There are many Old Testament scriptures that speak of the paths to righteousness. A path is defined as a course of conduct; righteousness means adhering to moral standards. Certainly, Old Testament writers had a deeper revelation of paths to righteousness than just moral standards of conduct as the definition states.Perhaps, the most well known Old Testament scripture on paths to 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!
I believe that the path of righteousness is a gateway to holiness; it was never meant to be a physical path. Before the New Testament Dispensation, God’s people did not have a knowledge of the only true way to righteousness in God, Jesus, and they sought to establish their own righteousness through the traditions of the Mosaic laws and commandments.
Under the New Covenant (the New Testament) righteousness is a gift from God that comes through faith in and acceptance of Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:2-3) Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way (the path), the Truth, and the Life.” Jesus is the culmination of the law. He is the only one who could and did fulfill perfect righteousness and it is credited by faith to all who believe in him. (Romans 10:4)
So, on our road (path) to righteousness, the first step is accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. We cannot make ourselves righteous, even if we are totally obedient to the commandments. 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.” So, righteousness begins by accepting salvation through the merciful grace of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection. We do not deserve it nor can we earn it.
The next step in the path to righteousness is seeking a deepening of our relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit. Our spirit becomes activated at salvation and the Spirit of God begins to reside in us and testifies with our own spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16). 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 on the inside of those who give him control of their lives. (Galatians 4:6) When we surrender to him, he transforms our worldly, carnal natures. We begin to “walk by the Spirit,” and not “the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) When the Holy Spirit takes control, he: seals us; dwells in us; fills us; empowers us; comforts us; sanctifies us; guides and leads us; teaches us; intercedes for us; strengthens us; produces fruit in us; gifts us; and calls us. (See biblical verses documenting “The Work of the Holy Spirit” in the Scripture References section.)
