The Word of Righteousness
The inspired apostle in writing his Hebrew letter said, “Everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness.” (Hebrews 5:13) Milk is the proper food for infants, but adults need more solid and stronger food. This is true in the spiritual sense as well as in the natural sense. The more simple truths of the gospel, or the first principles of the oracles of God, such as repentance, saving faith, baptism, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, the eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1-2), belong to babes in Christ; but those of full age are supposed to need stronger food.
In Hebrews 5:11 we learn that this apostle would have been glad to feed the Hebrews upon some of the strong meat found in the economy of grace, but that he could not, as they were dull of hearing. Allow me to quote this text from Conybeare and Howson: “Of whom I have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, since ye have grown dull in understanding.” This church had been more spiritual and could feed upon stronger food than at the time of the apostle’s writing. They had “become such as have need of milk.” (Hebrews 5:12) Let this be a warning to every reader. If you neglect to watch and pray, you will very soon become dull of understanding. You may hear some talk about having faith to remove mountains, but you will not understand; or you may hear some talk of having faith that the meal in the barrel will not fail, but you will not understand. These Hebrew Christians had once been enlightened; they had had a zeal and had been earnest; they had keenly relished the strong meat; but they had become dull of hearing, or as the Greek implies, “difficult to move.” To be once enlightened and then to grow dull of hearing makes it very difficult to get the sluggishness removed and the understanding enlightened again.
In the sixth chapter the apostle continues the thought, saying, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.” (Hebrews 6:4-6) One translation reads “difficult” instead of impossible. Another brings out the thought that it is impossible for those who have become so dull and sluggish and seared over as to fall entirely away, to shake off the dead, stupifying power, and that only God can do it. Whatever may have been in the mind of the apostle, I feel like warning everyone that is enlightened, against becoming dull of hearing; and if some of my readers are already stupid, may God help you to arouse and shake off the spell before you fall away.
Those who can feed only upon milk are “unskilful in the word of righteousness.” Milk is a good food for strong men when used in connection with the more solid foods, but milk alone is not sufficient for them. So the simplest truths of the gospel are always food to the Christian, but they must be mixed with the strong meat of the word if we desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. By the word of righteousness is meant the gospel.
This same writer says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17) In the gospel of Christ God’s righteousness is revealed by faith. The gospel is, therefore, the word of righteousness. It reveals the righteous character of God. He notes the sparrow’s fall; He numbers the hairs of our head; He constantly cares for us; He pities us; He loves His enemies and sends the rain on the just and the unjust; when He is reviled, He reviles not again; He grants our requests and supplies all our needs. Is He not righteous? This righteousness is revealed to our understandings by faith; and as we increase in faith, God’s righteousness will be more and more revealed to our hearts.
In every promise we see God’s righteousness. He says He will never leave nor forsake us. Those who are dull of hearing and are unskillful in the word of righteousness do not see God’s righteousness in this promise; but the enlightened see it clearly, and the stronger their faith, the clearer they can see. God is ever with them; at no time does He leave them alone. By faith they see this so they are ever at rest; nothing disturbs them or makes them afraid.
One time when my wife and I were several miles from home, a wheel of our carriage caught under a small piece of timber protruding above the road surface. Some spokes were broken and the rim seriously damaged. Wife, being in delicate health, was unable to walk such a distance. The question was, how are we to reach home? We remembered many of God’s promises—“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) “I will supply all your need.” () “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24) “If ye have faith… ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” (Matthew 21:21) Now, we know that naturally the wheel would not bear us up one mile of our way, and we knew of no way out but to ask God to uphold that wheel and take us safely home. Faith came into our hearts, and we drove on praising God with a feeling of safety, just as if every wheel had been sound. God was true to His promises, and we could see His goodness and righteousness as we had not before.
To be unskillful in the word of righteousness is to be unable to see or comprehend what God’s promises contain. We become righteous in our own character to the extent that we see His righteousness. The promise or the commandment is the mirror; and if we look into it by faith and see the righteousness of God, we shall be changed into the same image.
Jesus teaches us to “seek… first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) We are to seek to know more of God’s righteousness and to become more like Him in righteousness. To seek the kingdom of God is to live for the advancement of God’s cause; to have the heart intensely interested in the work of God; to live for heaven, and not for earth; to show by your manner of life that your home is in heaven, and not on the earth, and that your affections are not upon the things of earth, but upon heavenly things, and that your heart and treasures are above. To seek God’s righteousness is to look into the depths of every promise and commandment and see the goodness of God therein revealed. As you see deeper truths in God’s word, by faith the moral power of those truths will lift your soul into a more perfect image of God. Every time you obey a commandment or believe a promise, you become a little more like God. Suppose you are in very great need and you come humbly to God in prayer. You plead the promise, “My God shall supply all your need.” (Philippians 4:19) Your prayer of faith reaches the throne of God, and He in a marvelous way answers. As a result, your soul is brought nearer to God. And God is brought nearer to your soul, and you are made more like Him. As a rule, it is the poor and needy and those who have great tests of faith and are driven to God in earnest prayer that bear the brightest image of God in their souls. Seek God’s righteousness, and be not unskillful or ignorant of that word through which the righteousness of God is revealed.
We are exhorted to “follow after righteousness” (1 Timothy 6:11) and to “fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12) By searching the word of God, which is the word of righteousness, we by faith and obedience become more righteous, and more skillful in the word of righteousness. To follow after righteousness is to live upon the righteous word and by faith bring the righteousness of the word into your own heart, and thus daily become more in the righteous image of God and His word. Do not think you have gained all. He who thinks he has gained all will gain no more. I am sure you can yet have a closer walk with God and be yet more like Him.