Confusion over the Word “Righteousness”

The words righteousness and righteous, from a Biblical perspective, carry incredible power of restoration and reconciliation. However, these words have been bandied about so much in the church in such a way that they have almost become devoid of power for many people.

“Rightness”

Sometimes, I am tempted to use a different word when it comes to right-standing with God and the re-created nature of man; I am sometimes tempted to use a word such as rightness instead to convey this wonderful promise of God.

Rightness is a word that Joseph Thayer uses in Thayer’s Greek Definitions to describe the Greek word translated righteousness in the Bible. Words can carry great power, and yet, it is not the words themselves that carry power, it has much more to do with the meaning attributed to those words.

This is what Thayer’s Greek Definitions says about the Greek word dikaiosunē (G1343), which is translated righteousness:

1) in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God

1a) the doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God

1b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting

2) in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due

Right Standing or Right Living?

I believe there have been a lot of debate and much confusion as to whether Biblical righteousness is simply a title bestowed upon sinful man by God, as a result of believing in Christ; or whether it actually includes the ability to live right.

Joseph Prince says that the church often talks about positional righteousness and experiential righteousness, when the Bible makes no such demarcation: the Bible simply refers to righteousness without splitting it up into different categories.

We will continue this exposition in the next blog entries which focus on Righteousness According to Works, Righteousness According to Christ’s Efforts and Righteousness by Faith.