Session 5 The Righteousness of God's Name
The Righteousness of God’s Name
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THE POINT
We can know righteousness when we know and walk with Jesus.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Have you ever wondered how music groups get their names? Some are strange, like the Strawberry Alarm Clock that was popular years ago. A few groups picked up their names accidentally. According to several sources, Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley were singing when someone in the audience shouted, “That’s righteous, brother.” From then on, they became known as “The Righteous Brothers”—an interesting name for guys who primarily sang popular, not religious, music.
The term righteous has been used as slang for “very good,” “moving,” “awesome,” “cool,” and other meanings. Unfortunately, like other biblical words, righteous has come to represent many things that are far from godly. On a basic level, it represents what is just and right.
In truth, righteousness is a quality of God. His name is righteous. Everything God does is righteous. All of His judgments are righteous because He is righteous. What about us? Not so much. At least not on our own. But thankfully, God made a way for us to be righteous too. Let’s find out how.
Question 1:
What’s the oddest name you’ve seen for a music group
or sports team?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Jeremiah 23:5-6
5 “Look, the days are coming” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is the name he will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
Many more books are written about leadership than righteousness. We need to remember that leadership as a quality can be good or bad, depending on the heart of the leader. After King Josiah, Judah had a series of evil kings before experiencing God’s judgment at the hands of Babylon. Jeremiah prophesied against these leaders and their nation around the end of the 7th century BC and into the 6th century. Instead of seeking God’s righteousness, the kings led the people into further wickedness. God judges people because of their sin, but He holds the leaders accountable.
Into this setting of doom and gloom, God spoke a word of promise and hope. While the immediate future looked bleak, “the days are coming” when God would intervene. These thoughts were not mere prophetic wishful thinking; they were the Lord’s declaration. We can count on God’s assurances in history and in our lives.
With a Messianic promise, God told Israel He would raise up a “Righteous Branch” from David’s descendants to assume leadership. Later, Jeremiah repeated this prophecy to emphasize God’s covenant with David that his heir would reign forever (Jer. 33:14-17; 2 Sam. 7:16). Isaiah also used the imagery of the Davidic Branch to describe the Messiah (Isa. 11:1-5). The Branch would not only rule in Judah, but over everything. Jeremiah’s prophecy included several truths about the Messiah:
- He would reign wisely. Judah and Israel experienced cycles of good and bad kings. When godly monarchs led the people to serve the Lord, the nation experienced God’s blessings. Under foolish, evil leaders, the people began worshiping false gods, resulting in judgment. However, the Messiah would “reign wisely” as King. The term wisely involves prudence, as well as intelligence. True wisdom comes from trusting and following the Lord. Isaiah called the Messiah “Immanuel”—God with us (Isa. 7:14). He leads with the wisdom of God Himself.
- He would administer justice and righteousness. Wise leadership manifests itself through righteous actions. Sadly, from foolish kings to wicked priests, corruption seeped through every crack of Judah’s society. God’s people longed for someone who would treat them fairly and establish a standard of righteousness. God promised the Messiah would rule wisely and justly. His earthly administration will not be consummated until the Messianic reign. However, the influence of His righteousness can be demonstrated in believers of every era.
- God’s people would be saved. Through the Messiah, God’s people can be saved. On a temporal level, Judah was restored following the Babylonian exile. God influenced Persian kings who conquered Babylon to free the Jewish captives. On a spiritual level, the Messiah will save all people who place their faith in Him. Although the reference specifies Judah and Israel, it implies that all God’s people can “dwell securely” in Christ.
- His name would testify: “The Lord Is Our Righteousness.” God reveals Himself through many names that portray aspects of His character. Among the most important qualities is: “The Lord Is Our Righteousness.” Only God is righteous in Himself. Righteousness can’t be produced by human effort. It comes solely from the Lord.
Over the centuries, Hebrews mistakenly believed they attained righteousness by following the Mosaic law. Through their ethnic heritage and good works, the Jews claimed a special relationship with God. We should remember Isaiah’s declaration that human righteousness is like filthy rags (Isa. 64:6).
The apostle Paul believed in his personal righteousness until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Through a saving experience with Christ, Paul understood all of his best efforts were worth less than rubbish. Like Paul, our only hope is the righteousness that God grants through faith in His Son—Jesus the Messiah.
Question 2:
Where do you see the absence of justice and righteousness
in our world?
Romans 3:10b-13
10b There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. 13 Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers’ venom is under their lips.
Someone has described two axioms of religion as: (1) There is a God, and (2) It’s not you or me. Righteousness is like that. Only God is righteous in Himself. Humans, on the other hand, are sinful. From our sinful nature inherited from Adam to our willful sin each day, we fall short of God’s perfect standard. God looks across our globe and declares that there is “no one righteous, not even one.”
Writing under divine inspiration, the apostle Paul reminded the Roman believers just how needy we are. Referencing various Old Testament texts with the familiar refrain “as it is written,” Paul wrote:
- We don’t understand. To say no one understands doesn’t mean no one has intelligence. Each of these statements refer to human relationships with God. The term understands involves spiritual and moral perception. We may have various degrees of knowledge or even wisdom, but our understanding was flawed by the Fall. Sin warped our comprehension of God and His ways. Only God can help us see through His Word by His Spirit.
- We don’t seek God. Unfortunately, people don’t naturally seek to know God. The truth is that God seeks us. Some people may be politely interested in theological ideas or desire some type of spiritual experience. However, the word seek means to search out sincerely. God promises that people who seek Him with all their hearts will find Him (Jer. 29:13). The problem is no one really looks intently for God.
- We all have turned away and are worthless. Turning away from God results in our being worthless before Him. This term describes our sinful behavior that proceeds from sinful hearts. Translated “unprofitable” or “useless” in other translations, Jesus used this word to describe the doom of a sinful servant (Matt. 25:30).
- We don’t do what is good. Scripture expands the idea of our worthless behavior. No one, not even one person, does what is good. Keep in mind that only God is good (Luke 18:19). Without God, the best of human behavior contains no true value. While we were sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). He loved us when we hated Him. He sought us and gave Himself for us.
Using staggering imagery, Scripture describes our throat as “an open grave,” our tongues as full of deception, and our lips as containing “vipers’ venom.” Like Isaiah who saw his true nature in the mirror of God’s holiness, without the Lord we are undone because we are sinful people (Isa. 6:1-9). Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us there.
Question 3:
How did you come to realize you weren’t righteous?
Romans 3:21-26
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Engage
Reaching God
Look at the images below and the space in-between. How have you seen people try to bridge that gap? In your notes, write various ways you’ve seen. Then draw a cross across the gap signifying the only way we can be saved.
God doesn’t condemn sin just to make sinners squirm. To allow people to continue in sin without warning wouldn’t be an act of love, because sin separates us from Him. God gave the Law to educate us about our neediness (Gal. 3:24). The Law and the prophets attest to God’s righteousness. Using the same word from which we get “martyr,” attest means to bear witness. Jesus said He had not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). God’s righteousness has been fully revealed in Jesus. Through Him, God made it possible to impute righteousness to believers.
Paul wanted Gentile and Jewish people to understand they were in the same boat. They all were sinners and had fallen short of God’s glory. God’s holiness is the target. The Greek word for sin means to “miss the mark.”
Question 4:
How would you explain that all have sinned to those
who see themselves as basically good?
Similarly, God offers all people the potential for salvation if they place their faith in Christ. Scripture uses the word justified to describe God’s redemptive act of declaring believers righteous through Jesus. God makes no distinction in ethnicity or any other quality. Every person needs salvation, and every person can be saved through Jesus.
God offers grace freely. Justification and the imputation of righteousness comes through redemption. Each of those words is important. Justification is God’s declaration of a believer’s right standing with Him. Imputation indicates He gives without our meriting the gift. Righteousness characterizes God’s essential nature of holiness. God accomplishes all of these transformative works through redemption. Redemption can only be accomplished through Christ.
In connection to Jesus’s sacrifice, Paul’s reference to the mercy seat is important. The ark of God’s covenant contained the tablets of Law. It was covered with the mercy seat. Once a year, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holy place in the temple and sprinkled sacrificial blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people (Lev. 15). Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
God doesn’t overlook sins arbitrarily. To do so would be unjust. Jesus’s sacrifice fully demonstrates God’s righteousness. God’s forgiveness of our sin required the sentence of death to be carried out. We call this sacrifice a substitutionary atonement because Jesus died in our place. In this way, God is just in forgiving sinners who repent and place their faith in Christ.
Question 5:
What are some ways our group has taught and modeled
Christ’s righteousness for you?
LIVE IT OUT
We can know righteousness when we know and walk with Jesus. Here are some steps you can take to appreciate God’s gift of righteousness in Christ. Choose one of the following applications.
- Consider. Spend some time alone with God, considering what He has saved you from. Thank Him for not leaving you in your sin.
- Study. Use the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, or similar resource, to study the topic of “righteousness” more fully.
- Apply. Use the beginning of each day to commit to living out God’s righteousness by walking with Jesus. At the end of the day, consider how it worked out.
A person’s name implies more than identity. It becomes associated with one’s reputation. Making God’s righteousness a priority for life produces a good reputation and, by it, a good name.
Teacher Notes:
Keep all of this in mind as we begin our next 2-year initiative:
Let's all be intentional in our walk and DEEPER growth in faith with our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ.
What is the meaning of Righteousness?
What is righteousness? - “behavior that is morally justifiable or
right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality,
justice, virtue, or uprightness.
The Bible’s standard of human
righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every
behavior, and every word.
Thus, God’s laws,
as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb
line by which He measures human righteousness.
“Who determines what is right? What makes something right? Some people think racism is right. Some people think sexism is right. Some people think it’s right to take guns and
shoot up schools, churches, movie theaters, and stores.
So, if something is
the “right thing to do,” under whose authority is that distinction made?”
In Jeremiah and Romans, we see the clear
point being made that true righteousness does not exist apart from God. Righteousness is not based on exterior
factors or flailing opinions. Righteousness simply comes down
to “What does God say about this? If God says it is right, it is
right. Likewise, if God says it is
wrong, then so should we.
Our views should
mirror the views of our God, hence what Paul says in Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore,
be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.”
Where do
you see God’s righteousness evident in the world today?
While our culture seemingly becomes more
and more corrupt every day, people still recognize goodness when they see it.
Heroic and selfless acts are praised, and individuals who put their lives on
the line for the well-being of others are lauded. The wickedness of human
trafficking, religious persecution, and racism are condemned. All these actions
indicate that God has embedded in our hearts a conscience that knows the
difference between right and wrong. Our lives will always be marked by sin,
but, as those who strive to walk with Jesus, our lives should also be marked
with progression in holiness.
As we depend upon
the Spirit who lives in us, we can and should progress in holiness — both in
our private and public lives.
Sound of
Freedom
The incredible true
story of a former government agent, Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel) turned
vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children
from traffickers.
After rescuing a boy from ruthless child
traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy's sister is still captive and
decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he
quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on
the line to free her from a fate worse than death.
1.
The King
of Righteousness is Coming
Jeremiah’s message
to Judah and other nations about a better day that is coming. He reveals God’s
promise that the King of Righteousness was on the way.
Jeremiah
23:5-6
“Look, the days are
coming” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign
wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. In His
days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is the name He
will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
How does
the Old Testament prepare the way for the gospel of Jesus Christ?
One of the most exciting aspects about
going to the movies is the previews. Jeremiah
provides a preview of what God is doing!
The Righteous Branch of David: The prophet
Jeremiah begins this passage with, “Look, the days are coming.” Jeremiah opened with this same statement on
15 other occasions. Even though Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet,” he
was given the task of bringing hope to God’s people. It is important to note
that it is God who initiated the hope and God who raised up the Person of hope.
Jeremiah preached
during a time when both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom
of Judah were facing God’s judgment in the form of foreign invasion. In verse
6, Jeremiah tells us what will result from the Messiah’s work. Both Judah and Israel
will be saved. They will not have to live in fear, subjugation, and exile
forever. The Messiah will put things right.
The promise is made
that “Judah will be saved, and Israel shall dwell securely.” Notice how the
promise is made for the future, and the people who are hearing this promise in
real time won’t live to see the promise manifest. This will be a promise that their descendants
will benefit from. In other words, some
promises are for now, while others are for the future!
Jeremiah contrasted
the present corrupt leaders with the coming Messiah, the perfect King who would
come from David’s line to reign over Israel. The King is called a righteous
Branch because He will sprout up from the stump of David’s fallen dynasty (Isaiah
11:1). This new growth will have God’s own characteristics. Like the Creator,
the Branch will be righteous.
2.
Doomed Without the King
In chapter 3, Paul
explained that all people everywhere — have sinned against the Creator and need
a Savior who is altogether righteous.
Romans
3:10b-13
There is no one
righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who
seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no
one who does what is good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they
deceive with their tongues. Vipers’ venom is under their lips.
What does it mean
to pursue righteousness?
Proverbs
15:9 says, “The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who
pursue righteousness.”
If God
wants us to pursue righteousness, then what about verses such as Romans 3:10
that say, “There is none righteous, no not one”? If no one is righteous, then
who can really pursue it? Are those verses contradictory?
Before we can
pursue righteousness, we need to define it. The word most often translated
“righteousness” can also mean “justice, justness, or divine holiness.” In the
broadest sense, righteousness can be defined as “the condition of being
acceptable to God as made possible by God.” God’s standard is what defines true righteousness; His power is what
enables it. Unless God is its author, we will never possess righteousness. No
amount of man-made effort will result in righteousness. To be righteous is to
be right with God. A heart that is right with God results in a life that bears
“fruit” (John 15:1–2; Mark 4:20). Galatians 5:22-23 lists some of that fruit.
A common substitute
for true righteousness is self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is the
opposite of what God desires. Self-righteousness makes a list of rules and
checks them off, congratulating itself on how well it is doing compared to
others. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were masters of self-righteousness, but
Jesus had harsh words for them: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the
outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything
unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but
on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27–28).
To pursue
righteousness means we must recognize that we cannot please God in our sinful
state (Romans 8:8). We turn from trying to justify ourselves by our good deeds
and instead seek the mercy of God. We desire that He transform our minds
(Romans 12:2) and conform us “to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). In the
Old Testament, men were declared righteous when they believed God and acted on
it (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). Before Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4),
people pursued righteousness by keeping God’s Law, seeking holiness, and
“walking humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). No one was justified by rule-keeping but
by the faith that enabled them to obey God (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).
Likewise, today we
are justified by the faith that leads us to Jesus (Romans 3:28; 5:1; 10:10).
Those who are in Christ continue seeking God to please Him (Colossians 3:1).
When we come to faith in Christ, He gives us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to
pursue righteousness for its own sake (Acts 2:38). He commands us to “walk in
the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). Walking in the Spirit means we live a
lifestyle of total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We cultivate the
ability to hear God and the habit of obeying His voice in everything.
We pursue righteousness when we pursue the
character of Christ and desire holiness more than fleshly indulgence. We avoid the
temptation to become self-righteous when we understand that true righteousness
begins with godly humility (Psalm 25:9). We remember that Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do
nothing” (John
15:5). When we spend time in the presence of God, we become more aware of our
own sin and shortcomings.
A dingy
shirt looks white beside a dark wall. But, when compared with snow, the same
shirt looks dirty.
Pride and
self-righteousness cannot remain in the presence of a holy God. Pursuing righteousness
begins when a humble heart seeks the continual presence of God (James 4:10; 1
Peter 5:6). The humble, believing heart leads to a lifestyle of righteous
action acceptable to God (Psalm 51:10).
Paul’s letter to
the Romans is the longest book he contributed to the New Testament. Paul
explained the depravity of man, the work of Christ, and the need for people to
repent and believe in Christ’s work to be saved.
3.
I Had No
Hope Until the King Arrived
Paul unpacks
people’s desperate need for the righteousness of God and for a Savior.
Romans
3:21-26
But now, apart from
the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and
the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his
blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his
restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to
demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and
justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
Why is
sin such a big problem?
A car is doomed without gas. Human lungs are doomed without air. A tire is doomed without air. A heart is doomed without blood. The point is that there are
certain things that cannot function or survive without other things. There are essential
items that keep other things going, otherwise those things are doomed.
Paul uses several Old Testament references
to convey the dangerous state that the people are in due to the dominion of
sin. He makes it clear that if that sin
prevails, the people will be doomed, because that sin is turning them away from
God. So, this text serves as a warning
to the Roman church that they are doomed without the Lord. God is our only hope of redemption. Despite the sin that prevails in our lives
and the bad choices that we make, God is still able to redeem us and remove our
sin through the blood of Jesus. However,
we must submit to Him and His will. We
cannot honor our will and His at the same time.
God is and will forever be our essential element.
Paul is referring
to Psalm 14:1-3. “There is no one righteous” means “no one is innocent.” Every
person is valuable in God’s eyes because God created us in His image and He
loves us. But no one is righteous – that is, no one can earn right standing
with God. Though valuable, we have fallen into sin. But God, through Jesus His
Son, has redeemed us and offers to forgive us if we return to Him in faith.
Paul uses these Old
Testament references to show that humanity in general, in its present sinful
condition, is unacceptable before God. Have you ever thought to yourself,
“Well, I’m not too bad. I’m a pretty good person?” Look at these verses and see
if any of them apply to you. Have you ever lied? Have you ever hurt someone’s
feelings with your words or tone of voice? Are you bitter toward anyone? Do you
become angry with those who strongly disagree with you? In thought, word, and
deed you, like everyone else in the world, stand guilty before God. We must
remember who we are in His sight – alienated sinners. Don’t deny that you are a
sinner. Instead, allow your desperate need to point you toward Christ.
Our understanding
of the lostness of the world should drive us to action, not inaction.
(Intentional Christianity)
What does
it mean to truly have faith in Christ?
There’s nothing
like that feeling we have when we’re in trouble and help arrives. In a likewise
manner, all of us were in trouble before Jesus came. All of humanity was doomed to eternal death
due to our sin, but since God sent His only son to take our place, we now have
hope.
Many
people speak about “having faith in Jesus,” but what exactly does this mean?
The Bible uses the
phrase “faith in Jesus” synonymously with belief in Jesus as Savior. Romans
3:22–23 says that “righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When we place our faith in Jesus,
we believe in Him, and God grants His righteousness to us.
To have faith in Jesus means to trust Him. Simply. Fully. Without reservation. On one occasion,
before Jesus healed two blind men, He asked them, “Do you believe that I am
able to do this?” They answered, “Yes, Lord,” and He healed them “according to
[their] faith” (Matthew 9:28–29). The men simply trusted the power and goodness
of the Lord, and they received their sight.
When a person has faith in Jesus, it means that he or she believes
who Jesus is (God in
human form) and trusts what Jesus has done (died and resurrected). This faith in the person and work of Christ is what
saves (see Romans 10:9–10; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4). “Everyone who believes that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1).
John 3:16 says,
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The key is belief, in
response to God’s love. Anyone who places his or her faith in Jesus has the
promise of eternal life.
Without faith in
Jesus, we remain in sin and cannot be accepted into God’s presence in His
perfect heaven. With faith in Jesus, we are given access to the Father as God’s
own children (John 1:12).
To have faith in Jesus is to reject all other ways of
salvation. We cannot trust in
Jesus and anything else. We trust in Jesus alone. “Salvation is found in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must
be saved” (Acts 4:12). Salvation is exclusive. Jesus is the only way (John 14:6).
Are you ready to
place your faith in Jesus? Do you trust Him to save you?
The bad news is
that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his
own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness
is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ
and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness
in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the
cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one
day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of
the Lord Jesus.
This means that we are
made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated
as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has
done.
He was made sin; we
are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner,
though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were
righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord
Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled
the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received
this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him
be the glory!
Conclusion
We can know
righteousness when we know and walk with Jesus.
You may not know what’s right, but there is somebody who does. Let me tell you about Him.
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU
[yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]
"The Lord Our
Righteousness”
Whether we know
what’s right and choose not to do it or we don’t know what’s right at all,
there is somebody who is able to help us.
There is someone who will lead and guide us unto all truth. God is our righteousness. There is no right
direction without God. There is no right
answer without God. There is no right
without God.
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