"I know my rights!" It's a familiar cry in our society today. It seems as if everyone is consumed with making sure nobody violates or infringes on their rights.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not against you exercising your rights. I thank God we live in a country in which we are guaranteed certain freedoms by our constitution.

But what if you encounter a situation in which standing up for your rights means stepping out of the will of God?

I believe we are moving into a historic time in which believers are going to be faced with such decisions in ever increasing numbers. Decisions that demand that you choose between "rightness" and "righteousness."

The choices you make in such situations are going to determine in large part how successful you are in the coming months and years.

What's the difference between rightness and righteousness? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Two Types of Righteousness

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
(Rom. 10:3)

This verse clearly establishes that there are two kinds of righteousness. There is God's righteousness and there is man's righteousness or "rightness."

Rightness refers to the state of being right or correct. Have you ever known someone who always had to be right? Someone who just couldn't stand it unless you and everyone else knew that they were right all along? That's rightness.

God's righteousness, on the other hand, refers to uprightness and virtue. It means, "in accordance with the dictates of God" and "free from guilt."

Righteousness forms the basis of your "rights" or "benefits" with God. When you have God's righteousness, you have the right to forgiveness of sin, the right to healing, the right to the presence and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the right to success and the right to security.

You did not earn these rights. They are granted to you because of the love and mercy of God.

Yet few Christians are enjoying the benefits of those rights. According to the passage of scripture above, they don't enjoy those rights because of "ignorance!" "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness."

Don't' get the wrong idea. Ignorant does not mean "stupid." It simply means not knowing. Hosea 4:6 says "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."

When you are ignorant of the nature of God's righteousness, you don't know about the things to which you have a right. The result is that you endeavor to establish your own righteousness or rightness.

For example, many new Christians don't really know how to pray from a confident position in the righteousness of God. So they pray the way they've heard other religious people pray: "Dear kind, heavenly Father. Once more we, your humble, good-for-nothing, lowly dog servants beseech you. We know we don't deserve anything, Lord…etc., etc."

When we pray all that false humility garbage instead of standing in our position as sons and covenant partners of the Most High God, we're establishing our own standard of righteousness in prayer.

You can do the same thing in regard to giving. If, instead of bringing the whole tithe (10 percent) into the storehouse as God commands, you just give a little bit here and there when you feel like it, you're establishing your own rights in giving.

These are things new or immature believers do out of ignorance. Then, when they get into the Word and find out what it says about these matters, they are faced with the difficult task of breaking with their old religious traditions. That break must take place, however. Traditions make the Word of God of no effect (Matt. 15:6).

Right or Righteous
Let me present a hypothetical situation. Suppose you get into a disagreement with someone over a business transaction. Suppose the other person cheated you out of some money.

Then suppose the Spirit of God tells you not to worry about it but rather let God take care of it. At that point you're faced with a decision. Do you do whatever is necessary to prove that you are right? After all you've been cheated! Or do you stand in the righteousness of God and trust Him fully to move on your behalf?

The first course is to pursue rightness. The second course is to choose righteousness.

When you pursue rightness rather than righteousness you are concerned with being correct at any cost. Correct in the eyes of man, that is.

Righteousness, on the other hand, is concerned only with what God thinks. No opinion of man matters.

The two differ in others ways as well. Rightness is usually self-centered. It says, "I've got to look good before man in order to feel good about myself." When you have that attitude, you'll fight to your last breath to prove that you're right and the other person is wrong.

Rightness seeks self-gratification and approval from God through good works. In contrast, righteousness recognizes that you are accepted based on what Jesus has done through His blood and the cross.

The bottom line is, righteousness seeks to please God rather than self.

How does righteousness please God? By faith! Romans 3:22 tells us that righteousness is "by faith." And Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Backed Up By Righteousness
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). When you are bent on proving your "rightness" to other people, you leave God out of the picture. You're on your own. At that point you're easy prey for anything the devil wants to throw at you.

But when you seek God's righteousness first and foremost, God is committed to back you up every step of the way.

The first approach puts you in bondage to other people. The second places you in the liberating service of a loving God.

"But Pastor Dollar! You don't know what that person is saying about me! What about my reputation?" Look. If you'll take care of your character, God will take care of your reputation. Just stay in the righteousness of God and operate in the fruit of the Spirit. When all is said and done, God will back you up and your reputation will be stronger and better than ever.

I'm not implying that reputation isn't important. It's vital that we, as people who name the Name of Jesus Christ, abstain from the very appearance of evil. I'm simply saying you don't have to run around defending yourself when people accuse you falsely or tell lies about you.

Take care of your character and God will look after your reputation. Psalm 9:3-4 guarantees it.

When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. For thou has maintained my right and my cause; thou sat in the throne judging right.

We all have enemies. Just don't get your eyes on them. Keep your focus on the one sitting on the throne. That vision will fill you with confidence in knowing that Almighty God is taking up your cause. That means you don't have to get in the flesh and do something that will probably make things worse.

Trust is the Key

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defends them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
(Ps. 5:11)

The key to resting in the knowledge that God is your righteous back up, is trust. When you are verbally attacked or treated unfairly, it is impossible to resist the natural urge defend yourself without a deep abiding trust in God.

Trust says, "I will not take up my own cause because God is my Defender. I will stand on the Word knowing that ultimately God will cause things to come out my way."

You can afford to be confident when you have the best attorney in the universe representing you. God is a lawyer who has never lost a case. Trust Him.

Whose Approval Are You After?
To avoid falling into the trap of "rightness" over "righteousness," you must orient your life toward the goal of God-approval rather than man-approval. As this verse indicates, that approval usually comes after you've been "tested by trial." Many Christians claim to be committed to God and to His will, yet their commitment evaporates in the heat of trial.

Don't talk about your commitment one minute and present yourself to others for their approval the next. Present yourself to God for approval and prove your commitment by standing up under testing. "But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness" (2 Tim. 2:16 AMP).

That's a pretty clear order. Avoid useless, idle talk because it leads people into ungodliness.

Jesus, Our Example
When you are being lied about, cheated, or treated unfairly, it's pretty easy to start thinking that you're the first person to ever suffer so unjustly. At those times it is a good idea to open your Bible to the second chapter of 1 Peter; there, you will read how even Jesus suffered for us. So you're not the only one.

Jesus is the ultimate example in dealing with undeserved persecution. He never defended himself. He knew that if He would stay in faith and stay out of the way, God would be His defender. Over and over again, Jesus' enemies challenged his authority and attacked his motives. Yet He never allowed Himself to get into a defensive mode.

At the cross Jesus could have summoned legions of angels to come to his rescue. Instead He silently suffered the pain and humiliation of crucifixion.

Compared to that, our petty hurt feelings shrink into insignificance.

Source: Rightness vs. Righteousness by Creflo A. Dollar, Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers