– Doing what God says is right –
Even tough the Bible talks a lot about righteousness it can be confusing. Here are two big parts to understanding what God says about righteousness and why it matters to you. The first thing to know is that there are absolute rights and wrongs. We don’t get to choose what is good and what is bad; only God does. Righteousness is measured by God’s standard. Therefore, if I want to be a righteous person (or a person that lives with integrity), I first need to look at what God says is right.
The second part is that no person can be righteous on their own. God has even said that no one is righteous – not even one person. To be righteous according to God is to be perfect – and no person is perfect! Only God is perfect. So where does that leave us? Well, God traded places with us in terms of punishment for sin. Our sin was punished in Jesus death, and Jesus’ righteousness was attributed to us. Jesus is the reason we can be seen as righteous according to God’s impossible standard. This is great news for us!
So as we think about righteousness this week, try to think about:
- Learning what God says is right and what He cares about because He is the one who determines right and wrong.
- Accepting and thanking God for His righteousness through His forgiveness. God’s forgiveness allows us to be seen as righteous by God and be close to Him.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.“ – Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Questions
- Can you think of something that God says is right or wrong but other people disagree?
- Whose opinion should you seek to find out if something is right or wrong?
- Do you know anyone who is righteous? Why would you say he/she is righteous?
- Who needs help to be righteous?
- Do you want God to help you be righteous?
- Does being righteous mean that you are right about everything?
- What ways can you ask others pray for you in order to become more righteous?