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30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
We already know that the righteousness we have is really God’s choice to see us as such.  We know that our redemption is through justification, which is another word for Christian righteousness.  Finally, holiness is from God’s choice to fellowship with us.  Notice therefore, that Christ has become our righteousness, holiness, and wisdom… and that, just as is taught in the Old Testament, it is by choice.  He is our wisdom by choice.

Notice also that our justification, our salvation, …

 1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Verses 1 and 2 are how I feel about a great many people I know, particularly many Jews and even many Christians.  They have what appears to be a relationship with …

 30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.” 

33As it is written:
   ”See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
      and a rock that makes them fall,
   and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Knowing the definitions of righteousness put forth in the Old Testament, this makes perfect sense.  Recalling all the countless times it …

 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  

 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of …

Recall these verses from Romans 5: ”12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.”  Paul is drawing a distinction between legality and morality.  This is an important distinction for those who lived before the law, because even without a law to break, there was still sin.  There may have been no law upon which to base punishment, but sin was still in the world.  After all, “14 …death reigned from the time of Adam …

As I try and work out the different perspectives on righteousness between the Old and New Testaments, something occurs to me. I read (and wrote on) book after book about how the righteous are saved and the unrighteous are condemned, that the wicked can become righteous and the good can become wicked, and finally it is how you end up without regard to duration that determines whether you go to Heaven.  And the point is made in terms of how well Israel and Judah seek the Lord, how often and to what degree God disperses them, punishes them, or lets them die, and the conditions under which He lovingly returns them to their home, and welcomes them into His house.  …

 Acts 24
25As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

 27When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

Acts 25
22Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

Acts 26
5They have known me for a long …

7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
I find this passage very interesting, if cryptic.

Because men do …

Well, I have finally gotten through every verse in the NIS translation on Righteousness.  Now, I turn to the New Testament, and am pleasantly (and only a little) surprised to find Jesus picking right up where our study left off.  However, let me first set the stage.
 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
   ”A voice of one calling in the desert,
   ’Prepare the way for the Lord,
      make straight paths for him.’ ”
Matthew is quoting Isaiah 40:3, a prophecy that would usher in the ministry of Jesus’ 1st …

3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
I find it interesting that Daniel was told that we are too lead people to righteousness, and yet the goal of modern Judaism is not to do that, but to simply live righteously.  It is Christians who try and lead people to righteousness, specifically: belief, obedience, and zealousness for God’s name.

I believe this is one of the reasons God brought about the church.  It is sad to me, but as a rule my fellow Jews do not see it as their responsibility to add names to the book of life, except perhaps for …