Righteousness is the goal for disciples, as that means we are imitating God. This daily devotional reviews what righteousness is and isn’t as well as what our response should be.
Devotions in the Self-Discipline Review series
All year, we’ve been looking at self-discipline. We looked at self-discipline as the operational plan for self-control because it talked about improvement.
We are reviewing everything and hopefully putting all of the building blocks together. What I am doing is going through all of the devotions for the year and pulling out the nuggets.
I am formatting this as a glossary page. If I already have one, I will combine them later.
Righteousness can be a confusing concept, but it is an important one. Righteousness is a character trait of God. To imitate God, we need to be righteous.
What Is Righteousness?
Righteousness is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of conscientious obedience to God’s laws and commandments.
- Follows is the list of what the righteousness of God is:
- An attribute of God.
- Given as a gift by God to those who are redeemed by faith in Jesus.
- Given freely to all who confess Him as Sovereign Lord.
- Not earned through things we do.
- Eliminates human unrighteousness.
- Evident to all.
- Validated by the law and prophets (God’s Judgment of Sin).
- The only way we can receive this righteousness is through revelation by God. We can’t be set apart, perfect, and pure without Him (How the Righteousness of God Filters to Us; What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Obedience).
- Righteousness is a gift from God. If righteousness is a gift, it is received through faith. It is only through the Plan of Salvation that we can attain this righteousness (What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Obedience; Did Jesus or His Blood Redeem Us?; The Promise of Righteousness).
- Righteousness comes when we are reconciled to God, adopted into His family, and strive to become more like Him. Righteousness has to come from God as we obey Him (The Promise of Righteousness; What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Wisdom?).
- Romans 10: 10 says righteousness comes before salvation. Belief = righteousness. Confession = salvation (Salvation in a Nutshell).
- True salvation starts out with faith. From that comes righteousness. It is a progression on the Sanctification Road. We get to righteousness by navigating the Sanctification Road (Where Is Jesus?; But the Man after God’s Own Heart Was a Warrior).
- Once we have the faith and trust in God, He works on us to increase our righteousness (What Is Righteousness?).
- We have to get to the righteousness by going through the process of sanctification. However, sanctification is accomplished through obedience. That is doing the do’s and not doing the don’ts (Faith as a Virtue).
- Righteousness is all about putting the wisdom we have learned from growing in grace and knowledge into practice to make us imitators of God (What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Wisdom?).
- Romans 10: 5 doesn’t say that the law gives us salvation. It says the law gives us righteousness (Where Is Jesus?).
- The laws show us God’s character. They show us how to imitate Him. If we obey the laws, we grow in holiness and righteousness (Where Is Jesus?).
- Righteousness is the outcome of obedience. It means we are doing the do’s and not doing the don’ts, living within God’s Will. Obedience to God’s laws and commandments makes us holy. Holiness brings us righteousness (What Is the Tribulation?; What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Wisdom?; What Is the Relationship between Relationship and Obedience?).
- Righteousness is the end goal. It has to come from God. It is all about putting the wisdom we have learned from growing in grace and knowledge into practice so that we are imitators of God (How Do Disciples Crave Righteousness?).
- It isn’t just about doing the do’s and not doing the don’ts. It is about changing our character to be more Christ. It is continuing to move forward on the Sanctification Road to reach the destination of righteousness (How Are Disciples Merciful?).
- If righteousness is the product of holiness, and holiness is the product of regeneration that comes with faith, it all begins with a choice. We choose to ABCD. The righteousness comes when we demonstrate that commitment by following our job description (What Is Righteousness?).
What Is Unrighteousness?
Adam and Eve destroyed the relationship with God when they let sin into their lives. God sent them away because He has limits to the unrighteousness He can stand (Sins against God).
God is always angry with unrighteousness (Saved by a Donkey).
Righteousness isn’t about what God will or will not give us. It is all about our choice to be like Him (How Do Disciples Crave Righteousness?).
Righteousness isn’t the results of actions. It is the ground on which the actions grow (How Do Disciples Crave Righteousness?).
We can’t believe that we can purposefully go ahead and keep sinning. We are supposed to strive for righteousness (How Do Disciples Crave Righteousness?).
A lot of the definitions I see of righteousness just say something about living right. That is a part of it. I don’t think that is all of it. Haven’t you heard of some worldview people argue that they live a more Christian life than disciples do? But it isn’t about just living right. Yes, we do have to follow all of God’s laws and commandments after salvation. If we could live a life doing all the do’s and not doing any of the don’ts, then Jesus would not have had to die for us. But we can’t do that. We need a Savior. To me, righteousness is the result of a solid relationship with God built by a sincere life of obedience to God’s laws and commandments (How Do We Profit from Scriptures?).
God is going to judge Israel and the world for their unrighteousness. It does not say God is going to judge the church during this time (What Is the Tribulation?).
Don’t follow a lifestyle of evil. Instead, follow the Light of righteousness (The Way of Wisdom).
Religion alone can’t get you the lasting wealth and righteousness. It can’t be lip-service religion (Walking the Way of Righteousness through Wisdom).
Our Response to Righteousness
Mourning is a genuine sorrow for the sin we commit. That facilitates our repentance, which takes us that much closer to holiness and righteousness. That should be a comfort to us (How Do Disciples Mourn?).
We experience persecution because of righteousness. It is Satan and his forces battling against God (How Do Disciples Escape Persecution?).
Jesus called charity work the way we practice our righteousness (Disciples and Charitableness).
We should crave righteousness, not that we have to be 100% fruit of the Spirit perfect (How Do Disciples Crave Righteousness?).
God’s bringing in the righteousness is kind of like a graduation for us. We have completed — and succeeded on — the Sanctification Road. It is now time to enter heaven (What Is the Tribulation?).
Our minds are focused on Him — not on us. We have to be prepared in the way that imitates Him. That is righteousness, faithfulness, and truth (Are We Proactive or Reactive?).
Righteousness (or piety) doesn’t come because we are good people. It only comes when we are submitted to God (Walking the Ways of Righteousness through Wisdom).
We can expect to suffer persecution on the way of righteousness. It will increase as Satan takes more and more control of this world (Walking the Ways of Righteousness through Wisdom).
We need to use reflection and evaluation to determine where our hearts are at on the Sanctification Road — leading us to righteousness (Spiritual Wisdom Leads to Righteousness).
Our service doing God’s Will leads to the righteousness of God in Christ (How Are Satisfaction and Peace Related to Spiritual Needs?).
We can find satisfaction in righteousness. If we have the conscience — though damaged — like that of God, getting it fixed through righteousness should be very satisfying. (How Are Satisfaction and Peace Related to Spiritual Needs?).
We can only become righteous when we put our trust in Christ. Our goal is the righteousness of God in Christ (II Cor. 5: 21) (How Are Satisfaction and Peace Related to Spiritual Needs?).
As we go along, we are to desire for more righteousness. Why? Because righteousness is at the end of the Sanctification Road. Righteousness is the entrance to Heaven (How Are Satisfaction and Peace Related to Spiritual Needs?).
I would say the internal and external righteousness is our character and how we exhibit that character to others. Character is an internal thing. We are deciding the moral code we will follow (Staying Strong in God during Hard Times to Build Hope).
Outward purity is seen as morality; inward purity is seen as righteousness (What Is Purity to a Disciple of Christ?).
We have to work the sanctification progression from conversion to righteousness. We have to grow from milk babies to steak adults (How Do We Know We Have Eternal Hope?).
Divine Intervention with Righteousness
The qualities of God are His holiness and righteousness. Those are what we are to imitate (Eph. 5: 1) (What Is Self-Discipline?).
We are equating kindness and love. God’s character is love. That triggers the thought (godliness), which triggers the act itself (righteousness). So, Who God is —in fact — is controlling thoughts and behaviors (Kindness and Love as Virtues).
When we look at the list of what the righteousness of God is, it bleeds into His righteousness filtering down to us (Did Jesus or His Blood Redeem Us?).
We battle, but God is on our side when we are battling for righteousness (The Battle between Flesh and Spirit).
God can judge because He judges in righteousness and with equity (God’s Judgment of Sin).
Jesus created the church, which gave it life. He gave it His righteousness. Everything came from Him (How Do We Keep the Sabbath?).
When we imitate Jesus’ sincerity, we are exhibiting righteousness (Walking the Ways of Righteousness through Wisdom).
This isn’t righteousness of the law. It isn’t righteousness of the do’s and don’ts. It is righteousness of faith. It starts with believing Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins (The Promise of Righteousness).
Righteousness alone will satisfy God’s wrath. Isn’t it appropriate that righteousness is the only thing that God will except because it comes from Him? (The Promise of Righteousness).
Right now, God is judging the world with patience. He is allowing us to come to Him and ask forgiveness. One day, that patience will be over. The wrath of God will be upon us. We are going to find out if our names are written in the Book of Life. We will be judged in righteousness. If the judgment is going to have rigor, it is going to be thorough and accurate. There won’t be any playing favorites. No one is going to get a free pass. This judgment is when Jesus is going to separate the sheep from the goats (Why Is Repentance Important?).
Righteousness and Churchy Words
Holiness is a characteristic of God’s nature. We are to imitate that nature, resulting in righteousness (What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Holiness).
Righteousness is the thought or behavior; godliness is the cause for the thought or behavior (Godliness as a Virtue).
Boldness because of righteousness brings peace (How Does Boldness Help Consistency?).
Piety is defined as reverence and blameless. Today, the word is translated as righteousness (What Do You Mean All Disciples Won’t Get into Heaven).
Sanctification is the vehicle, and righteousness is the results of that growth (What Is the Relationship between Righteousness and Sanctification?).
Sanctification is the continuum between regeneration and righteousness (What Else Is Spiritual Freedom?).
On our Sanctification Road, we will not continue to progress toward righteousness if we allow our human passions to rule our lives (Temperance as a Virtue).
Whether godliness is the end of the progression or love is, the focus has to be our growing to be more like God. We want the sanctification, so we get to righteousness (Kindness and Love as Virtue).
When we discern the wisdom of God, it produces fruits of righteousness. It is the fruit that is grown as we grow closer to God (The Fruits of Discerning the Voice of God).
God loves us. Because He does, He provides wisdom – when we seek Him – that leads to righteousness (Walking the Ways of Righteousness through Wisdom).
I see the way of righteousness through wisdom and the Sanctification Road as one and the same. Luckily, we don’t walk this road by ourselves. God is always with us (Walking the Ways of Righteousness through Wisdom).
Wisdom is equated more with righteousness. It is more application than just head knowledge (The Correlation between Fear of the Lord, Wisdom, and Obedience).
The result of wisdom is a closer relationship with God (righteousness), which is to be prized above religion (Spiritual Wisdom Leads to Righteousness).
Gracious Father. Our goal is to imitate You. Doing that will change our character to Yours. You reward us with righteousness. Thank You, Lord, for helping us to become more like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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