"Mark the Righteous Man” - by Ansel Hicks

"I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like

a green tree in its native soil. But one passed by and, lo, he was not;

Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man,

and behold the upright; for there is a happy end to the man of peace”

(Psa. 37:35‐37).

The word "perfect” as used in the Scriptures does not usually mean

"without flaw.” The usual meaning is that of "upright” (as in our

text), or "complete, or full grown.” For instance, the apostle Paul

wrote of what the Scriptures can do for us, "That the man of God may

be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (2 Tim.

3:17). The King James, and some other versions, have "perfect” in

verse, instead of "complete.” But "complete” or "full grown” (as in

Eph. 4:13 and James: 15) is also one of the usual translations of this

word.

"Mark the perfect man.” To "mark” a man, as the word is used in

this passage, means to take notice of him, to observe him, as he lives

a life of righteousness in a wicked world. The righteous (or perfect)

man is the one who devotes himself to the things of God. The apostle

Paul wrote, "Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and

teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man

perfect in Christ” (Col. 1:28) From the reading of this verse, we can

easily see the importance of having our lives "hid with Christ in God”

(Col. 3:3). In fact, God "hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in

the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Note that again‐every

spiritual blessing is "in Christ." And that includes righteousness. The

perfection God requires cannot be attained out of Christ.

1. Cannot Be Saved by our Righteousness

According to the Scriptures, there are only two kinds of

righteousness: God’s and man’s. The prophet wrote, "But we are all

as an unclean thing and all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags”

(Isa.64:6). Man’s righteousness – that is, his standards of what is right

and the extent of his good words – cannot avail anything in the sight

of God. No one cannot atone for the sins he has already committed,

or can anyone live such a good life as to build up "credit” with God.

The apostle Paul wrote, "But when the kindness of God our Savior,

and his love toward man, appeared, not by works done in

righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he

saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the

Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ

our Savior; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs

according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4‐7). Note that again:

"Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves.” The

only hope we have for righteousness is the mercy and grace of God.

2. Saved by the Righteousness of Christ

In that great treatise on righteousness penned by the apostle Paul,

we read, ”And if children, then heirs of God, and joint‐heirs with

Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we suffer with him, that

we may be also glorified with him. For I reckon that the sufferings of

this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which

shall be revealed to us‐ward. For the earnest expectation of the

creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:17 – 19).

Christ gave His own blood to cleanse us from sin – not because we

deserved it, but because we did not deserve it! "God commendeth his

own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for

us” (Rom. 5:8). We are saved by the blood of Christ not by our own

goodness, nor by our own efforts, but by the grace of God.

If one is to be that "perfect man” (or, that righteous man), it must

be because of the grace of God. Man can never attain that on his

own. As Paul wrote, "Not by works done in righteousness, which we

did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). The

Scripture says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

(Rom. 3:23). And no matter how we may try, how much good we do,

we can never erase one sin we have committed. Our righteousness

can never avail. We must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

As we read. "Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf;

that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

And again, the emphasis is that we be "in Christ” in order to become

"the righteousness of God.”

3. Our Part in the Righteousness of God

The psalmist wrote, "Let my tongue sing of thy word; for all thy

commandments are righteousness” (Psa. 119:172). Earlier in this

same psalm, it is written: "Thy words have I laid up in my heart that I

might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Jehovah: Teach me

thy statutes” (Psa. 119: 11 – 12). We become servant of righteousness

when we obey the will of God. As Paul wrote, "Know ye not, that to

whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants

ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience

unto Righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants

of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching

whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye

became servants of righteousness”(Rom. 6:16 – 18).

Look at Cain and Abel. They both brought sacrifices to God, but:

"Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and

to his offering he had not respect” (Gen. 4:4‐5). Why? What was the

difference between them? Let us read further. The Scripture says, "By

faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,

through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous,

God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being

dead yet speaketh” (Heb. 11:4). Because "faith comes by hearing of

the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). , it is clear that Abel heard God, and

did what He said. That is why "he had witness borne to him that he

was righteous.” Abel honored God by doing what He said, and the

Scriptures says that Abel’s works were righteous.

4. Grace Reigns through Righteousness

That the grace of God reigns through righteousness unto eternal

life none can deny: "That, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace

reign through righteous unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our

Lord” (Rom. 5:21).

But what is righteous? Literally, the word means "doing right.” But

the righteousness of God means doing what He (GOD) defines as

right. Note again, "All thy commandments are righteousness” (Psa.

119:172). The grace that saves is grace which leads one by the