What is Righteousness?

 

I’ll never forget this question. It came from a young woman I was mentoring right after she had come to faith in Jesus Christ. “What is Righteousness?  I think I would answer the question differently today.

I said something about being “right” with God, having our sin settled with Him by our faith in Jesus Christ. I explained when we truly have faith in Christ then righteous behavior, obeying God’s commandments, will be what we desire. Though we will never be perfect in this life, we will strive to live for the Lord according to His Word.

Two weeks ago a local newspaper columnist wrote a piece on Sodom and Gomorrah and this week he responded to the Christians who responded to his first article disagreeing with him. (I’m not sure that this should not be a letter to the editor.)

In short he disagreed with God when Peter (2 Peter 2) proclaimed that Lot was a righteous man. If you remember, when the men of Sodom and Gomorrah came to Lot’s house trying to force Lot to throw out the two men (angels) who were visiting him, Lot offered his daughters instead. These men wanted nothing to do with the women Lot offered.

What I fear our journalist does not understand is that the Bible often reports on things of which it does not approve. There is a verse that tells us Lot was considered a righteous man: “and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard).” 2 Peter 2:7-8

I do not know the mind of Lot any more than the journalist but I do see that there is mercy in these verses: “If God can rescue righteous Lot….” And that’s where I’ll stop.  Where the Bible is silent I will let it be silent and avoid speculation.  However, where it speaks I must believe it.

I for one am grateful that God does not count us righteous because we make perfect decisions all the time. He says that it is our faith in the fact that Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for our sin that makes us righteous. He will credit us with punishment for ALL our sin (regardless of the depth of the depravity in it) when we believe in our hearts that Christ died for our sin and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord.  (Romans 10:9).

As it was for Lot, it is for me, so it is for every person in the homosexual lifestyle and every journalist who misinterprets the Word of God. God is a forgiving God who wants us to repent and turn to Him.

Today if I were to be asked “what is righteousness?” I would start with the righteousness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). He does not have to decide what is right; righteousness and goodness flow from Him. When we place our faith in Him He imputes that righteousness to us so that at judgment He sees the righteousness of Christ covering the sin we have committed in this life.

Perhaps Lot deserved to go to Hell for what he did to His daughters. I know I deserve to go to Hell for various reasons. Everyone does. Romans 3:10 declares that on our own, without Christ, “None is righteous, no, not one;”

I’ve written a couple of times about good things my Mom taught me. Here’s another one: You can’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.