Understanding the Righteousness of God: Our Response

    God is righteous. He set the standard for what is right by being the standard. His righteousness is made known in His in His mercy (lovingkindness), His faithfulness, His judgments, His truth, His words/His Word (Jesus), in the gospel of Christ, in His forbearance to overlook our past sin, and in promising salvation for those who have faith in Christ Jesus and retribution for those who have tormented believers. What God says He will do and nothing, no one, can prevent Him from accomplishing it.  

    When we understand the righteousness of God, what should our response be?

    We should praise it, practice it, and proclaim it.

Praise His Righteousness

    Our Creator, our God, and our Father made us so that we would seek Him; He made us in the hope that we would search for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26-27). He “rose early” (well beforehand) to tell His people what is right (Jeremiah 7:13, 25, 25:4); He did nothing without telling His prophets, and they in turn would inform the people (Amos 3:7-8). From the beginning of time, God has made His righteousness known, and for that we can and should praise Him!  

“I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” (Psalm 7:17 NKJV) 

Practice His Righteousness

    We must practice the righteousness of God – what He says is right – we cannot make up our own standards for what we think is right and believe that it is okay with God. We must seek His righteousness first and foremost (Matthew 6:33) and make His righteousness our daily practice, only then can we be considered righteous just as He is righteous (1 John 3:7).

“He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honour.” (Proverbs 21:21 NKJV)

 

    Humility and the removal of bad habits are necessary to properly practice righteousness. It can be difficult when you feel like you’re always being told what to do, but when we humble ourselves enough to seek our Creator and come to understand His complete love for us, when we comprehend how much He wants us to find Him and follow Him, and when we realize that all His commands are “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24-25) that they guide us toward what is beneficial and they guard us from what is harmful, then we will happily put diligent effort into removing bad habits from our lives (Ephesians 4:17-32, James 1:19-20, 3:13-16)

“If you seek [wisdom] as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores us sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil.” (Proverbs 2:4-12 NKJV)

    Humility, coupled with appreciation for God’s loving provision, should lead us to ask God for wisdom when we comprehend that His wisdom is the best wisdom to attain, and that He gives it liberally and without reproach (James 1:5-8, Psalm 25:8-9). Wisdom (putting what we learn from God’s word into practice) will guide us in His righteousness (Proverbs 2:10-12, 8:8-9, 18, 20-21). Seeking the wisdom that is from above and putting it into practice will produce the fruit of righteousness (James 3:17-18).

Proclaim His Righteousness

    As long as time continues God’s people will be able to proclaim God’s righteousness to the next generation because it will always be true and it will always be pertinent (1 Peter 1:25 and Psalm 111).

“A posterity shall serve him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.” (Psalm 22:30-31 NKJV) 

    We are to proclaim the praises of God, who called us from darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We should be so full of gratitude for the righteousness of God, so thankful for His constancy, His consistency, and His salvation that we overflow with proclamations of praise for Him! Please take time to read, reread, and meditate on Psalm 145 this week today, and each day this week, as the Lord wills.

“…I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” (Psalm 71:14-18 NKJV) 

    Let’s respond to the righteousness of God with praise from a heart and mind full of appreciation for it, and let us practice His righteousness with a keen determination so that we, through our words and conduct, may proclaim His righteousness to our family and to the world around us!

    God’s way is the best way! Let’s seek first His kingdom and His righteousness every.single.day.

 You can do it! So can I!!

Understanding the Righteousness of God: What is it? (Part 2)

    Please turn in your Bible to Micah 6 and read verses 3 through 5.

    The LORD wants His people to know and understand His righteousness, so much so that He addressed Israel through His prophet, Micah, and tells them to think on two specific events in their history so that they would know the righteousness of the LORD:

1.       When He brought them out of Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3-17, see also Deuteronomy 4:15-20, 24:5-7)     

2.       When Balak, the king of Moab, asked the prophet Balaam to help him defeat Israel (Numbers 22-25, 31:1-24, see also Deuteronomy 18:20, 23:3-5, Joshua 24:8-10, 2 Peter 2:15, and Jude 11)

    How do these events help us to know the righteousness of the LORD?

1. God keeps His promises; He is faithful and does not lie (1 Thessalonians 5:24, Titus 1:2, Numbers 23:19). The LORD promised Abram that He would give his descendants the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1-8) – and He did. He raised up

    Miriam, Aaron, and Moses to lead the children of Israel (Abraham’s grandson’s children) out of Egyptian slavery (Joshua 24:5-7). He protected His people in their travels (Exodus 13:21-14:31) and provided for them (nourishment: Exodus 16-17, victory: Exodus 33:1-2). The LORD brought them to the land of Canaan with Joshua and His faithfulness never failed (Joshua 24:11-14).

Bottom line: If God has said it, you can be rest assured that He will do it, and He will be with you to help you every step of the way.

2 . God will bless His people, and the wicked He will punish (Psalm 37:37-40, Proverbs 11:18-21). Balak, the king of Moab, wanted to defeat the immense nation of Israel that had been steadily conquering their enemies as they approached the land of Canaan, so he requested the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22). Balaam went to inquire of the LORD to see if it would be alright for him to curse the Israelites; God told him not to go with Balak and not to curse the people “for they are blessed” (Numbers 22:12). Yet, when Balak once again begged Balaam to come with him to curse the Israelites (this time promising him great honour, Numbers 22:17), Balaam once again went to inquire of the LORD to see if He had changed His mind. God told him to go if the men came to call him the next morning, but Balaam took that instruction as approval, rose the next day, saddled his donkey, and went with the Moabite princes.

    The whole time Balaam was with Balak, each time he opened his mouth, the LORD made every attempt at a curse into a blessing for His people (Deuteronomy 23:5), frustrating both Balak and his evil plans.

Bottom line: God daily loads us with benefits and blessings (Psalm 68:19) and no one can block or prevent His blessing on His people (Numbers 23:19-20).

    God’s word will never fail. His promises are real. His blessings are real. Neither will fail because our God and Father has given them. All will be fulfilled. Our righteous God could not do otherwise, of this you can be wholly assured.

    Take time this week to think on all that God has done and continues to do – His word and His work have not failed, will not fail, do not fail. Are you confident in God and His righteousness? Are you ready to seek it first and foremost (Matthew 6:33) each day?

You can do it! So can I!! 

Understanding The Righteousness of God

    In my study on this subject I came across an excellent summary definition for the righteousness of God: “It is the plumb line for human life.”  God is righteous (Psalm 11:7, Psalm 85:10-13, 1 John 3:7) and His very nature defines righteousness; all the He is and all that He does is right – God is the only and absolute standard for what is right. God is consistent and unchanging, which means His righteousness is consistent and unchanging; His creation can wholly trust Him and cling to His righteousness with unwavering assurance that we who practice His righteousness are right in His sight (1 John 3:7, also consider Romans 10:2-3, Philippians 3:8-11).

    The heavens declare God’s righteousness (Psalm 50:6, 97:6) – day follows night, Spring follows Winter, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the sun, the moon, and the stars – they all, without voice, declare His righteousness through their consistency and God-given order. Read and think on Psalm 19:1-4.

But the righteousness of God is also seen…

…in His mercy (lovingkindness) Psalm 36:5-6*

…in His faithfulness Psalm 36:5-6, Psalm 143:1-2, Psalm 40:9-10

…in His judgments Psalm 36:5-6, Isaiah 26:9, Psalm 119:160

…in His salvation Psalm 40:9-10

…in His truth Deuteronomy 32:2-4, Psalm 40:9-10

…through His words/His Word (Jesus) Isaiah 45:19, God’s “right hand is full of righteousness” (Psalm 48:10) – Who sits at God’s right hand? Jesus (Colossians 3:1), the Word of God (John 1:1-4, 14). Read and consider Malachi 4:2.

…in the gospel of Christ it is the power of God to salvation Romans 1:16-17

…when He sent His Son to die for us Romans 3:25-26

…in His forbearance to overlook our past sin and grant us forgiveness Romans 3:25-26

…to all who have faith in Christ Jesus Romans 3:21-22

…when we are counted worthy of His kingdom because we endure persecution patiently and faithfully 1 Thessalonians 1:5

…when He repays those who trouble us with tribulation 2 Thessalonians 1:6

 *Just as Psalm 19:7-11 uses “testimony of the LORD,” “statutes of the LORD,” “commandments of the LORD,” “the fear of the LORD,” and “judgments of the LORD” to speak about the “law of the LORD,” I believe that the passages I have referenced (in the above section) give us insight to additional terms that speak of God’s righteousness, because His mercy, His faithfulness, His judgments, His truth, and His salvation are all as He is: consistent, unchanging, and right (Psalm 119:160).

• God's mercy is right; it is the standard for what is right – we need to be merciful as He is merciful (Luke 6:36).
• God’s faithfulness is right; it is the standard for what is right – we need to be faithful like Him in all our doings (Ephesians 6:5-7, Revelation 2:10, Hebrews 10:23, 1 Peter 4:19)
• God’s judgments are right; they are the standard for what is right – we need to respect His judgments and learn from them (Psalm 19:9-11, Psalm 119:137-138, Micah 6:8, Hebrews 5:14, 12:3-11)
• God’s truth is right; it is the standard for what is right - we need to know the truth and obey it (Psalm 119:1-176, John 14:6, John 8:31-32, 1 Peter 1:22)
• God’s word is right; it is the standard for what is right – we need to know it so we can live upright in His sight (Psalm 33:4-5, Psalm 119:1-2, 10-11, 17-18. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12)

“How precious is your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the rivers of Your pleasures. For with you is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.” (Psalm 36:7-10 NKJV)

     God determined before time began that He would provide grace to mankind through His Son (2 Timothy 1:9-10, Titus 1:1-3); He decided it was right to do, and in all the facets of His righteousness He has given us both a plumb line and a life line – a sure standard to live by now and an eternal life to confidently strive for (Ephesians 5:1-2, 1 Peter 2:21-24, 1 Peter 1:3-4).

     Are you using the righteousness of God as the plumb line for your life? Are you imitating Him as a dear child? He loves you and wants you to walk in the way that is right (Deuteronomy 5:32-33, Proverbs 3:5-6); He has provided all that you need to do exactly that (Proverbs 2:10-11, 20, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)! Let’s determine that we will align ourselves with God and His righteousness!

 You can do it! So can I!! 

Understanding the Righteousness of God: An Introduction

    Today is the beginning of a new study that will hopefully help us better understand the righteousness of God. If the Lord wills, throughout this month we will dig into scriptures that will help us answer these two questions: What does “the righteousness of God” mean, and how should we respond to it?

    To begin, let’s look at some verses that tell us about God's righteousness in a general way:

    God is righteous and He loves righteousness (Psalm 11:7). His righteousness is like the great mountains (literally, the mountains of God, Psalm 36:6); it is very high (literally, to the height of heaven, Psalm 71:19). Righteousness and justice are the foundations of His throne (Psalm 72:9), His right hand is full of righteousness (Psalm 48:10), and like His throne and dominion, His righteousness endures forever (Psalm 11:3, 112:3, Psalm 119:142, 144, 2 Corinthians 9:9).

    God’s righteousness is revealed to and known by all who have faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-22); when we call on Him He answers us by awesome deeds in righteousness (Psalm 65:5), and His righteousness can and will revive us (Psalm 119:40).

    God’s righteousness is the only acceptable righteousness (Romans 10:2-3, Philippians 3:9). We cannot follow what seems right to us and think ourselves right and accepted in God’s sight, we must submit to His righteousness (consider Judges 17:6, 21:25, and Proverbs 14:12, 16:25, and compare to Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17:5-8).

    The righteousness of God is the absolute standard; it is the high water mark for all people. He set the standard and has revealed it to us, and with each day we are blessed with we can learn of it and put it into practice so we can be righteous just as He is righteous (1 John 3:7).

Are you ready to better understand the righteousness of God?

 You can do it! So can I!!