Do You Want to Be Righteous?

I have students in the seminary, and I’ve been teaching seminary for a long time, who are beset with difficult theological questions. And they can’t wait to corner the professor and say, “Professor, what about this problem? Or what about that question? How can you help me with this?” They’re always asking questions. There’s no end to their questions. And I’ve had them ask me very practical questions. “How can I be a more effective speaker? How can I be a more effective communicator?” I’ve had them ask me spiritual questions, “How can I have a stronger spiritual life? How can I have a higher ethical standard?” All of these questions I hear all the time. You know the question I’ve never heard, ever once, and this may reflect more on me than on the people. I’ve never had somebody come up to me and say, “R.C., how can I be a righteous person?” I’ve never had anybody ask me that.

Again, it may be because they don’t see any sign of righteousness in me. And they say, “Why should I ask him about righteousness when he doesn’t have any to begin with?” Maybe that’s it. But I don’t think that’s the only reason that people don’t ask me that question. I think the reason they don’t ask it is because they’re not interested in it. We want to be pious. We want to be spiritual. We want all of these things that reflect a religious culture. But what is the purpose of spirituality? What is the purpose of piety other than righteousness? The goal of the Christian life is righteousness. That’s what we’re supposed to be seeking.

Again, spirituality is only a means to the end of righteousness because unless our spirits are nourished and unless our spirits are fed, we’ll never bring forth the fruit of righteousness. But we’re satisfied if we can say we spend so much time in the Bible study and so much time praying and so much time going to church and so much time doing all the external things. But the question is, is there any righteousness here? What does Jesus say is the top priority? Seek first the kingdom of God and His what? Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). The Pharisees made it a priority and they didn’t make it. We don’t make it a priority and we’re not making it either.

Are you concerned about righteousness? That is, do you want to be a righteous person? That has to be the controlling motivation of the Christian life, not consequences, not expediency, not profit and loss, joy or sorrow, but what is the right thing to do.