Are there paths of righteousness? There are many Old Testament scriptures that speak of paths of righteousness. In the dictionary, paths are defined as courses of conduct and righteousness is described as adhering to moral standards. In studying the Old Testament psalms and proverbs, those writers seemed to have had a deeper revelation of paths of righteousness than just being moral standards of conduct as 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.)
