How do you define the word, "righteousness"?
Once upon a time, there was a very religious town called Pharisee-ville. The people there believed that God would be impressed if they kept the rules about the Sabbath. All of their rules about the Sabbath, (39 of them) involved what a person should NOT do during that specific day.
The 39th rule stated, "I shall NOT lift a hammer on the sabbath." Literally meaning, don't put the finishing touches on anything. Since this town believed so strongly that their rule-keeping made them "righteous", they had a meeting in their temple... about their hammers.
One man began, "If you want to be righteous, you should store your hammer away as to not even see it on the sabbath."
A competing voice replied, "Well, if you really want to be righteous, you will fashion a lock on the cabinet, storing the hammer, lest ye be tempted."
Another man chirped, "If you REALLY want to be righteous, you will not even own a hammer."
Finally, the angry stern Mayor of Pharisee-ville declared, "If you REALLY REALLY want to be righteous, you will protest in the city to get rid of all hammers."
So they all agreed to protest anyone violating ANY sabbath rule in town, especially the hammer rule.
Then one Sabbath (Saturday) a man named Jesus and twelve of his friends were munching on some grain at the edge of a field. (It was customary for a farmer to allow travelers to eat from the edge of their fields). Some of the residents of Pharisee-ville spotted them and said, "Look, why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" (Mark 2:24)
Jesus replies, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)
In other words... the Sabbath is a gift... to you... from God.
A day to be restored after six days of hustling and stressing. A lot happens in six days. Chunks get taken out of you. Relational battles, pressuring job demands, family squabbles, deadlines, junk emails, and the cell phone glued to our ear. The Sabbath is a gift designed for you to receive, not control. The Sabbath wants things FOR you, not FROM you. A day to have your soul renewed and refreshed. So the question of the Sabbath isn't what you should NOT DO. Better yet, it is, "What do you DO to feed your soul once a week?"
Does reading a book feed your soul? Do it.
Does hiking feed your soul? Do it.
Does hanging out with your friends feed your soul? Do it
Does painting feed your soul? Does swimming? Landscaping? Eating? Building a fire? Detailing a car? Computer games? Fishing? DO IT!!!! DO IT!!! DO IT!!! The day is a gift.
According to a study by the Barna group on Church's understanding of the word "righteousness", 85% of Christians have a morality based interpretation of the word. Nowhere in the Bible is "righteousness" defined in terms of morality, good behavior, or keeping the rules, EXCEPT when there is reference to the Pharisees. The Pharisees always interpreted "righteousness" in terms of how well they could keep the rules. That is "SELF-righteousness".
If your Sabbath is a specific day that is about what you DON'T DO... then there is land for sale in Pharisee-ville where you can build your next home. Need a hammer?
