Righteousness

So, part of my weight loss/lifestyle change plan is to incorporate bible reading and journaling in the morning before I eat anything.  Through the youversion iPhone app I found a great reading plan that has me reading a psalm and a proverb each morning. This has been wonderful reading so far and several things have spoken to me.  A couple days ago I came across Proverbs 11:16. 

"A gracious woman attains honor, and ruthless men attain riches."  (NASB)

I was interested in the former part of the proverb but decided to reach for the Amplified Bible to explore the entire verse. The Amplified expanded this verse a great deal:

"A gracious and good woman wins honor [for her husband], and violent men win riches but a woman who hates righteousness is a throne of dishonor for him."

Wow!  All of a sudden both parts of the proverb interested me.  This verse is about behaviour but it is also about the role of a wife within marriage.  Like any other marital reference in the Bible, this verse can ultimately represent the marriage of Christ to the Bride(me and you).  In order to really break this verse down for myself I explored what type of behaviour this proverb was promoting.  I started this by understanding the meaning behind gracious and righteous(since the unsuccessful wife hates righteousness, we can assume that the gracious woman loves it). Here is what I found:

gracious - charm, good taste, generosity of spirit; elegant, friendly, graceful, merciful, refined; kindness and warm courtesy; politeness, propitious(which means favorable)

righteous - characterized by proceeding from morality or justice; clean-handed, good, guiltless, innocent, upright, virtuous, worthy.

A woman who is gracious and righteous should represent all of the above.  Quite a list!  Righteousness is a great theme of the Bible and the Christian walk.  In the New American Standard Bible(NASB) the word righteous and its variant righteousness, are mentioned at least 580 times!  Probably an element of the Christian faith worth looking into.  My research brain got the best of me and did I ever look into it. 

Romans 3:10 says "...There is none righteous, not even one."

If in our own efforts we are incapable of being righteous, how than are we to be righteous?  How can I bring honor to myself and my husband? More importantly, and what I believe is the significant question that Proverbs 11:13 is addressing, how can I bring honor to the Groom, Jesus Christ, who is himself the purest example of righteousness?  Romans chapter 4 really digs into the biblical explanation so I am just going to put it here:

Romans 4 (capitalization denotes the quoting of Old Testament verses)

"1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 4Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7"BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8"BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT." 9Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 10How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. 13For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. 16For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17(as it is written, "A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. 18In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE." 19Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; 20yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22Therefore (IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 23Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."

Okay stay with me!  I know that is a lot to swallow but this is a beautiful image of Christianity!  To honor our Bridegroom, (JESUS!) we are to be gracious and righteous, however none of us are righteous, but we are credited with righteousness by our FAITH..... which mean that it is our SALVATION, therefore JESUS, who creates our righteousness!  So we must fully rely on our faith and and strength given to us through our Savior in order to even truly honor Him, (and our husbands!)  What a relief!  At least that is what I thought when I waded through all of that.  Who knew one little verse in Proverbs would get me to that.  Christians often refer to their strength through Christ when faced with trials, but it is important to remember that we cannot even fully honor (or worship, or serve) Jesus without Him.  Wrap your mind around it!