Gift of righteousness

Proverbs 10:31-11:8

Do you realise that God has already given to you the gift of righteousness? Have you taken possession of this gift?

The writer of Proverbs contrasts ‘the wicked’ with ‘the righteous’. Wickedness will lead to destruction – ‘the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity… the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness’ (11:3b,5b). Most significantly of all, wickedness is undone by death: ‘When the wicked die, their hope perishes; all they expected from their power comes to nothing’ (v.7).

On the other hand, ‘righteousness delivers from death’ (v.4b). This is one of the arguments the apostle Peter uses about Jesus on the Day of Pentecost – righteousness cannot rot: ‘It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him’ (Acts 2:24).

No one is totally righteous except Jesus. Righteousness means right relationships, both with God and with other people. You receive this righteousness from God as a gift by faith (Romans 3:22; Philippians 3:9) but you have to take possession of it. You have to live it out.

In this passage we see some examples of what this means.

Wisdom 
‘A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp. The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it’ (Proverbs 10:31a,32a, MSG).

Humility
 ‘The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm’ (11:2, MSG).

Integrity 
‘The integrity of the honest keeps them on track... a principled life can stand up to the worst’ (v.3a,4b, MSG).

Character 
‘Moral character makes for smooth travelling... Good character is the best insurance’ (v.5a,6a, MSG).