The Concept of Righteousness

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What does it mean to be righteous?

In today’s world, the word has been cheapened. Some equate it with self-righteousness—a smug, moral superiority. Others think of it as a religious title earned by church attendance or good behavior. But in the language of Scripture, righteousness is not about appearances. It is about alignment to Him through His Torah/Instructions.

 

The Hebrew word for righteousness, tzedakah (צְדָקָה), carries the weight of rightness—not as man defines it, but as YHWH defines it. It means to walk straight, to do what is just, to act in harmony with the order and instruction of the Creator. It is not about being flawless. It is about being faithful.

 

Righteousness is relational. It’s not a sterile checklist of deeds—it is a heart that seeks to live rightly before YHWH and with others. It is rooted in Torah, because the Torah is the written expression of what is right in the eyes of the Most-High. When the Scriptures say, “Abraham believed YHWH, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” it wasn’t because Abraham was perfect. It was because he trusted, obeyed, and aligned himself with the Voice that called him out of the world’s ways.

 

To pursue righteousness is to hunger for what is good, pure, and true. It is to live in a way that reflects the character of the One who formed us.

 

The world will always redefine righteousness to suit its own image. But YHWH has already defined it. And He is looking for those who will return to it.