO MEANS TO HAVE FAITH. SO GOD LINKS ‘FAITH’ AND ‘RIGHTEOUSNESS’ TOGETHER FROM THE MOMENT OF ‘FIRST MENTION’ AND DETERMINES THAT THE ONE WILL NEVER BE DEFINED WITHOUT THE OTHER. FAITH WILL FOREVER BE THE MEANS BY WHICH RIGHTEOUSNESSS IS RECEIVED, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL FOREVER BE THAT WHICH IS RECEIVED THROUGH FAITH. RIGHTEOUSNESS AND FAITH ARE INSEPARABLY AND ETERNALLY LINKED. 

 

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT PAUL AFFIRMS THIS PRINCIPLE IN ROMANS 4:1-8

 

ROM 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter? 2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

 6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

      7 ​​​​​​​“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
      8 ​​​​​​​blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.”

 

 

SO SCRIPTURE REVEALS THAT THE ONLY WAY ONE CAN RECEIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BY HAVING FAITH IN GOD. NO-ONE WILL BE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS BY KEEPING THE LAW. IF YOU ARE TRYING TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD (RIGHTEOUS) BY OBEYING RULES AND REGULATIONS YOU HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD THE CLEAR TEACHING OF THE BIBLE THAT NOTHING YOU EVER DO WILL MAKE YOU RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD. THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN BECOME RIGHTEOUS IS TO RECEIVE IT AS A FREE GIFT WHICH YOU CANNOT AND WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO EARN.

 

 Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – 22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe.

 

ONCE WE ARE SAVED AND DECLARED RIGHTEOUS BY FAITH, DO WE THEN HAVE TO RETURN TO THE LAW TO TRY AND BE GOOD CHRISTIANS BY KEEPING THE LAW?

 

 

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith.

 

THE BIBLE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT WE DO NOT RETURN TO THE LAW ONCE WE ARE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS. WE DO NOT TRY AND KEEP THE LAW IN ORDER TO BE GOOD CHRISTIANS – WE ARE TO CONTINUE TO LIVE BY FAITH. WE RECEIVE OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH AND WE KEEP OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH.

 

HOW THEN IS MY BEHAVIOUR GOING TO CHANGE IF NOT BY TRYING TO KEEP THE LAW?

 

2 CORINTH 3:7 But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets – came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), 8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! 10 For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. 11 For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness, 13 and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

 

THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT AS WE STOP LOOKING AT THE LAW (THE MINISTRY OF CONDEMNATION) AND LOOK INSTEAD AT THE MINISTRY THAT PRODUCES RIGHTEOUSNESS (GRACE THROUGH FAITH), WE WILL BE TRANSFORMED FROM ONE DEGREE OF GLORY TO ANOTHER.

 

I LIKE TO SAY IT THIS WAY – AS LONG AS I KEEP MY EYES ON MY POSITION OF RIGHTEOUS MY CONDITION WILL BE CHANGED FROM ONE DEGREE OF GLORY TO ANOTHER.  AS I CONTINUE TO BELEVE THAT I AM RIGHTEOUS THROUGH MY FAITH IN WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE, THE MORE MY CONDITION WILL REFLECT THAT REALITY. IT IS ALSO ABOUT IDENTITY. HOW I BEHAVE IS RELATED TO HOW I SEE MYSELF, MY SELF IMAGE AND MY IDENTITY. THE MORE I LOOK INTO THE LAW THE MORE CONSCIOUS I BECOME OF MY SIN, THE MORE I IDENTIFY MYSELF WITH MY SIN AND THE MORE I FALL INTO SIN. THE MORE I LOOK INTO MY RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST, THE MORE I IDENTIFY MYSELF WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE MORE MY BEHAVIOUR STARTS TO REFLECT MY RIGHTEOUSNESSS.

 

GAL 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!