Are there paths of righteousness? Paths of righteousness are mentioned in various psalms and proverbs in the Old Testament. The dictionary defines paths as courses of conduct and righteousness as adhering to moral standards. Those Old Testament psalms and proverbs writers seemed to have had a deeper revelation of what paths of righteousness means than what the definitions imply.
Perhaps, the most well known Old Testament scripture on paths of righteousness is Psalm 23:3, where the psalmist says, “. . . He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake.” In writing Psalm 23, David was looking back over his life, acknowledging that his paths of righteousness had come from a life of walking with the Lord. He called the Lord, “my Shepherd.” He realized that it was “his Shepherd,” who had led, comforted, provided for and restored him in good times and in bad times. He also knew that it was done out of the goodness of “his Shepherd’s” own heart (for his namesake). David realized that there was nothing that he had done to receive the Lord’s love, his goodness or his mercy! For David, all paths of righteousness led to his “Shepherd” and Lord.
However, before the New Testament Dispensation, God’s people, unlike David, did not have a knowledge of the only true path of righteousness in God, and they sought to establish their own righteousness through the traditions of the Mosaic laws and commandments. It is clear, however, that David’s revelation of paths of righteousness transcended Mosaic laws and commandments.
In the New Covenant, the New Testament, righteousness is a gift from God and that gift is found only in Jesus Christ. The path of righteousness for all leads to faith in and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:2-3) Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way (the path), the Truth, and the Life.” There are no plural ways to righteousness. Jesus is the gateway to holiness. Jesus is the culmination of the law because he is the only one who could and did fulfill the perfect righteousness of the law. And it is by faith in Jesus that righteousness is credited to all who believe in him. (Romans 10:4)
Therefore, phase one on the path (road) of righteousness is accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. No one can make themselves righteous, even if they are totally obedient to the commandments and the Mosaic laws. For no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. According to Romans 10:6, 9, “. . . the righteousness that is by faith says . . . If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The spirit becomes activated at salvation and the Spirit of God begins to reside in believers and testify with their own spirits that they are children of God. (Romans 8:16). It is through faith in Jesus who paid the price with his atoning death on the cross and his resurrection that believers are credited with righteousness. No one deserves it nor has anyone earned it.
The next phase in the path of righteousness is seeking a deepening through the Holy Spirit. With salvation, comes a yearning and desire for something more in most believers. It is a longing for the Holy Spirit to reign in their lives. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Greek, diakaiosynen). The Holy Spirit, sent by the Lord, will begin to fill that vacuum and longing on the inside of those who give him control of their lives. (Galatians 4:6) In surrendering to the Holy Spirit, there is a transformation from worldly, carnal natures to being spirit-led. A believer will begin to “walk by the Spirit,” and not “the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) When the Holy Spirit takes control, he—seals; dwells in; fills; empowers; comforts; sanctifies; guides and leads; teaches; intercedes; strengthens; produces fruit; gifts; and calls. (See biblical verses documenting “The Work of the Holy Spirit in a Spirit-led Christian” in the Scripture References section.)
The third phase on the path to righteousness is sanctification. That process comes as the Holy Spirit begins to take control. Sanctification is being transformed into the image of Jesus after surrendering to the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18) By allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives, believers then get a revelation of the truth, found in Jesus Christ. A transformation begins as believers, “. . . put off the old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and we can begin to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22)
Sanctification does not come easily and it is a continuous process. The mantra of Christians should always be “not my will but yours (the Lord’s) be done.” (Luke 22:42) At the Holy Spirit’s leading, minds are renewed through the Word of God. In that spiritual transformation the focus becomes more on God’s Word and prayer. Believers begin to grasp the immeasurable love of a Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Through this renewal of the mind, cycles of sin are broken and believers begin to exhibit the fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
However, with sanctification comes rocks, potholes, detours and sometimes thorns and thistles. These obstacles to the path of righteousness come from the flesh, the world and the devil. Believers must discern these enemies of their souls!
1. The Flesh of believers is an enemy in the path towards righteousness. Believers must recognize and put to death fleshly tendencies, those things that “gratify the cravings of the flesh. . . “ (Ephesians 2:3) The carnal self must become crucified for believers are no longer slaves to sin! (Romans 6:6) The Holy Spirit must take preeminence in their lives and sin and the flesh must decrease. (Romans 6:12)
2. The Fallen World System are those worldly things that seem right and that were once so appealing, such as cultural mores, value systems, morals, institutional practices. These corrupt systems do not line up with the Word of God. They must no longer hold God’s saved people captive. The born-again must begin to see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears to discern what is of God and what is not. 1 John 2:16 states that, “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
3. The Devil is the formidable enemy that comes to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) Jesus referred to Satan, the devil, as the ruler of this world system in John 12:31. All Christians are at war with the devil and his forces of darkness. We must always be on alert and vigilant about the tactics of the enemy because he seeks to thwart God’s kingdom purposes here on the earth by destroying God’s creative beings. In battle, believers must stand, knowing that the victory has already been won through Jesus Christ who has triumphed over the devil on the cross.
So, walking down the path of righteousness is accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior first. Secondly, surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit. And thirdly, allowing him to crucify the flesh in the sanctification process. As Romans 12:1 puts it, we “present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord.”
Though there maybe detours along the way and though there maybe stumbles as the path becomes rocky at times—I implore you, my friends, get up brush yourself off, repent and continue on your journey to holiness. Remember: the Holy Spirit will continue to guide, lead and direct the paths of all who give him free rein over their lives! He has your back, and front and sides!
Be blessed.
Scripture References:
The Work of the Holy Spirit in a Spirit-led Christian:
1. Seals. Ephesians 1:13 . . . When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
2. Dwells in. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
3. Fills. Acts 4:31 . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
4. Empowers. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
5. Comforts. John 15:26 But when the Comforter, is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me.
5. Sanctifies. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 . . . God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
6. Guides and leads. John 16:13 . . . he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
7. Teaches. John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
8. Intercedes. Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
9. Strengthens. Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
10. Produces fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
11. Gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues
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12. Calls. Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers.
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Other Scripture References:
Psalm 119:105 states that God’s “word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Proverbs 12:28 states that, “in the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”
Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life (eternal life) . . .
Proverbs 12:28 In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.
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