We must consider righteousness from a high degree to understand its spiritual meaning. The scriptures fall into alignment when we consider certain words from the highest degree. The highest understanding of righteous is that it simply means free. When Babylon fell, Jeremiah said, the Lord has brought forth our righteousness (Jeremiah 51:10).
The Father used the fact that righteous means free to verify His teachings. The Father said, “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. I didn’t say to the seed of Jacob, seek me in vain. I the Lord speak righteousness; I declare things that are right” (Isaiah 45:19). The Father told us that His teachings were apparent because they were what makes us free. Our oppression and captivity are evidence that the Father’s teachings are truth.
Our understanding of righteousness has been confounded. Therefore, many of us have a hard time understanding the Father’s teachings. The common definition of righteous is morally right or justifiable. Moral only means concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. This low degree of righteousness is zoomed in too tight. It does not form a bases for us to have a practical understanding of the big picture.
When we understand that righteous means free, we understand that it is an essential principle that embodies all of the Father’s teachings. When we follow the Father’s instructions, we are able to obtain freedom and keep it. When we don’t follow the Father’s teachings, we end up controlled by someone else. This is the overarching theme of the Old Testament. When we go astray, the Father continues to “deliver us poor in our affliction and opens our ears in oppression (Job 36:15).
The word righteous is a combination of the words right and wise. These words together mean a way that is straight. The word righteous is often used interchangeably with the word upright in the scriptures. To be upright means to stand straight up like an upright vacuum cleaner. This word describes a people standing in a way where there is no one controlling or reigning over them. Men who are merchants are righteous as long as they can make their ends meet. If they find themselves unable to do so, they must be employed. The word employ actually means to fold and was considered a loss of righteousness.
We use the word right to describe freedom outside religion. When we say we have a right to do something, we know this means we have the freedom to do it. What is right goes beyond morality. Where people can’t agree on morality, we can agree on peace and freedom. Christ said, “For he that is not against us is on our part” (Mark 9:40). The true meaning of righteousness is often confounded when we talk about God. Christ warned us that righteousness would be the point where men speaking their own doctrine would go astray (John 7:18).
The Son set us free with the spiritual knowledge he provided. He released us from servitude on the condition that we know what our Lord is doing (John 15:15). Without knowledge of righteousness, it becomes difficult for us to know what our Lord is doing. We know what our Lord is doing when we understand that morality protects our integrity, our integrity protects our unity, and our unity protects our freedom. The Father teaches us how to remain upright and avoid becoming perversely interdependent. Christ told his followers to break all ties without dispute saying, “if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also” (Matthew 5:40).
Christ knew that his followers were perversely interdependent for provision and protection. He knew that they would have to sever all ties and regroup. Christ knew that they would have to suffer offenses alone to do so. To climb away from under oppression, the people had to perform a swift and clean break. Christ warned them not to fear loss or become entangled by hostility saying, seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). We will be righteous when we know that our Lord is establishing the way for us to place no man above God.
