Trees of Righteousness

By Jay Pearson

...that they might be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3b)

Jesus was sent to deliver us that we might be called the “trees of righteousness”. Another reason Jesus Christ died for you and I was that we might live unto righteousness.

1 Peter 2:24:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In preparing this lesson I questioned, am I righteous? To answer that question I have to ask what or who is righteous. The dictionary gives the definition of righteous as proceeding from accepted standards of morality or justice. Wow that opens up a world of opinionated standards of morality in the world today.  More and more the standards of morality in people today are anything I wish to do goes is moral. Doing right by a standard of morality is righteous then.

Proverbs 16:2:
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

I have chosen to make my moral standard from life and living the Word of God. Therefore to be righteous I need to adhere to the Word of God doing right by him. The righteousness of God is what I recognize as the standard of living. In ferreting out more understanding of my righteousness I discovered a truth. My righteousness is not defined by who I am, but by what I do. Zacharias and Elisabeth were both righteous before God and therefore leave us an example of righteous living.

Luke 1:5,6:
5: There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6: And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

With this example in mind let’s answer the question, how do we come to righteousness in our daily living.

Romans 10:9,10:
9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So we see we come to righteousness through speaking the truth from the heart and believing in the Lord. What is righteousness? How do we recognize it? The righteousness of God is my concern here not the righteousness of man.

Romans 3:21,22:
21: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

By faith we are declaring Christ’s righteousness. By faith Christ declared God’s righteousness. At the new birth when you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior  righteousness lives within you via holy spirit.

Romans 5:17:
17: For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

We need to live out this righteousness in the world to be righteous as did Zacharias and Elisabeth. The righteousness of God is eternal through the gift of holy spirit. Realize this though, acting out the righteousness of God once is not a season pass to your actions being righteous.

1 John 3:7:
7: Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

As I said earlier my righteousness is not defined by who I am, but by what I do.
Zacharias and Elisabeth were not faultless, but blameless. God imputed to them there righteousness for their faith as did he Abraham, you and I.

Luke 1:6:
6: And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Romans 4:3:
3: For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Romans 5:17:
17: For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

We have been given the gift of righteousness by the faith of Jesus Christ for our faith in him. As Abraham, Zacharias, and Elisabeth were given for their faith in God. You come to it by faith and then it is given.

Romans 10:10:
10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

May we live out this righteous way of living that is so resident in our being. May we stand before God in his righteousness and be called Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord, bringing glory to His name.

Philippians 3:9:
9: And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Isaiah 61:1-3:
1: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2: To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3: To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.   

May we live out this righteous way of living that is so resident in our being. May we stand before God in his righteousness and be called Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord, bringing glory to his name.

 

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