Do you “know righteousness”?

Traditionally, when Protestants typically talk about righteousness, they talk about a person having a certain status before God or perhaps doing certain right actions. I think we need to go a bit deeper. Consider Isaiah 51:7

Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings.

Notice there are two things that mark those who know righteousness.

First, they have God’s law in their heart.

Sadly, this point often does not get the attention it deserves. Evangelicals can get uncomfortable when talking about God’s law. It is often spoken of in somewhat negative terms, as if it were antithetical to salvation and grace.Remember how the psalmists celebrate God’s law (cf. Ps 119). In Romans 7, Paul defends the law, saying it is good. In the Law of Moses, God gives a small picture of what a righteous society might look like. In Deut 4:5–8, God says concerning his Law,

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?” (ESV)

Finally, in the new covenant, God promises, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31:33).

Therefore, to have the Law in our hearts is to have internalized for oneself the values and view of the world that God has. Thus, this person delights in this command: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:5). This is no mere “duty.”

Second, they have a different honor-shame standard than the world.

They are willing to do what is right because they are not afraid of the criticism of others. They seek the face of God, not their own. They don’t “people please” but instead love other people. How often are we slow to do what is right, to stand up for others, to spend our money a certain way, to express a contrary opinion, simply because we want to stay in favor with those around us. “Knowing righteousness” is far more than about our know what to do or not do.

Righteousness is about delighting in what is right. It requires having a proper sense of shame. We need to think outside of the legal box. We often say that God is not so much concerned about rules as he is our hearts. If so, then why not start talking in terms of face, honor, and shame? That sort of language strikes at the heart. After all, legalism is fundamentally an honor-shame problem.

The Lord says, “Listen to me, . . .”

Who are we listening to?

If you want to know what your own standard of honor-shame is, simply consider who it is that you listen to most. Whose opinion to you tend to care most about? Those people shape us more than anyone else. We tend to listen to those who share our values (even if we are not aware that we have certain values). Looking at them can be like looking in a mirror. In them, we see our own face, or at least the “face” that we are striving for.

Application questions–– When we talk about righteousness, why do you think we frame the topic so much around actions and not the heart? Why do we not talk about the face issues that lie behind the actions?

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