What Is Righteousness?

Let’s begin with the definition of righteousness from Mirriam-Webster:

1: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin 2a: morally right or justifiable

This definition says, “Acting in accord with divine or moral law.” Let’s listen to the apostle Paul in the context of being blameless:

so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, (Philippians 1:10)

What does blameless mean? Being blameless is not willfully sinning:

Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression. (Psalm 19:13)

Some say that once we believe in Jesus, we’re automatically made righteous and that past, present, and future sins are forgiven. Sin is a choice. We must practice righteousness, and the Spirit of God gives us the ability to do this.

In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul tells us to put on the armor of God, the armor of Light. Part of this armor is the breastplate of righteousness:

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed (Ephesians 6:14)

If we’re automatically made righteous once we believe, then why do we need to put on the breastplate of righteousness? Let’s see how the breastplate of righteousness is described in 1 Thessalonians 5:

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

The breastplate of righteousness is described as faith and love. So, righteousness is synonymous with faith and love, and all that matters is faith, expressed through love:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love. (Galatians 5:6)

Righteousness is expressed through faith and love, and obedience comes from faith:

Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. (Romans 1:5)

Some false teachers say that God doesn’t see our sins, he just sees Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible does it say this. God placed the man Jesus between us and him to reconcile us back to him. Jesus Christ is our intercessor to God. He tells us to seek God’s righteousness:

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

Let’s go to the book of Daniel in the context of righteousness:

Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)

By telling people their future sins are automatically forgiven once they believe in Jesus, false teachers aren’t leading anyone to righteousness. Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross for the forgiveness of our past sins in which we walked in ignorance:

But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. (2 Peter 1:9)

The apostle Peter tells us that our past sins are forgiven. Those who teach in error twist the following scripture:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

In this scripture, their righteous acts are like filthy rags because they remain in their sins. We need to keep verse 6 in context with verse 5:

You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? (Isaiah 64:5)

A saved person can’t remain deliberately sinning and still be righteous. So, if people continue to deliberately sin, the righteous acts they do are like filthy rags to God.

No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him. (1 John 3:6; see also Hebrews 10:26-27)

Paul tells the Corinthians to test themselves to see if they’re in the faith:

5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you actually fail the test? 6 And I hope you will realize that we have not failed the test. (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

So, what is the test to see if we’re in the faith? Let’s go to verse 7:

Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not that we will appear to have stood the test, but that you will do what is right, even if we appear to have failed. (2 Corinthians 13:7)

The test of faith is doing what is right and not doing anything wrong. Let’s listen to the apostle Peter:

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, 35 but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)

Peter says, “Do what is right.”

Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may be well with you and that you may enter and possess the good land that the LORD your God swore to give your fathers, (Deuteronomy 6:18)

Here’s Daniel speaking to Nebuchadnezzar:

Therefore, may my advice be pleasing to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.” (Daniel 4:27)

Let’s listen to the apostle Paul:

For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. (2 Corinthians 8:21)

We do what is right. The Spirit of Jesus in our hearts gives us the ability to live a righteous life (see 2 Peter 1:3-4; cf. Romans 5:17). We must practice and pursue righteousness. Let’s look at the following scriptures in the context of pursuing righteousness:

Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

“Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn. (Isaiah 51:1)

The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness (Proverbs 15:9)

We must practice righteousness:

If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1 John 2:29)

Let’s listen to Jesus Christ again:

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24; see Ezekiel 33:32)

We have to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice. We don’t establish our own righteousness like those under the law, we must submit to God’s righteousness:

3 Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:3-4)

We have to submit to God’s righteousness, and this righteousness comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ:

And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, (Romans 3:22)

Let’s read this scripture:

and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:9)

Our righteousness is from God on the basis of faith, and let’s remember that obedience comes from faith. Let’s go back to Romans 1:

For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

The righteousness of God comes “by faith.”

What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith (Romans 9:30)

Righteousness comes “by faith” through the obedience that comes “from faith.”

Let’s go to the last chapter in the Bible:

Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” (Revelation 22:11)

This scripture says to “let the righteous continue to practice righteousness.” Let’s listen to the apostle John:

By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10)

Here’s the apostle Paul:

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous. (Romans 2:13)

Being a doer of the law is being obedient, and remember, we’re not justified by works of the law like circumcision. We’re justified freely by God’s grace.

Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin. (Romans 3:20)

So apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed and attested by the law, and the righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Breaking with sin isn’t overnight. We grow spiritually from infants to maturity in Christ. We can try to imagine it like turning on the light in the morning. At first, the light hurts our eyes, and it takes time for our eyes to adjust to the light. And after a short while, we can see to walk in the light. Continuing to deliberately sin is serious and may have everlasting consequences. Ultimately, only God knows the heart, and he will judge. We’ve been given the free will to choose to sin or not.

Whoever does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. (Colossians 3:25)

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

Paul tells us to “work out” our salvation with fear and trembling. Let’s continue in 2 Timothy:

Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Paul tells “us” to make every effort.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:11)

The author of Hebrews (Titus) tells “us” to make every effort.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, (2 Peter 1:10)

Peter tells “us” to make every effort.

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (Luke 13:24)

Jesus tells “us” to make every effort. Let’s listen to the five foolish virgins whose lamps went out when they ran out of oil:

11 Later, the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ (Matthew 25:11-12; see also 7:21-23)

Those who are crying “Lord, Lord” represent believers. We have to keep our lamps burning:

“Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. (Leviticus 24:2)

Here’s Jesus:

Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. (Luke 12:35)

When our lamps are burning, we’ll be ready to open the door at once when Jesus comes and knocks. Sadly, not all believers will enter, possibly fifty percent.

We have to listen to Jesus and be doers of the Word. We have to do what Jesus says:

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say? (Luke 6:46; cf. Matthew 7:21-23)

In Christ, if we sin from human weakness, we go to Jesus to ask for forgiveness as it says in 1 John 2:1-2. As we grow spiritually, our sins should become less and less, and we should never deliberately sin. Every wave of temptation to sin that we let pass strengthens us a little for the next wave. This is how we build endurance.

Let’s try our hardest not to sin because we love the Lord and want to please him. The Spirit of Jesus that’s in us is the same Jesus we read about in the New Testament. How would we act if Jesus was standing next to us? We would be on our best behavior. Well, he is with us. So, let’s not grieve the Spirit, and let’s not be the ones crying “Lord, Lord” on that day. Let’s live to righteousness, making every effort to stand before the Lord on the day of Christ, blameless and confident. So, in these last days, let’s make every effort to do what’s right. Let’s receive God’s promise of eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and savior and turning from unrighteousness.

Blessed are those who uphold justice, who practice righteousness at all times. (Psalm 106:3)