Jesus Loves Righteousness—And We Should Too

by Bryan Gibson

May 8, 2009

The heavenly Father said this about His Son, “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness” (Hebrews 1:9). Jesus spoke of his love for righteousness (John 5:30; 6:38), but He did much more than that—He proved it, in a number of ways, including the following:

He proved it by His baptism. Jesus had committed no sins, but He still insisted on being baptized, saying that it was necessary to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13-15). Others refused to be baptized by John (Luke 7:30), but Jesus obeyed, just like He said He would (John 5:30; 6:38). Jesus commands all today to be baptized in His name for the remission of sins (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38). We can prove our love for righteousness—and for Him—by doing just that.

He proved it by driving the moneychangers from the temple—on two separate occasions (John 2:13-17; Mark 11:15-17). He couldn’t stand what they had done to His Father’s house—making it a “house of merchandise” (John 2:16), and a “den of thieves” (Mark 11:17). Where is that same righteous indignation today, seeing that many have turned his spiritual house (the church) into something He never intended?

He proved it by resisting every temptation. Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:15), but not one time did He succumb to temptation. Jesus was constantly harassed, constantly tested—but He just kept doing and saying the right thing. Those who truly love righteousness will fight temptation at every turn.

He proved it by continuing to preach the truth, even when many of His disciples turned away (John 6:60-66). If Jesus had sought popularity and big numbers like many do today, he would have given the people what they wanted to hear, rather than what they needed to hear. Those who love righteousness will teach the truth—period!

He proved it by the people He regarded as family—“whoever does the will of My Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50). The people He felt the closest to were those who had the same love for righteousness that He did. If we truly love righteousness, we will feel a kinship to those like-minded.

He proved it by His commitment to the cross. Jesus was “deeply distressed” and “exceedingly sorrowful” as he approached death (Matthew 26:37-38). He even prayed to the Father three times to “let this cup pass from me,” but then added, “not as I will, but as you will.” As difficult as this was for Him personally, He was still committed to doing the Father’s will. Let’s remember that phrase the next time we’re torn between our will and the Lord’s—“not as I will, but as You will.” We’ve got to do right, no matter how much personal hardship it may bring.

It’s easy enough to talk about our love for righteousness; it’s time we proved it.