Do You Know About The Three Kinds Of Righteousness Believers Need?

Righteousness is not a feeling. It is a state of being that can be easily verified by answering three questions. These questions must be answered affirmatively. If you answer “yes” in your conscience to these three categories that they are all at work in your life, then you are a righteous person in YHVH’s eyes.

We don’t need to be concerned with man’s definition of righteousness. All humans have a different idea of what constitutes righteousness. Rather, stick with YHVH Elohim’s definitions of righteousness. It is His approval, not the approval of man, which we seek. (I will use the term “YHVH Elohim” throughout this article in place of “Jehovah God”).

What are the three kinds of righteousness found in scripture we need to enter into Yeshua’s Kingdom?

Belief in the Promised Son.

Getting Forgiveness of sins.

The Authority of YHVH’s Law.

These three kinds of righteousness are required for us to enter Yeshua’s Kingdom, the Kingdom of YHVH Elohim. There is confusion about these. The debates regard needing only one of the three or possibly two of three while discarding the rest. Some doctrines teach the only righteousness we need is to believe in the Promised Son. Repentance of sins may accompany this doctrine but, as we shall see, most Christian and Jewish lists of sin fall very short of YHVH Elohim’s even though these lists may be longer than His.

Some doctrines teach the authority of YHVH’s Law. Repentance may be part of this but, without the Promised Son, there is no forgiveness for He is the one who forgives.

All three kinds of righteousness are required in our life simultaneously if we want to enter the Kingdom of God.

BELIEF IN THE PROMISED SON OF GOD

Genesis 15:6 He [Abram] believed in YHVH, who credited it to him for righteousness.

The first kind of righteousness we need in our relationship with YHVH Elohim is to believe His promise of a Son like Abraham did.

Romans 4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:6  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

James 2:23  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

What does it mean that righteousness was “accounted to” or “imputed” to Abraham? It means YHVH Elohim made a deposit in Abraham’s treasury account.

Matthew 6:19  “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
Matthew 6:20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
Matthew 6:21  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The moment Abraham’s heart accepted the words of YHVH Elohim, a line item was written in Abraham’s heavenly treasury account which said “righteous”.

Righteousness is not something you can buy and YHVH Elohim does not sell it but He adds “righteous” to our line items in our personal heavenly treasury when our hearts say “yes” to Yeshua, the Promised Son.

First, we believe, then we receive YHVH Elohim’s “attribution” or “imputation” of righteousness on us.

To be righteous means to be in “right standing”. We can be in right standing before YHVH Elohim and also before people. This brings us to another kind of righteousness which we need – Repentance.

GETTING FORGIVENESS OF SINS

The second kind of righteousness we need comes from our repentance which result in YHVH’s forgiveness. If we repent to a person, it is supposed to result in their forgiveness but, sadly, this does not always happen where people are concerned.

Luk 15:7  I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

The righteous are righteous because they have repented of sins and been forgiven.

We must know what sin is according to YHVH Elohim’s definition and not according to our religious doctrine. Religions and denominations or sects within religions have different lists. But there is a master list from which we must repent for forgiveness from YHVH Elohim, otherwise our repentance will be incomplete. We must go through YHVH Elohim’s list of sins and let His Holy Spirit reveal where we missed the mark according to Him. We must do this if we want to enter His Kingdom because, as the King of His Kingdom, He has decided what constitutes sins. Therefore, we must agree with Him and not our favorite religion, church or synagogue.

Where is YHVH’s list of sins? And what is sin? Let’s start by defining what sin is.

1 John 3:4  Whosoever commits sin transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Sin is the transgression of the Law. What Law is John talking about? It is the Law of YHVH also known as the Law of Moses. YHVH’s Law pre-existed the creation but He gave it to Moses to teach to the people who want to be called by YHVH’s name, the people called “Israelites”.

There is another word for sin that can be used in our modern times which might make it easier to understand what sin is. That word is “crime”. Crimes are the acts of criminals, the Lawless, who disobey the Laws of their nation. The word “sin” has a deeper significance than the word “crime” but using the word “crime” helps us to understand the simplicity of Yeshua’s Kingdom and necessity of the Law from which derives the list of YHVH’s sin, or crimes, that His people are to avoid.

YHVH’s list is found mostly in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Church denominations and various sects of Judaism have different lists of sins which are also incomplete or which add to the list of sins YHVH gave. Often, YHVH’s list is shorter than those of the religions.

Go to YHVH’s list, ask yourself at each commandment if you may have breached that sin in some way and repent of that so you will be forgiven. Sins not repented of are not forgiven. We must repent to be forgiven.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your repentance as you read the list of sins, or crimes, in YHVH’s Elohim’s Books of the Law.

Repentance brings forgiveness. These two acts are two sides of the same coin. Together, they create a mechanism whereby righteousness is attributed or imputed to us by YHVH. The result is being in right standing before YHVH.

If we are repenting to a person, the result is the same. We repent, they forgive, which completes the mechanism for us to be in right standing with him or her.

Forgiveness is the result of YHVH’s mercy which He shows to us once we repent.

There is another kind of righteousness which is rejected by the religions of Christianity and Judaism. It is the authority of YHVH’s Law to govern our lives.

THE AUTHORITY OF YHVH’S LAW IN OUR LIVES

It is an apostacy that Church doctrine for the last 2,000 years has taught that some or all of the Law was dispensed with by Yeshua, that it was “done away”. Nothing in the Law was done away.

The Law of YHVH was dispensed with by religious Jews before He came to earth. The rabbis had not yet written down the oral law but they enforced it on people.

Matthew 23:1  Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,
Matthew 23:2  saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat.
Matthew 23:3  All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.
Matthew 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

Yeshua began His ministry by explaining that He will not “destroy” or “pervert” the Law of YHVH or anything said by the prophets.

Matthew 5:17  “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Matthew 5:18  For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one jot or tittle shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
Matthew 5:19  Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:20  For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Throughout the Gospel accounts, Yeshua repeatedly said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. The false teaching in the Christian church is that He was teaching new Laws such as the “law of love” which would superseded the Law He gave at Mount Sinai.

The entire Law of YHVH is about governing our behavior toward Him and other people and how to restore breached relationships. The Law teaches us that sacrifices must be made when we sin. We also know Yeshua fulfilled, or “filled up full of meaning”, each and every sacrifice and all the elements of them.

The word “fulfill” nowhere on earth or in any dictionary means that which was fulfilled is now done away with or that it has passed into irrelevance. Rather, the word “fulfill” means “completed so we can now move on to the next stage”. Let me give you an example.

I used to work in land title insurance that protects homeowners’ rights to their properties after there has been a closing. To get title insurance, a sale contract is required. Other items go into the folder with the sale contract in anticipation of the closing. After the closing, no one goes out in the street announcing that the sale contract is no longer valid or needed. In fact, if the sale contract is not in the file, it could nullify the closing and transfer of title. The sale contract must always be in the file in case there is a claim against the title insurance.

The same thing applies to the Law of YHVH because Yeshua IS YHVH! He restored everything of the Kingdom the way it should be so that when He returns He can implement what the first generation of Israelites rejected – His Law.

Does the Law of YHVH have something to do with our righteousness? Yes.

Deuteronomy 4:8  What great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you today?

The Law is righteous. Why would Yeshua do away with something that is righteous? If He does away with His law which is righteous, could He decide to do away with the other irghteousnesses, too?

Paul wrote:

Romans 7:12  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

There is much to know about the Law of YHVH. It is TRUTH, according to Psalms 119:142. It isn’t just “the truth”. No. YHVH’s Law is TRUTH. Truth seekers, your “truth” will be found within the Law of YHVH.

Psalms 119:142  Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. Your law is truth.

We are to delight in it.

Psalms 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

Psalms 119:70  Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

Psalms 119:77  Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

Psalms 119:174  I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.

Romans 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

Being doers of the Law is our third requirement for having right standing before YHVH, our God.

Romans 2:13  For it isn’t the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.

Religion is wrong about YHVH’s Law. There is much misunderstanding about the Law. Unrighteous men have twisted  and perverted it to suit themselves in their quest for power and money. The Law is easy to understand and to do.

Matthew 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Deuteronomy 30:11  For this commandment which I command you today is not too hard for you or too distant.

Deuteronomy 30:12  It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?”
Deuteronomy 30:13  Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, and proclaim it to us, that we may do it?”
Deuteronomy 30:14  But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

1 John 5:3  For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

1 John 2:4  One who says, “I know him,” and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him.

Religions fail to teach that Yeshua will rule over the entire world with a iron rod. This means strict enforcement of His Law which He gave at Mount Sinai and under which He fulfilled the sacrifices with His own life!

The prophets Isaiah and Micah said:

Isaiah 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Micah 4:2  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Not only will the Law rule the earth from Jerusalem, it will be strictly enforced, as the scripture says in Revelation.

Revelation 2:27  And He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father.

Revelation 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.

Revelation 19:15  And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Why will this iron rod be brought to bear on the inhabitants of the earth? It is because the earth is to be YHVH’s holy abode where He lives with a holy, set apart and righteous people. The 7^th Millennium will be focused on cleaning up the earth from man’s sins, those found in the Law of YHVH AKA the Law of Moses, so the holy city, New Jerusalem, can come and never again be defiled.

Believing God’s promise of a Son to save us, repenting of our sins (crimes) against Him and His Kingdom and then living up to His standard by doing His Law are the three prongs of our righteousness.