Devotional: Lost Translation

Lost Translation

RIGHTEOUSNESS: What is it, really? Most people would guess that it is right-standing with God. In fact, many bibles (the New Living Translation comes to mind) actually translate the word "righteousness" in the scriptures with the phrases like made right, saved, or right and good, etc. These are not wrong or bad of course, but we lose the full meaning of righteousness somewhere in the process. The problem with this is that it gives the reader an incomplete picture of what God has actually given them as a believer in Jesus Christ and how He sees them in Him.

The definition of righteousness is right-standing with God; the ability to stand before Him without any guilt or inferiority as if we had never sinned. So you can see that without knowledge of the full definition, we skim over the the BIG word "righteousness" thinking we know what it means when really many believers are clueless.

A couple of scriptural examples are:
Romans 10:10 (NLT) "For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved."

Romans 14:17 (NLT) "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

Both of these scriptures are encouraging and easy to understand, but let me give you the same scriptures in another translation that does not replace the word righteousness:
"For with the heart one believes unto righteousness (right-standing with God; the ability to stand before Him without any guilt or inferiority as if we had never sinned) and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (NKJV).

"For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness (right-standing with God; the ability to stand before Him without any guilt or inferiority as if we had never sinned) and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (NKJV).

Now knowing the definition, can you see how much is lost in the translation by just changing one word? I love all the different translations. They help me understand God's Word as I lay them side-by-side in my study time, but the bottom line is: You are the righteousness of God in Christ and it is so much more than just "goodness" or "being right with God" - both of which leave room for doubt or works.