1. The standard of right is always found in the will of God as expressed in His law. Everything is referred to that. Doing the will of God is the simple but exhaustive summary of all true life (Mk 3=*-5).
2. The extent of right is to be understood as absolute conformity to the law of God, with no immunity and no reservation. Not only actions and words, but also thoughts, desires, and motives, are always included in its scope (Mt S^^- 2«). Since ' right ' means conformity to God's character and will, it necessarily follows that this conformity must be absolute. Our Lord contrasts the right- eousness of the scribes and Pharisees with that which He demanded from His followers (5^"). His requirement was higher because of His higher conception of the character, will, and claims of God. To them righteousness was nothing more than a superficial outward conformity to the Divine law as interpreted and altered by their tradition. They measured by means of an im- perfect standard, while our Lord laid down an absolute law (S'*'). See art. Righteousness.
3. The motives to right are variously stated and implied, (a) First and foremost is the (always imjilied) motive based on the truth that right is right and therefoi'e must be done, (h) Then obedi- ence to the will of God, because it is God's will, is emphasized (5^^ 7^'). (c) A secondary and yet im- portant motive is found in the spiritual blessings associated with the performance of right (5'"'^ gi.4. 6. i8)_ (cf) Yet again we have the .spiritual influences and effects of right as no inconsiderable motive for righteousness of thought, word, and
deed
^13. 14
4. The encoiiragements to right are found in (a) the joy of satisfaction in obedience to God ; (b) the approving testimony of conscience as the result of righteousness ; (c) the blessing of God manifestly resting upon the life (lO^^-^i) ; (d) fellowship with Christ in faithful and true living (lO^^ 125"). These points concerning right are only a bare summary of what is both implicit and expressed in the whole of our Lord's teaching, especially in the five great sections of teaching found in Matthew.
RIGHT HAND
RIGHTEOUS, RIGHTEOUSNESS 529
5. The secret of right is found in personal union and coniniunion with Ciirist. There is nothing dry, formal, and abstract in ' right ' as conceived of in the NT It is no question of an impersonal ab- stract t6 dlKaiov or to KaXov, but a warm, loving, living, and personal life of riglit thinking, right speaking, right doing, in union with Him who is pre-eminently 6 diKaios and 6 Ka\6s. It is this that diilerentiates Cliristiaii ethics from all others. Christianity not only depicts an ideal and insists on its realization ; it proclaims and provides the power to realize it, in union with Him who has Himself lived the life and fuHilled the Divine ideal, iind whose grace is sufficient for all who receive it. In all that concerns 'right,' the followers of Christ accept and know by experience the truths of two great statements ; one of the Master, and the other of one of His Apostles : ' Apart from nie ye can do nothing' {.Jn 15'^) ; 'I can do all things in him who is empowering me' (Ph 4''^).
W. H. Griffith Thomas.
RIGHT HAND.-See Session.
RIGHTEOUS, RIGHTEOUS'JESS. — i. History OF THE TERMS. — The root notion of the Heb. word npn^ is that which is just, right, and normal ; and its exact meaning fluctuates in each epoch accord- ing to the standard by which right and wrong are measured. It is true that in the OT this standard is always based on the will of Jehovah ; but we observe great changes — chieily progressive — in the .Jewish notion of wliat He requires. In more primitive times the conception of nii^- is mainly forensic, meaning tliat which accords with custom as lixed by tlie Divinely given decisions of the people's judges. But the prophets raised the whole conception of the law of God, and insisted that its moral aspect was infinitely more im- jiortant than its ceremonial. Indeed, though like all or writers they dealt with action rather than cliaracter, they almost foreshadow in places the NT teachi'ig, that it is a clean heart that makes a righteous deed. Hosea and Jeremiah illumined tiie conception of man's duty to his neighbour by tlie preaching of God's loving - kindness to His pt3.)ple. Deutero-Isaiah goes further still, and limls in the thought of God's unfailing righteous- ness the pledge that He will comfort and redeem His servants. As used of Him, the Avord n^n-i denotes moral consistency and faithfulness to His ](romises, and in the highest prophetic teaching tliis was felt to include the love which pardons the penitent, though ever stern to the ol)durate.
In the age of formalism, M'hich was marked by the cessation of propliecy, the notion of righteousness became more ceremonial and external. Already in some of the Psalms we have 'the righteous' as a regular party in the land, and the term ulti- mately became the self-designation of the Pharisees. .1,71^ was now identified mainly with almsgiving in the sphere of private morals; and, in the judicial spliere, with readiness to help the weak as oi)posed to the letter of strict judgment.* In the LXX the word is tr. usually by diKaiocrvv-/), but also by Kpiais, ^\eos, and (\eritxoai''vri ; and the adj. p'li: usually by SUaios, but also by d/xe/jLTr-os, Kadapds, wkxtos, .and ei)cre/3?7S.