Righteousness (#130 of 365+)

Righteous. There’s a stigma associated with that word. No one wants to be labeled as righteous anymore. There are at least two possible explanations for that.


The world hates self-righteous people.

Joni commented that many people confuse being righteous with being self-righteous. The world has seen one too many examples in the Christian community of “stiff and rigid, legalistic, and not at all spiritual” people. Who would ever want to live or be like that? The irony is that God and the world find common ground in this area. They both hate self-righteousness! If you doubt it, remember that Jesus Christ preferred to dine with sinners. And vice versa!

The world hates God.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20)

Jesus Christ, the only sinless man who ever lived, was executed for being perfect. There was no just claim against him except that he claimed to be one with God. But he was and is! After dying on the cross and rising from the grave, he won the keys to set everyone in the world free from sin and death. When I believed Jesus’ blood covered all my sin and received his free gift of grace, God the Father saw me as virtuous, morally pure, and sin-free... I was imparted the righteousness of Christ! And, when I was given spiritual life through the indwelling Holy Spirit, for the first time in my life I had the ability to “live right” or “live rightly”.

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22)

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20)

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17)

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26)

Not only do I now have the ability to live righteously, but Joni said a righteous lifestyle must be a top priority for those who love God. Jesus taught his disciples to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Furthermore, just in case that’s not enough of a reason to live rightly, Joni said: “God expects evidence of the love we profess to have for him”. Clear evidence of this expectation was expressed in Jesus’ own words to his disciples during the last hours prior to his arrest. He kept talking about what to expect in the future, including the gift of the Holy Spirit. He also said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command… He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:15, 24).

The world hates God and hates those who remind them of him. But God loves and wants the world to know him. The Church is the hands and feet of Christ in this world. We are how the world sees Jesus. If we love him, we’ll also show and tell the world about his love. It is our responsibility and privilege to demonstrate God’s grace in our daily lives and honorably represent the name “Christian” in everything we do. God has made us light in the darkness, so we can “shine like stars in the universe”, and “hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15).

Lord, I’m grateful that I’ll never be out of your reach, even when I feel that I am. Help me become keenly attuned to the presence and work of your Holy Spirit within me. May I live in the brilliant light of that truth. Amen.