6 Course Corrections to Avoid Settling for a Mediocre Righteousness

6 Course Corrections to Avoid Settling for a Mediocre Righteousness

Posted on by Michele Morin

C.S. Lewis famously said, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” Any foolishness about humanity’s innate goodness goes out the window the first time we try to break a bad habit, adopt a godly practice, or keep our mouths shut in the company of an annoying family member.

We persist in right living NOT as a means of salvation and acceptance by God, but, rather, as evidence of our standing. This call to a unique way of life, different from our pagan neighbors, actually pre-dates “Christianity” and originates in God’s dealings with Israel:

For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 7:6a

God’s chosen people emerged as refugees from pagan, polytheistic Egypt and landed as transients in pagan, polytheistic Canaan. It was important for them to hear that God had set them apart for a holy purpose.

God’s rule over their lives would dictate who they were, and it would also dictate who they weren’t!

“For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 7:6 tells us who we are. It also tells us who we aren’t.

A Surpassing Righteousness

Jesus picked up on this theme in his Sermon on the Mount. Among the many misconceptions surrounding his Messianic role was the hope that he would bring God’s standards down to a level that would be more “manageable.” On the contrary, he said, “I have not come to abolish [the Law or the Prophets] but to fulfill them.”

He came to embody and to advocate for a bone-deep righteousness that bucked tradition and invited persecution—the kind of righteousness that can get you hung on a cross.

In Matthew 5, we read about his six corrections to the rabbinic tradition of his day:

  1. It is not enough to identify as a “not-murderer.” You mustn’t let your anger cause you to sin with your words or your scorn.
  2. It is not enough to practice surface-level sexual purity while your heart is aflame with lust and longing for someone who is not your spouse.
  3. It is not enough to dot legal i’s and cross legal t’s in a world of no-fault divorce.
  4. It is not enough to make a promise and then keep it. Make it your goal (and begin today) to be so honest with your words that no one doubts them for a single minute.
  5. It is not enough to balance the scales of justice. Prefer the loss of your dignity, security, liberty, and property over your desire to retaliate for wrongs done to you.
  6. It is not enough to love the people who benefit you or who can reciprocate in kind. Love the person who comes to mind when you hear the command to “love your enemies.”

Jesus has given us a mandate against mediocrity. What good is a righteousness that simply keeps us out of jail or wins us the friendship of people we don’t even respect? A “holy people belonging to the Lord” will be set apart from a culture driven by and devoted to comfort, entertainment, individuality, and immediate gratification.

If you are a believer, you are chosen.
You are holy.
You are loved.
Why would you settle for a mediocre righteousness?

Jesus has given us a mandate against mediocrity. What good is a righteousness that simply keeps us out of jail or wins us the friendship of people we don’t even respect?

And Now, Let’s Talk Books…

A cancer diagnosis lands like an expiration date stamped suddenly on your life. When Katy Bowser Hutson was told that her particular form of breast cancer was both aggressive and deadly, her grief, uncertainty, and fear found expression through poetry in Now I Lay Me Down to Fight.

Her words offer readers a vicarious memento mori, for Hutson’s “sturdy stare down with death” changed her life in ways we can all afford to embrace. In documenting the initial shock, the ravaging effects of chemo, the frustration of weakness, the needful removal of both breasts, and the outrage of radiation, she has chronicled her battle for survival along with the ratification of her faith in a living God who was present with her in her pain.

Because we all struggle with doubt on some level and because life can sometimes seem like it’s just too much, this book offers a frank reminder that God’s words of life and his promise of abundance are true even in our darkest times.

I’m asking myself this question now: Would my theology survive a cancer diagnosis?

Holding You in the Light,

When @katybowser was told that her particular form of breast cancer was both aggressive and deadly, her grief, uncertainty, and fear found expression through poetry in Now I Lay Me Down to Fight. @ivpress

Looking for Challenging Devotional Reading that Encourages You to Seek Intimacy with God Every Day?

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I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase any of the books or products I’ve shared, simply click on the image, and you’ll be taken directly to the seller. If you decide to buy, I’ll receive a few pennies at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to InterVarsity Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

5 thoughts on “6 Course Corrections to Avoid Settling for a Mediocre Righteousness”

  1. Another mandate against mediocrity is found in Revelation 3:15-16, when Jesus pronounces the church at Laodicea to be lukewarm, deserving to be spit out! Lord, may I not succumb to mediocrity but stand strong for you! (Thank you, Michele!)

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  2. I’m so glad you are now providing devotional content for the YouVersion app, Michele. May the Lord bless your writing endeavors!

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