Righteousness Like Waves of the Sea

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There are people that are snobbishly self-righteous – they are better than anyone else and, as far as they are concerned, they themselves can do no wrong. There are also people that feel following customs of a national or ethnic group make them righteous – these are people pleasers, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not complete. There are probably other applications/explanations of the word.

For me, righteousness is doing the right things God’s way, using the measuring stick that he provides (e.g. the Bible). Right away, unlike those that are self-righteous, these ones recognize that true righteousness is accompanied with humility, in recognition of the fact that before God, we are mere dust. So then, how can we imperfect humans actually display, possess righteousness like the waves of the sea?

The first mention (that I could find) of a man being counted by God as righteous was Abram (later renamed Abraham). The reason God credited him thusly? It was because of the faith that Abram put in Jehovah. Next, was the instructions that Moses was giving the Israelites and how to explain their worship to their future generations. In Deut.6:24,25, Moses said that righteousness was gained by obedience and observance of all the instructions Jehovah had given them. King David said that God rewards him (David) “according to my righteousness … according to the innocence of my hands.” See also Prov.13:6. (It is noteworthy that David said this because he really was not completely innocent in God’s sight. Yet, as a whole, God considered King David in such positive light that he was spoken of as the progenitor of Jesus. So even after a major failure, we can still rise to Jehovah’s favor again. This reminds me of the proverbial saying: “The measure of a man is not the he falls down but that he picks himself up and keeps going.”)

Isaiah associated righteousness with ones who carried the law in their hearts. This goes beyond obedience and observance to an authority. It is motivated by love of God. Finally (although I could cite many other scriptures), I’ll make one stop in the Greek Scriptures.  At 1 John 3:7 we learn that righteousness is a way of life, it is a “practice” we cultivate throughout our lives.

Wrapping it up then, the list below summarizes the ways our righteousness can be developed to be like the waves of the sea (the waves of the sea, out in the open sea, can be relentlessly pounding, overwhelming in majesty and magnitude, and formidable):

• Faith in God
• Obedience to and observance of God’s laws and principles
• Innocence (not disobedient and not deceptive)
• Heartfelt
• Motivated by love
• A Way of Life, a habit

About

Unreserved Commitment Is Primary

In past few weeks I've spoken to a number of newly associated ones within our local congregation that have expressed reluctance to getting baptized until they conquer all their bad habits. While that is a very noble goal, it is also unrealistic. All humans are imperfect and are going to continue falling short of God’s standard. Recently, I asked a person that had this feeling of unworthiness: “Was the apostle Peter baptized when he denied Jesus three times before Jesus was put to death?” That person thought a moment and then confidently replied, “Yes, he was!”

Indeed, Peter was baptized. And his heartfelt devotion to Jesus was seen in his words recorded at Mark 14:29. But, when faced with the stress of the situation, he buckled. This demonstrates that even a strongly committed person can act wrongly. What is important is to ask yourself, “Am I completely, unreservedly convinced this is the true faith and that I am totally committed to doing my very best to please God?” If the answer to that self-examination is “yes,” then that person should be baptized.

Still, some feel their understanding needs to be much deeper, but this is not so. Some fellow believers have expressed appreciation for my being “such an intelligent man” when it comes to practical explanation of scripture. To this I always immediately respond: “Intelligence is not what matters to our God. What does matter is obedience to his moral standards, his social standards, and whole-hearted commitment to the assigned work.”

Splattering Blood Saves Lives?

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In preparing to exit Egypt, the Israelites had to trust that splattering the animal's blood would deliver them. Likewise, we need to trust that acceptance of Christ's sacrifice can and will save us.

Picture yourself back in Egypt when Moses was preparing the offspring of Jacob (Israel) to leave. For the final plague, God (Jehovah) was going to kill every firstborn of every household unless they demonstrated belief and trust in Jehovah's power by putting blood on the doorpost of their home. Try to put yourself in the mindset of the non-believing Egyptians. For instance, consider Pharaoh, the leader in Egypt, who arrogantly declared "Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice...." (Exodus 5:2)

So now, even after suffering many plagues, would the Egyptians humbly demonstrate trust in God's ability to put to death the firstborn of anyone not obeying the directive to splatter blood on the doorpost? The record indicates they did not. What may have been going through their minds? Likely something to the effect: “How can so many people die in one evening? How could merely putting blood on a doorpost keep people alive? This sounds ridiculous.” From that perspective it was ridiculous. They neglected to appreciate that it was not the physical act that saved them, it was the demonstration of faith that saved those obeying the command.

Now that we have insight into the real issues (obedience and faith), we are in a position to gain even greater appreciation for the situation we are in today. While the majority of mankind feels no real obligation to God, has no real commitment to learning about him, we are not that way. We appreciate that, just as the Israelites very lives was dependent on obeying, we likewise must accept that real faith and trust in God comes down to obedience and accepting that, as creator, God has the right to indicate how to handle our relationship with him.

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