Righteous in the Eyes of God

According to the New Testament Translators, to be righteous may mean something very different than what is generally taught within the normal church service. With this new understanding of the meaning of righteous, I believe it creates an incredible new way to view the New Testament. Here it goes, the Greek word used, which is translated as righteous, is Strong's G1342 – dikaios. Its meaning, according to Strong’s, is as follows - righteous, observing divine laws, in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God. There you have it. Even the New Testament authors and translators believed to be righteous was related to keeping the Laws of YHWH. When we insert the Biblical definition of a word, instead of trying to use an understanding that may not be truly related to the original definition, the Scriptures become so much more clear and understandable.

Now, let’s take a look at these verses with this new understanding.

Matthew 9:13

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Yeshua is saying here, He did not come to call to Him those who are already keeping the Law of God, but instead, He is calling to Him those who do not already keep this Law. This seems to make a lot more sense considering He wants all to be righteous.

Matthew 13:41-43

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

This verse takes place in an end-times context. He is sending out angels to remove those who are not keeping the Law of YHWH and casting them into the furnace of fire. It is after that we read those who do keep the Law of YHWH shining forth like the sun in the Kingdom.

Matthew 23:27-28

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

The scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites because they only seemed to be keeping the Law of YHWH, but in reality, they were only keeping the oral law of the Talmud, that is the Jewish laws that were added to the Torah. They taught one thing, but did not practice it. Hypocrisy is simply claiming to have a certain type of belief but not behaving in that belief.

Matthew 25:37

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?

It is those who have been keeping the Law of YHWH that have been feeding the hungry, and giving drink to the thirsty. These people are Yeshua.

Matthew 25:46

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

It is those who are keeping the Law of YHWH who go into eternal life.

Mark 2:17

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Yeshua is comparing the sick to those who do not keep YHWH’s Law, and the healthy to those who do keep YHWH’s Law. It is not those who are already keeping this Law who need help, it is those who are not keeping that need help.

Now, you may say Jesus was here teaching the Jews so everything He said isn’t really for you. Well, Paul teaches the very same message.

Romans 2:26

Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?

Even if a man is not physically circumcised, his keeping the Law of YHWH will make in him a circumcised heart. It was always about the circumcision of the heart. The physical circumcision is simply a reminder in the flesh of your relationship with YHWH and His Law.

Romans 8:3-4

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

YHWH’s Law was weak in the flesh, this means it was men that made the Law a problem, not the Law itself. YHWH sent His own son into the fleshly body because of the breaking of the Law. He condemned the breaking of YHHW’s law in the flesh. He did this so the keeping of the Law and its requirements might be fulfilled in those who are keeping the Law according to the Spirit. Those walking according to the flesh are living in sin, or continually breaking the Law of YHWH.

1 Timothy 1:8-11

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

Paul tells us the law is good if it is used lawfully. It is not made for the person who keeps it already, but it is for the men who continually break it. The Law of YHWH defines sin, it lets a man know what sin is in order to avoid breaking the Law of YHWH, thus helping to increase righteousness on the earth.

1 Peter 3:12

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Peter tells us YHWH’s eyes are on those who keep His Law. His ears are open to their prayers. YHWH’s face is against those who do evil, or who continually break His Law.

Revelation 19:8

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The clean white robes given to believers at the second coming are the acts of keeping the Law of YHWH, these are the Saints.

Revelation 22:11

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

He who keeps the Law of YHWH, let him keep the Law of YHWH.

The message of God’s Law is the same all throughout the Bible. It is something He holds dear and wants us to keep. His Law is to Him His marriage vows, this is why He relates it to vows in the Old Testament. This new understanding truly does put a whole different perspective on the New Testament.