Tag: righteousness

Posted on

Why You Must Receive the Gift of Righteousness

Unless you receive the gift of righteousness from God, any righteousness you muster will fall short of what he requires.

The gift of righteousness

If I asked, What did God give you when you became a follower of Jesus? what would you say? Stop reading, close your eyes, and think of two things he gave you at that point of conversion.

My guess is you said one of the following: salvation, forgiveness of sins, grace, mercy, eternal life. Most likely you didn’t say one of the most important things God gave you at the point of conversion. He gave you the gift of righteousness.

Scripture uses that phrase in Romans 5:17: “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” (ESV).

The gift of righteousness

Think birthday or Christmas gifts. God has given you a far greater, priceless gift, and it is the gift of righteousness.

In my early teens, my parents gave me the gift of an adult bicycle. I loved that bike and remember everything about it: the metallic-red finish, the wheels narrower than those of a kids’ bike, the ability to go much faster than on my previous bike. That bike changed and enlarged my life, setting me free to go longer distances, to go to the homes of friends farther away, to explore, to simply enjoy riding fast and going where I wanted.

In far greater ways, the gift of righteousness changes your life. It especially changes your life if you understand it.

Martin Luther tormented

For example, in the early 1500s Martin Luther was a Christian scholar who like most people of his time did not understand the gift of righteousness. He believed in foundational Christian teachings such as the Trinity, atonement through Christ’s death, and the nature of Jesus as God and man, but he understood righteousness as something you have in yourself with help from God’s grace. You try hard to be righteous, and then God in righteousness judges your words, thoughts, motives, and deeds as either righteous or not.

As a result, he was miserable, for he knew he never measured up no matter how hard he tried. So he went regularly to confession and meticulously confessed his sins, every single act of omission or neglect, every wrong motive or attitude. He would literally confess for hours. And shortly after leaving the confessional booth, he could turn around and go back in and confess more failures. He was a tormented man, obsessed with the condition of his soul, never sure of his salvation.

Luther’s awakening

Then one day as he studied Romans 1:17, he received the revelation that changed his life and eventually changed the Christian world. This verse says that in the gospel “the righteousness of God is revealed.” He had always understood the phrase “righteousness of God” in the possessive sense, meaning God’s righteousness, in particular God’s righteousness in judging sinners.

Luther’s breakthrough came when he realized that “righteousness of God” meant instead the righteousness that God gives to those who have faith, in other words, the righteousness that comes from God to those who believe. This is using the word of in the same way it is used in the phrases “the rewards of hard work” or “the benefits of healthy eating.”

In other words, Luther came to understand that righteousness is a gift given to those who have faith in Christ.

Paul discovers the gift of righteousness

The apostle Paul had a similar awakening. He had been a Pharisee entirely focused on keeping the Law of Moses so that he could be righteous. Then God revealed to him the gospel message about righteousness being a gift. As a result of that revelation, Paul writes:

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8–9, ESV).

The great exchange

The righteousness that God gives you is the righteousness of Jesus himself. This is one half of the Great Exchange. Our sins were credited to Jesus on the cross, and his righteousness is credited to us.

The gift of righteousness is called imputed righteousness. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to you.

Preferring self-righteousness

This sounds wonderful, but not everyone welcomes the idea, in particular those who are proud of their own supposed righteousness and therefore don’t think they need Jesus. The apostle Paul writes of his beloved countrymen:

“My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:1–4).

The same thing is happening today. People of many religions are trying to establish their own righteousness to make themselves acceptable to God apart from Jesus.

It won’t work. That’s like trying to swim from California to Japan nonstop. Some people will swim farther than others, but no one will make it there, not even close.

No one can be righteous on his own. The only way to be acceptable to God is through the gift of righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

What the gift of righteousness tells us about God

What does all this teach us about God and his ways? Remember, God designed the way of salvation long before he created the world, so the gospel reveals his desires.

It tells he wanted to relate to us on the basis of grace and mercy, not our merit. (See Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 11:32; Luke 18:9–14)

It tells of his infinite generosity. He wanted to give us an indescribable gift. (See John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 9:15)

It tells he is absolutely opposed to human pride and boasting. (See 1 Corinthians 1:29–31; Ephesians 2:8–9) He knows he alone is worthy of all glory, and he will not give his rightful glory to another. (See Isaiah 48:11)

It tells he himself wanted to be our righteousness. (See Jeremiah 23:6)

Our way and God’s way

Our way: Be good, do the right thing, and God will approve of you and welcome you into heaven, regardless of what you believe about Jesus.

God’s way: Acknowledge you can never be good enough for God, no matter how religious or moral you try to be. Just as you can’t swim nonstop from California to Japan, you can’t be holy enough for a perfectly holy God of impeccable justice who promises to one day judge you for everything you’ve ever thought, said, and done. Rely on Jesus alone to give you the gift of his righteousness.

Life principle: Confidence in our relationship with God comes from understanding the gift of righteousness. “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Posted on

God’s Commitment to Righteousness

Doing right is God’s non-negotiable way of doing things.

doing right

I was shopping at Walmart a few years ago during the Christmas season and came across a shirt for sale with this message printed on the chest: “naughty, nice, whatever.”

That alludes, of course, to the song about Santa Claus and his work:

He’s making a list,

And checking it twice,

Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

He sees you when you’re sleeping,

He knows when you’re awake.

He knows when you’ve been bad or good,

So be good for goodness sake!

Doing right

“Naughty, nice, whatever” expresses the spirit of our age, commonly called postmodernism, and is summed up in the word whatever. In other words, nothing ultimately matters, there really is no such thing as absolute right and wrong, or if there is, no one can say for sure what it is. To the person wearing that shirt, being bad or good doesn’t really matter, and being good for goodness sake is merely a quaint idea.

That spirit stands in direct contrast with one important truth the gospel teaches about God—his righteousness. The gospel turns on the idea of righteousness—God’s righteousness, our unrighteousness, and how God’s righteousness can be imputed to the unrighteous sinner.

Jesus doing right

Jesus personified the importance of righteousness to God. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he came to John the Baptist at the Jordan River to receive baptism. John said, “‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’” (Matthew 3:14–15, ESV)

Fulfilling all righteousness is God’s way of doing things. He fulfills all righteousness in everything—everything—he does. In the innumerable things that God has thought and said and done in the history of this created world, he has never done wrong, not once. He cannot do wrong. He loves what is right and does only what is right.

Scripture says

Scripture says:

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works” (Psalm 145:17).

“I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24).

“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory” (Psalm 97:6).

The gospel turns on righteousness

God displays his righteousness in many ways, but far and away the greatest display is the gospel. In the following summary of the gospel in Romans 3, notice the centrality and repetition of the word righteousness and different forms of the word just:

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21–26, ESV)

In Greek, the words righteousness (dikaiosyne) and just (dikaios) are based on the same root (dik). Righteousness pervades the gospel. The gospel answers two questions: (1) How can sinners be found righteous in the sight of God? and (2) How can God be righteous in forgiving sinners?

God showing his commitment to doing right

We might suppose God doesn’t care what anyone thinks. In one sense that is true, of course, but in another sense, God is extremely concerned what humans, angels, and demons think. Verse 26, above, says God designed the means of salvation as he did “to show his righteousness at the present time.” God cares so deeply about righteousness that he designed the gospel in such a way is to leave beyond any question that he has been perfectly righteous in his dealings with mankind.

When Judgment Day has reached its conclusion and all things are known, when all the works of God and humans have been made public, as they surely will be, every mouth will be stopped. No one will be able to accuse God of wrongdoing. At that time, God’s righteousness will shine brighter than the sun, to the praise of his glory.

How the gospel displays God’s righteousness

1. How can unrighteous sinners be found righteous in the sight of God? God makes the unrighteous righteous. He accomplishes this by the work of his righteous Son Jesus on their behalf. God’s righteous Son Jesus accomplishes the Great Exchange—in fact, the greatest exchange in human history.  “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Our unrighteousness was put on Jesus, and his righteousness was given to us. At the cross, our status was exchanged with his status. Our unrighteousness went to him, and his righteousness went to us.

We can be found righteous in the sight of God because we are found “in him,” in Christ, in the righteous one.

“By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11).

“The Lord is our righteousness” (Jer. 33:16).

2. How can God be righteous in forgiving unrighteous sinners? God won’t ignore justice to forgive the unrighteous, because he is perfectly righteous and just. He can forgive our unrighteous deeds because Jesus acted as our substitute, receiving the wrath of God in full at the Cross for these deeds.

Jesus “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:22–24)

At the cross, God showed beyond a doubt that he is the righteous judge of all. Even if it required punishing his beloved Son, he would not just forgive sins.

Our ways and God’s ways

Our way: Fallen mankind is not committed to what is right.

God’s way: The Lord is totally committed to what is right, even if it means Jesus must go to the cross in order to save the sinners he loves.

Life principle: Once our unrighteous deeds are forgiven through faith in Jesus, we must walk in the ways of our Father in heaven and learn to delight in righteousness, to be totally committed to doing what is right. God did not put Jesus through the suffering of the cross for us to go on content with unrighteous living. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). The better we understand God’s commitment to righteousness, the more we become committed to righteousness if we truly love him.

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)

Posted on

Righteous Love

God’s righteous love never violates righteousness and justice.

righteous love

Imagine a father-and-sons building company. Jason Smith, the father, is a master carpenter who employs his three sons building houses. Jason dearly loves his three sons, but he has a soft spot in particular for the middle son Allen. When Allen was a child, he nearly died in a car accident, and ever since then his father has had a difficult time saying no to him.

Jason does not toss up houses overnight. He refuses to work for any developer who wants to construct inferior buildings. He is a stickler for using quality materials and for following city building codes to the letter.

And therefore a home built by Jason Smith and sons is a masterpiece. No crooked walls or corners, no plumbing that breaks six months after moving in, no surprising leaks in the roof during an extraordinary rainfall, no cheap light fixtures that blink and develop shorts, no seepage in the basement, no cracks in the cement, no cold rooms in winter. When Jason Smith builds a house, a homeowner gets a perfect home, a dream home to be proud of and safe in. An investment for a lifetime and an inheritance for one’s family.

Trouble

Over the course of time, Allen befriends some other builders in town who are his age. They hang out more and more. Surprisingly, given Allen’s upbringing, his new friends are not master builders. In fact, they are greedy builders whose top priority is making fast money, not quality homes. They bend rules. They break building codes. They bribe building inspectors. They make big money, and eventually bitter enemies.

Then an economic downturn comes to town, and the construction business is hit hard. Developers are building few homes. Contracts are tough to come by, even for Jason Smith and Sons.

A quick fix

One day Allen surprises his father with a suggestion. “Dad, I think we can get more business if we cut a few corners.”

“What kind of corners do you mean, Son?”

“Well, Dad, let’s face it. Our bids can’t compete with other builders.”

“That’s true. We can’t beat the bids of builders who are breaking the rules and getting away with it. But that’s only true for the short term.”

“I know that, Dad, but we have to deal with reality in the short term too. These are hard times. Until this economic recession ends, I think we need to save money by using lower quality materials and turning out homes on a faster schedule. You’re secure financially and can weather this downturn; I can’t. I need the steady income.”

“I’ll lend you money.”

“No, I’m not going to take handouts.”

“Allen, you know how I feel about this. But let me think it over for a few days.”

For three days, Jason Smith agonizes over what to do. He barely sleeps. His every instinct says to stay the course and do what’s right. But he can’t find the will to say no to Allen. He can’t bear to see him and his wife and children going through a hard time.

Finally he calls Allen. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he says, “All right, Son. Only until this recession ends, we’ll do it your way.”

Righteous love

In this example, we see a father who does what he feels is wrong for the sake of someone he loves. God never does that. God never compromises on righteousness and justice for the sake of love.

Scripture says, “Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24, ESV).

This Scripture is one of many showing that God’s love, righteousness, and justice are inseparably woven together, like a handmade rug with horizontal and vertical threads.

Scripture says of the Messiah, “A throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness” (Isaiah 16:5).

God’s love never violates righteousness. His love is always a righteous love.

What does it mean to love righteously, to love in righteousness, with righteousness, for righteousness?

Wicked love

Consider the opposite: wicked love. For an extreme example, think of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. They had a worldly love that cooperated in doing wrong. Together they fostered idolatry in Israel. Together they murdered, stole, and oppressed the poor, as when they murdered a neighbor who would not sell his field to them and then claimed the land.

When love is evil and worldly, relationships are built on sinning together, with two or more people bonded by their mutual enjoyment of and pursuit of evil. One of the most commonplace forms of wicked love is two people bonded together in a relationship of sexual sin. Even more common are friendships built on sins of the tongue such as gossip and slander.

God only does what is right

Righteous love means God’s love always does what is right, not wrong, follows what is right, not wrong, pursues what is right, not wrong. When love is righteous, it is concerned about right and wrong, not primarily about feelings. Feelings follow righteousness, rather than righteousness following feelings. Feelings guide at times—feelings such as compassion, pity, affection, passion—but only when they align with righteousness.

That’s because feelings can lead a person astray.

If Jesus had followed feelings, he would not have submitted to the Father and gone to the Cross.

If the Father had followed his feelings, he would not have sent his Son to the Cross to suffer and die for his enemies.

Justice and salvation

The preeminent example of the righteousness of God’s love is the means he chose to save sinners. He did not simply forgive sinners on the basis of his love and mercy. If he had done so, justice would not have been served. The unrighteous deeds of men would have simply been overlooked. Murderers, rapists, liars, and thieves would not be penalized for their crimes. God would have acted as though all the blasphemies and perversions of mankind had never happened. God’s love would have somehow covered over the entire, vile mess of human history.

But God’s righteousness would not allow it. His justice must be served. And so he found a way to wed justice and love. He sent his holy Son to suffer and die on the cross as a substitute for us. Jesus took the just penalty that we deserved.

“It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Our way and God’s way

Our way: Fallen people want God to love and accept them as they are.

God’s way: Because God’s love is always a righteous love, all who want a relationship with him must change their unrighteous ways.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him” (Deuteronomy 10:12).

Life principle: We can’t have a relationship with God without repentance.

And in our relationships with other people, true love always is righteous: “[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).

Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)