"THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS HATEFUL TO YAHWEH, BUT HE LOVES HIM WHO PURSUES RIGHTEOUSNESS"  Proverbs 15:9 (Hebraic Roots Bible Literal Translation)

If YAHWEH wants us to pursue righteousness, then what about verses such as Romans 3:10 that say, “There is none righteous, no not one”? If no one is righteous, then who can really pursue it? Are those verses contradictory?

 Before we can pursue righteousness, we need to define it.

The word most often translated “righteousness” can also mean “justice, justness, or divine holiness.” In the broadest sense, righteousness can be defined as “the condition of being acceptable to Elohim (God) as made possible by YAHWEH Elohim.”

YAHWEH’S standard is what defines true righteousness; His power is what enables it.

Unless YAHWEH is its author, we will never possess righteousness. No amount of man-made effort will result in righteousness. To be righteous is to be right with YAHWEH. A heart that is right with the Heavenly Father results in a life that bears “fruit” (John 15:1–2; Mark 4:20). Galatians 5:22-23 lists some of that fruit.

A common substitute for true righteousness is self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is the opposite of what YAHWEH desires. Self-righteousness makes a list of rules and checks them off, congratulating itself on how well it is doing compared to others.

The Pharisees of Yahshua Messiahs’ day were masters of self-righteousness, but Yahshua had harsh words for them: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside,  you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27–28).

To pursue righteousness means we must recognize that we cannot please YAHWEH in our sinful state (Romans 8:8). We turn from trying to justify ourselves by our good deeds and instead seek the mercy of YAHWEH. We desire that He transform our minds (Romans 12:2) and conform us “to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).

In the Old Covenant (Testament), men were declared righteous when they believed YAHWEH Elohim and acted on it (Genesis 15:7; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23).

Before Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), people pursued righteousness by keeping YAHWEH’S Law, seeking holiness, and “walking humbly with Elohim” (Micah 6:8). No one was justified by rule-keeping but by the faith that enabled them to obey YAHWEH  (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).

Likewise, today we are justified by the faith that leads us to Yahshua (Romans 3:28; 5:1; 10:10).

Those who are in Messiah continue seeking YAHWEH in order to please Him (Colossians 3:1). When we come to faith in Messiah, He gives us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to pursue righteousness for its own sake (Acts 2:38). He commands us to “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). Walking in the Spirit means we live a lifestyle of total surrender to the Lordship of Yahshua Messiah. We cultivate the ability to hear Elohim and the habit of obeying His voice in everything.

We pursue righteousness when we pursue the character of Messiah and desire holiness more than fleshly indulgence. We avoid the temptation to become self-righteous when we understand that true righteousness begins with godly humility (Psalm 25:90). We remember that Yahshua said,

“Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

When we spend time in the presence of YAHWEH, we become more aware of our own sin and shortcomings.

A dingy shirt looks white beside a dark wall. But, when compared with snow, the same shirt looks dirty. Pride and self-righteousness cannot remain in the presence of a holy Elohim (God). Pursuing righteousness begins when a humble heart seeks the continual presence of YAHWEH (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). The humble, believing heart leads to a lifestyle of righteous action acceptable to YAHWEH our Elohim (Psalm 51:10).