δικαιοσύνη as
Right Conduct before God.
If we ignore these passages, and postpone for the moment
our consideration of the distinctive Pauline formula δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ, we may first maintain that δικαιοσύνη is almost always used in
the NT for the right conduct of man which follows the will of God and is
pleasing to Him, for rectitude of life before God, for uprightness before His
judgment. The fact that the basic relationship to God is always in view, and that
it is related to the event of revelation, distinguishes this usage from Greek
and Hellenistic ethics and links it firmly with the OT. A brief review of the
non-Pauline writings will confirm this.
a. Matthew. It is the consistent usage in Mt. In Mt. 3:15
πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην means that in presenting
Himself for baptism Jesus emphasises as His task, not δικαίωμα, the establishment of right, which
would be one act, but right conduct which He will fulfil and which will be
pleasing to God.34 According to 5:6 a right state before God is the
supreme goal for the πεινῶντες
καὶ διψῶντες. We need hardly take this to be the
judging and saving δικαιοσύνη
θεοῦ in the forensically eschatological
sense. On the other hand, in opposition to the Jewish thought of merit, δικαιοσύνη is plainly regarded as a
gift which God gives to those who ask for it. In 6:33 ζητεῖτε πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ refers to that which brings the
disciple into harmony with the will of God. αὐτοῦ is related to βασιλείαν as well as δικαιοσύνην. Righteousness is here
closely linked with God and His kingdom, again as a pure gift from God, like
everything connected with the kingdom.
The parallelism to the Pauline doctrine of justification
is evident here, as at other points where the Gospel emphasises the merciful
salvation of sinners. According to 5:10 right conduct before God brings about
persecution. According to 5:20 this δικαιοσύνη
must be more abundant than that of the Pharisees. In 6:1 it is a title for
exercises and expressions of piety (ποιεῖν
δικαιοσύνην). These do not exhaust the
concept of righteousness; yet they provide typical illustrations of δικαιοσύνη as action before and for
God. When John ἦλθεν
ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης (21:32), he demanded
righteousness of life in accordance with the will of God.
On ὁδὸς
τῆς δικαιοσύνης, cf. Job 24:13; Prv. 8:20;
12:28; 16:31; 17:23; 21:16, 21.
b. Luke. The word has the same meaning in Lk. In 1:75 λατρεύειν αὐτῷ ἐν ὁσιότητι καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ speaks with liturgical power of the
Messianic salvation. The linking of ὁσιότης and
δικαιοσύνη (Eph. 4:24) is Greek (cf.
Wis. 9:3 and LXX Jos. 24:14 A). But the ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ
shows that here, as distinct from the Greek view, δικαιοσύνη is not isolated rectitude
limited as ἕξις to
man. The distinction between moral and religious action is meaningless. δικαιοσύνη before God is the
fulfilment of His will in an action which is pleasing to Him. In Ac. especially
it is emphasised that God seeks this even among the heathen: 13:10; 24:25, and
that good works done by non-Christians are recognised by God: 10:35: ἐν παντὶ ἔθνει ὁ φοβούμενος αὐτὸν
καὶ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην δεκτὸς αὐτῷ ἐστιν. This ἐργάζεσθαι δικαιοσύνην is not, of course, regarded
as a sufficient way of salvation; cf. 10:43: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν.
c. Peter. Much the same picture is presented. In 1 Pt. δικαιοσύνη is always the doing of
right as acceptable conduct. According to 2:24 liberation from sins by the
cross is the presupposition of a life directed by δικαιοσύνη—a motif similar to that of
R. 6 (→ 209). In 3:14, as in Mt. 5:10, suffering for the sake of rectitude is
mentioned. According to 2 Pt. 2:5 Noah as a herald of δικαιοσύνη is a representative of the
right conversation towards the κόσμος
ἀσεβῶν which has regard to the command of God.
In 2:21 the libertines leave τὴν
ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης (→ supra), the walk which corresponds to the ἁγία ἐντολή (v. 21). According to 3:13 (→ 187) the
new world will be controlled by righteousness.
d. Hebrews. Apart from the peculiar instances mentioned
earlier, which give evidence of a sensitiveness to Hellenistic usage but do not
essentially change the picture, the same is true of Hb. In 1:9 the ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν (אA ἀδικίαν) of
ψ 44:7 is applied in such a way that the
exaltation of Christ is viewed as a reward for His righteousness of life.
According to 7:2 Melchisedec is βασιλεὺς
δικαιοσύνης, i.e., dedicated to
righteousness. As such—though the allegory is not developed—he is a type of
Christ, to whom righteousness is proper. In 11:7 it is said of Noah: τῆς κατὰ πίστιν δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος. The word is not used here
in a legal sense; it means an acceptable mode of life corresponding to faith.
The statement agrees with Paul to the degree that here, as in Mt., δικαιοσύνη is a gift which man
inherits. In 12:11, where the gen. appos. describes the fruit of παιδεία as δικαιοσύνη, what is in view is
agreement in character with the will of God.
e. John. The only difference in Jn. is that in his total
use of δικαιοσύνη he
brings out even more fully what is said in Mt. 3:15 and Hb. concerning the
righteousness of Christ by interpreting all righteousness christologically and
always linking right action with Christ as the δίκαιος. According to Jn. 16:8, 10: ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ περὶ κρίσεως, the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus declare His righteous being, and in 1 Jn. 2:29 ποιεῖν τὴν δικαιοσύνην is the exercise and
demonstration of what Jesus embodies as the δίκαιος, and is therefore a valid sign of being
born of God. In 3:7 the antinomianism which would stop at the ἐκεῖνος δίκαιος without drawing the consequences of ποιεῖν τὴν δικαιοσύνην is summoned to right
conduct (opp. ἁμαρτία)
according to the norm of the true δίκαιος.
The main content of this doing of δικαιοσύνη is
brotherly love (3:10). With this should be linked the δικαιοσύνην ποιησάτω of Rev. 22:11. (Gottlob Schrenk, “Δίκη,
Δίκαιος, Δικαιοσύνη, Δικαιόω, Δικαίωμα, Δικαίωσις, Δικαιοκρισία,” Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley,
and Gerhard Friedrich, 10 vols. [Grand Rapids, Mich. Eerdmans, 1964–],
2:198–200)
To Support this Blog:
Email for Amazon Gift card: ScripturalMormonism@gmail.com
