What is true Righteousness?

I think we can all recognize the disease of "self righteousness" since it tends to be rather nauseating when you encounter it. I remember well about 32 years ago I was still pretty fresh in my relationship with God and was still busy looking down on others who didn't measure up in my opinion. I was talking with a very prominent citizen of the community and we were discussing business. I had a business of my own and in course of converstion about business practices and accounting proceedures I mentioned that I was very careful not to even use a postage stamp belonging to the business for personal use. Near the end of our conversation he said to me "you might not be so self righteous when you have to put a kid through college". That statement stuck in my mind and really began to bother me until I finally figured out what he was driving at. I won't try to guess whether he was suggesting that it might be okay to deduct something off your taxes that was for personal use but I got the point that I was being very self righteous in my thinking and in the way I presented myself, painting myself better than others simply by the rules that I was keeping. Putting my trust in my own behaviour rather than in the Only One Who ever was perfect. It is often said by observers when someone turns to God or begins going to church and changes their behaviour that "so and so has got religion". Friends, that is just what it is in so many cases. A person gets a stroke of conscience and starts going to church thinking that if they just change their bahavior and give a little in the offering plate that they will go to heaven. Then there's the guy like me who has a very dramatic conversion but gets very prideful and arrogant about it so much that he gives off a putrid odor of pride. I can assure you that neither one of them stand much chance getting into heaven because they both are depending on their own righteousness to get them there. Thus is the purpose of this article, to explore and explain the true righteousness which is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

First of all, what is righteousness? It can best be defined as "right standing with God". That means being in right relationship with Him. I'm sure many others could define it better using theological terms that nobody could understand but I think that the simpler we can keep it the better chance we have of obtaining it.

Way back thousands of years ago a man named Abram was called out by God to leave his country and go to a place he didn't know and for some reason he chose to obey. God made promises to him and scripture says "he believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness". That seems simple enough. Many people today say they believe God but lack righteousness to the point of being an embarresment to the name of Christianity, so what is lacking?
The simple answer is that their belief is but skin deep. Whenever anything goes wrong (which is the only time they think of God) they run to their pastor or a trusted friend and ask them to pray about their situation. They have never tranacted business with God for themselves so they really know nothing about Him or whether they can expect anything from Him nor do they think they have any influence with Him.
This reveals a lack of understanding and without understanding true belief is impossible. Understanding does not come through somebody teaching you some facts but only through personal experience. You may learn from what others say about me but you will never be sure you can trust me until you do business with me and gain personal experience and that involves a certain amount of risk. You must take a chance that others have not told you the truth and find out for yourself.
It is not really any different with God. He has given us lots of evidence of His goodness but we will never know for sure until we take the leap and risk it all.

He will test you until you stand firm. Eventually Abrams name was changed by God to Abraham and after many years he was given a son miraculously but when that son was 13 years of age God asked Abraham to take his son to a certain mountain and sacrifice him. By this time Abraham had transacted so much business with God that he obeyed, believing that if he did that God would raise his son from the dead. As it turned out God did not require him to kill his son but provided a ram as a substitute.

I know this story is not new to most of my readers but I tell it because we are talking about believing God to the point that the believing is the atainment of righteousness. It is not the doing of anything that is pleasing to God but the seeking to know Him intimately that is pleasing and results in belief that is accounted as righteousness. Now here's a glitch, and may even seem contradictory.
Your believing anything is of no value of it'self and will not save you because it is already done. Jesus has done it all and all credit goes to Him. Can you imagine for just a minute that someone can become prideful because he believes better than someone else? It's not only possible but happens all the time and that persons belief is of little if any value to him because he is trusting in his belief rather than in Christ who allowed him to believe in the first place. Scripture will verify my statement and here it is. Philippians 1:29 (New King James Version)
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. According to this scripture you could not believe unless He permitted it. You think you chose to accept the Lord? John 15:16 (New King James Version)
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. It is all His doing. Want to have an amazing life? Humble yourself, accept the fact that you can't do anything to save yourself, accept the fact that everything He requires of you He will fulfill if only you will seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (New King James Version)
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. But how do I get faith to please God? I simply believe. But how do I believe? It has been granted to you not only to believe in Him but to suffer for His name sake. Note again that it is something that is given to you not something that you can earn. As I have written in previous blogs, the secret to attaining all that God has for you is to ask. If you are lax in spending time with Him then ask Him to give you the desire to pursue Him. If you are lacking time to do so then ask Him for time and He will do it. Christ didn't just come and die on the cross to save us and then go away and say there I've saved you now let's see how you handle it, just work it out for yourself. No He's ever present and and fully committed to you until you are safe in heaven with Him but His desire is that you do well and bring Him glory just as He sought to glorify the Father. Nothing will increase your faith (believing)like asking to be enabled to glorify Him in all things and having Him do it. This should encompass your whole life not just that which seems spiritual or religous because these things should not be seperable. You have but one life and that is Christ.Colossians 3:4 (New King James Version)
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
I am a very busy man and am involved in many pursuits and I could say that I am too busy to write but I know that I am called to do so and I trust the Lord to work that out and He does it. I woke up at 2:45 am today and so wide awake that it made no sense to lay there any longer so here I am writing. This happens over and over again. The amazing thing about it is that I do not miss the sleep nor do I feel any lack of energy as the day wears on. Whatever you need from Him to please Him He will provide so what is holding you back? We must get our thinking straight if we are to have God's best for our lives and the lives of those around us that He wants to bless.

One more thing about self righteousness. There are some who set themselves apart as special because they worship on a special day which is different from everyone else.
This is very dangerous for them and here's why:Galatians 5
Christian Liberty
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Here he is talking about circumcision which was a law therefor he is also refering to any law that a person attempts to keep. Keeping the old moses law of worshiping on the 7th day is no different than attempting to keep any other law but causes the keeper to try to justify themselves because they get no benefit from Christ's sacrifice.Romans 3:20 (New King James Version)
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.


Galatians 2:16 (New King James Version)
16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

So be careful not to fall into such a trap. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. (John 8:36)

There's a big difference between believing and knowing.
May you come to know Him intimately and then and only then will you have perfect peace and true righteousness.
John Martin
email justjohn@eoni.com