Unmanufactured Righteousness: How Not to DIY Good Deeds

“Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” Romans 10: 3 NIV [emphasis mine]

How-tos. DIY. I love hands-on projects. I love learning new things. I love the discovery. I love the control. 

But when it comes to righteousness, God’s righteousness, all the effort in the world will get me nowhere. Because God’s righteousness isn’t a What to manufacture.

It’s a Who to be known. 

Tony Evans says it this way, “True righteousness is released, not manufactured.”

Righteousness and Relationship

In the verse from Romans above, Paul points out a lack of knowledge. Not book knowledge. Personal relationship. Galatians 2:20 reads, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Christ’s Spirit lives inside the believer, those in relationship with Him. Consequently, His righteousness is already present with us because He is present. 

Striving for Righteousness

Did you catch the phrase “sought to establish their own”? Seeking to establish our own righteousness is a DIY project doomed to fail, because we have no righteousness of our own. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul said, “God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.” We traded our sin for His righteousness, so stop trying to work for it. We traded up.

Receiving Righteousness

Ever been in the midst of a project and realized it was time to bring in a professional? Matthew 11:28-30 reads, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” God’s righteousness is ever available as we submit to Jesus’ lordship.

Obstacles to Righteousness

Why is it so hard? Because flesh has a DIY mindset. It fights the Spirit for dominance and self-sufficiency. Galatians 5:16 reads, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Turn from flesh to Holy Spirit. Starve the flesh. Silence it. Send it to bed without supper. Instead, laser-focus on Holy Spirit. 

God never expected us to manufacture righteousness. Instead, He offers us His own righteousness through relationship with Jesus. No DIY. We were created to walk in relationship with God, and as we do, His righteousness is released. 

Questions:

Discuss the difference between knowing about something or someone (book or head knowledge) and knowing something or someone personally?

How have you tried to DIY righteous behavior?

What obstacles do you face in coming to Jesus?

How do you feed your flesh? How can you starve it? 

What does walking with the Holy Spirit look like to you?

Click here for Devour the Bible, Bible study sheets for elementary students and preschoolers.