Dikaiosune (Greek)

I have been travelling lately. Meetings here and there. So, not much to report except that I've been thinking, thinking about Ephesians 4:24. "...and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. The Greek word for righteousness in this text is dikaiosune. This is what the lexicon says about this word:

from dikaios, righteous, and dike, justice or righteousness. It is the essence of to dikaion, that which is just, or dikaios, of him who is just or righteous. Righteousness fulfills the claims of dike, which in the case of a Believer is a fulfillment of God's claims. Dikaiosune, righteousness is thus conformity with the claims of a higher authority and stands as the opposite anomia, lawlessness. In both the O.T. and N.T., righteousness is the state commanded by God and standing the test of His judgment. It is conformity to all that He commands or appoints. Since God Himself is the standard for the Believer, the righteousness of God means the righteousness which belongs to God or God-like righteousness (Matt. 6:33, James 1:20). The righteousness of God is the right which God has upon man. In order for man to recognize and fully submit to the right of God up his life, he must receive God who offers Himself or His righteousness to man as a gift (Rom.5:17). The recognition and acceptance of the claims of the law upon his life. Man in his natural, fallen condition tends rather to accept his own set of standards, creating his own righteousness (Rom.10:3). Such behavior, however, is not really righteousness (Rom.10:5) and does not satisfy God. God's righteousness is imputed and imparted as a gift to man but can not be earned. It results in God's act of justification of man by his faith through Christ. Man only needs to accept the claims of God upon his life and repent of his sin, receiving Christ as his Savior by faith, thus becoming a child of God. The result is the realization of God's claims upon him by the miraculous regenerating action of the Holy Spirit, (Eph.4:24).

So, if are really a child of God, and His righteousness really is present in us, then it makes perfect sense what follows in the next verse, put away lying and speak truth to every man. Lying, stealing, anger, malice, greed, fear, cowardice, etc., are incompatible with dike and dikaiosune.

Well, that is what I have been dwelling on, whether driving between meetings, or working around the house and shop.