Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

When someone is nearing death, it is common to hear someone else say they should hurry up and “get right with God,” which is a term often used to talk about the concept of righteousness.

The righteousness of God is a phrase Paul uses eight times in his letter to the Romans (1:17; 3:5, 21, 22, 25, 26; 10:3 [2x]), in addition to multiple other terms that connect with the concept of righteousness. If God is holy and right (righteous), and we are unholy and wrong (unrighteous), then the question is, how can we be made right with God and righteous before Him? There are two ways this question often is answered:

My Works (Works Righteousness)

In life, we are accustomed to earning what we receive, which explains everything from our grade point averages in school to our performance reviews and salaries at work. Various religions teach people to do something righteous for them to get right with God. Examples include ceasing desire (Buddhism), living in obedience to the Koran (Islam), reincarnating to repay your karmic debt (Hinduism), and living in harmony with the rest of creation (New Age). Works righteousness also has secular forms, which include being a social justice warrior, a political activist, or an advocate for the latest cause. These all indicate someone is a “good” person who is helping right all the wrongs in the world. In any case, someone or something else is the problem, and the individual actor becomes the solution to fix the problem.

Works righteousness is really just self-righteousness. In Philippians 3:6, Paul speaks about his own religious works, merit, effort, and performance. He says of himself: “As to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Paul was consumed with works righteousness, which is selfish. At its core, works righteousness is the demonic spirit at work through religion. Paul said he looked at all the things he was supposed to do, and he did them all. Out of his own righteousness, he murdered, harmed, and harassed people. Paul opposed the people who disagreed with him because he believed he was right and they were wrong. Paul says he was blameless but was he really? If in the name of God, you do despicable and deplorable things to other people, it’s demonic. It’s works righteousness. Whatever God creates, Satan counterfeits. (Continued on Day 33 ...)

Today’s Reflection

Why is works righteousness really self-righteousness?