Pursue Righteousness

 2 Tim 2:22 - Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

As Christians, we are called to flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness. This is not a passive, static thing, but an active charge given to all of God's children. After we are saved, redeemed, and made a new creation in Christ we flee from the lusts and sins that used to rule our lives, and we follow after Christ who leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake. As we follow Christ, He teaches us how to crucify the deeds of the flesh, walk in the Spirit, and how to grow in that respect. It’s an ongoing process that sees real change and real transformation in our lives.


He doesn’t leave us where we are, as it says in 2 Cor 4:16 - For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. It's critically important that we focus on that day by day work of God in us and not allow ourselves any dabbling in sin or downplaying the presence of any ongoing iniquity in our lives, we remain vigilant and focused on rooting ALL of it out. It says in Prov 15:9 - The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness. So the Lord is very interested in what His children pursue and observant in the way in which we walk. His Spirit now resides in us and we are strengthened by His grace, so what was impossible before for us is now possible. But, it is our responsibility to yield to the Spirit's promptings and give no place to the devil, that’s the walk of faith.


This is not to suggest that we obtain salvation by our own works of righteousness, we don’t, but there is a vast difference between that and the works of righteousness that come forth as the fruit of being a faithful follower of Christ and abiding in the vine. Apart from Christ, all of our righteous deeds are as a filthy rag, but once in Christ and walking by the Spirit, our righteous deeds are beautiful and precious in His sight and a necessary fruit of our redemption and salvation.


Many pastors/preachers never talk about the need for this pursuit because they fear it will make their flock uncomfortable or possibly lead to pride and a “trusting in their own works”, so they downplay it or even suggest that this important biblical charge might actually be dangerous. It’s not dangerous to love righteousness and hate iniquity as Jesus did: Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows (Heb 1:9).


Not only is the pursuit of righteousness critically important, it is the very mark of being a child of God as it says in 1 John 3:10 - By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God. The Apostle Paul also taught us to: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Rom 6:13-14). If sin is having dominion in a believer's life, rather than righteousness, then it is clear sign that they are not walking in God's grace and strength and that is a real dangerous place for a Christian to be. God calls all of His children to purity and holiness and to pursue righteousness. 


Zacharias, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied this about what Jesus life, death and resurrection would accomplish for us and call us to: That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life (Luk 1:74-75).

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