On the Flip SideSampel

Okay, I know, the Bible has some really weird words in it — words we probably never use in our everyday lives, like salvation, sanctification, baptism, or righteousness. We only have a minute, so let's talk about just one of those words: righteousness. It means when someone or something is . . . well, right. Correct. Good in every way. Sometimes it's defined as "right living." But what does it mean to live "rightly"? Well, that's exactly the question we humans have been trying to answer and often getting wrong. Most of the time, it's because we reduce "righteousness" down to a checklist of religious laws and rituals, thinking if we follow them all perfectly, God will be happy with us. But that's not how God defines righteousness at all. With God, right living isn't about a perfect record of church attendance, prayer, and Bible-reading — not if you're not doing it out of love for God and others. God's righteousness isn't a religious to-do list. It's an invitation to experience and reflect God's love. That's how God flips our definition of righteousness.