Totally Righteous

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you’ve probably heard the exclamation, totally righteous! Or maybe you were part of the era that heard that phrase from a very excited sea turtle. At whichever point you heard it, the phrase ‘totally righteous’ carried with it a tone of something that was really excellent. In the latter half of the 20th century it was usually in reference to a surfer or skater who caught a major wave or airtime. For our gnarly aquatic friend, it was in exclamation of describing a seriously awesome journey through some jellyfish. But there’s a third undercurrent to this particular exclamation. To say something is totally righteous is to carry this undertone of being morally just and upright. It’s what the travelers to the new world sought after when they left Europe for a new life of religious freedom. 

The Puritans used to speak in terms of a righteousness that was imputed and then a righteousness that was imparted. They were seeking to distinguish between the objective righteousness that Christ affords us and the subjective righteousness that we enact in our lives in the power of the Spirit. As believers, we are the grateful possessors of both. Whatever your preferred terminology, this much is always true: the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ isn’t simply a free pass that excuses us to do as we please. No, the gospel calls us and empowers us to do what pleases the Lord. The key is that the gospel always turns us back to Jesus (Alistar Begg, Righteousness in Action).

The Puritans sought to lead totally righteous lives that continually pointed them back to Jesus as their barometer. But the concept of righteous living goes back further than that. If the phrase existed in Paul’s day, he would have used it as a cultural reference to describe a way of life. Using the language of the day, it’s how he described life to the Ephesian church. Paul writes that once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10 NLT).

Paul calls the church to live in the light. In other words to live in a way that reflects the life of Jesus. And if there’s a question as to what one should do, Paul says to determine first what would please the Lord. The life of the Christian isn’t meant to be a free for all once we’ve received salvation. It’s not a free pass to live however we want without repercussions. The gospel message of Jesus calls us to something different. To live differently. Paul, and the Puritans, make the point that if your way of life doesn’t point you back to Jesus, then you may be going in the wrong direction. Carefully determine what that is this week so that we may live a totally righteous life.