Righteousness Fulfilled

On this day the Church commemorates all those who were well-pleasing to God, the righteous from all the ages, from Adam to Saint Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, those who are mentioned in the genealogy of Luke 3:23-38.

How are we to understand “the Righteous”?  Those who live good, decent and moral lives?  Certainly, one cannot be righteous without this but in itself, moral uprightness is not enough.  St Paul can help us out here the better to understand the righteousness which is truly pleasing to God.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  (Philippians 3)

In other words, true righteousness is only from God and may only be acquired by faith in Him. Here is what the Holy Fathers say about saving righteousness:

Righteousness comes from faith, which means that it too is a gift of God. For since this righteousness belongs to God, it is an unmerited gift. And the gifts of God greatly exceed any achievements of our own zeal. (St John Chrysostom)

If, as he tells the Colossians, “in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” then everything, whatever it is, is to be reckoned of no account, so that we may attain to the height of this wisdom and knowledge. Not only sufficient but superabundant indeed is the righteousness that comes from faith. This salvation is freely given by the grace of God through the knowledge of Christ. It can hardly be said to be a gift of the law. For to know rightly the mystery of his incarnation and passion and resurrection is the perfection of life and the treasure of wisdom. (Ambrosiaster)

Godly Righteousness of course existed in part before Christ in all those who from Adam down to St Joseph who lived by faith and in obedience to God, the source of all righteousness. 

However, the Law, the Torah, received from God, the gold standard of faithful obedience revealed man to be incapable of this righteousness in its fullness without the intervention of God to bring it to effective fruition. 

This fulfilment of course is achieved in Christ, as promised by the Law and the Prophets.  This Messiah, our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, willingly submitted Himself fully to our human condition in and through the human nature freely offered to God by the Theotokos and the Annunciation. 

At his baptism, the incredulity of St John the Baptism that the sinless One should be baptised by him is met with this response by Jesus:

But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. (Matthew 3:15)

So, righteousness is fulfilled only in Christ.  It is by coming to Him in faith and receiving the Holy Spirit from the Father that we become capable of that perfect saving righteousness which is only to be found in Him, the Word made flesh.

But if that is the case, what about those who have never consciously accepted Christ.  What of them?  How does God receive their limited righteousness … or does He?

The Scriptures are quite clear on this.  God shows no partiality and judges people according to the light they have received.  St Peter had to learn this as he encountered in his missionary work Gentiles who had not inherited the tradition of righteousness through Judaism.

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:34-35)

So there is that truth about righteousness again.  It is a universal possibility but in its fulness only available through Christ who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6)

As we approach this festal season of the Nativity of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ once more let us recommit ourselves to acquiring that righteousness that is Christ, appropriated through sacrifice and faith, and let us fearlessly witness to that transformative righteousness by holiness of life, martyrdom and verbal confession so that others also may receive the True Light which is Christ, the righteousness of God in the flesh.