March 11

Mar 11 - Today from Proverbs 11 we look at verse 6
"The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires."

Righteousness remains to be one of the most elusive concepts of my faith. I guess the reason for it is because I keep getting it tangled up with the law. That's why the book of Galatians is so important for me. The entire church in the region of Galatia also struggled with the concept, so Paul wrote an epistle to help straighten out their thinking on the subject. It always has been, and continues to be, a concept with which the church struggles. The law was never given as a means to achieve righteousness, yet it seems we cannot help but place it into the equation somewhere. We want to have something we can do to take credit for our righteousness. Well, there is something, but it has nothing to do with the law.
Abraham is often spoken of as "The Father of Faith". He didn't even have the written law, and he certainly didn't set a perfect moral example for us. His righteousness came the same way ours does; "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Gen. 15:6, Gal. 3:6) Notice that the scriptures do not say that he "believed in God", but that he "believed God". There is a big difference. James 2:19 teaches on this subject by saying, "You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." I guess believing in God is not the total answer.
But how about if you believe in God, and keep the moral law of God? Wouldn't that be righteousness? Galatians 3:10 teaches that "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse." We know that the righteous are not under a curse, so I guess that isn't the answer either. The law serves a very important purpose, but that purpose is not to provide us with righteousness. When we slip into that mode of thinking, all sorts of things begin to distort the gospel. We lose our joy. We begin to judge others. We enter into pride. We begin to replace true righteousness with self-righteousness. It broke Paul's heart to see the church of Galatia trading the freedom they had in Christ for a system that incorporated legalism into the gospel.
To believe God is a concept of absolute trust. It is the basis of saving faith. Galatians 3:22 states, "But scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe." Believe what? Believe God and what He has revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ. Righteousness comes by faith in His promise, not by trying to keep His law. Again, Galatians 3:19 and 20 teach that the law came by way of a mediator but the promise came through God alone. A mediator tries to work out the differences between two parties. "If you do this, he will do that." When you read Deuteronomy, you will detect a lot of this language. Blessings and curses; "If you do this, I will bless you. If you do that, I will curse you." But the promise came from God alone. He swore on Himself. It didn't depend on man's behavior. The fulfillment of the promise was Jesus Christ. All we have to do to walk in righteousness is to believe God. This is true faith. If we truly believe God, and put our absolute trust in Him, we will obey Him. Faith is to have a higher priority than feelings. We are to believe God more than our own senses. Faith comes before action. We are free from the supervision of the written law because the spirit of the law now controls our heart.
This is a bit simplistic, but may help to understand the difference between legalism and true faith;
Legalism says, "I will obey so that God will watch over my best interests." (appeasement)
Faith says, "I trust that God puts my best interests first, therefore I will obey." (relationship)
It is a paradox, but those who continue to rely on observing the law as a means of righteousness are just as unfaithful as those who are in rebellion against the law. Both remain trapped by their evil desires. Only abiding faith in Christ can produce the righteousness which delivers us from evil desires.
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." -Galatians 2:20