“But and if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are you; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” Comment: First we need to take a careful look at the word “Righteousness”. In the Greek it is Strong’s #1343. Righteousness or justice is an adopted claim to a higher authority! It recognizes God’s claim on us! Because he has claimed us we can claim him! Insurance does you no good unless you file a claim! If you do not file a claim you will never receive the benefits! When we study and believe the Word of God everyday we make claims on his promises to us! Through everyday study of your Bible you claim your rights and file your claim! You might call this the covenant! We claim a higher authority to self! Our standard is to adopt God’s claim on us! We belong to him! Righteousness is the state commanded by God standing the test of his judgment! It is conformity to all he commands of us! True righteousness belongs to God! The righteousness of God is the right God has upon all his creation! Righteousness is a gift from God! Righteousness is recognized by man in acceptance of God through faith! Righteousness by law can only be applied to God for he has never broken the law! Men have broken the law and trying to keep the law by their own efforts oppose the righteousness of God! God is the law giver to show us we can never be righteous on our own! Christ fulfilled the law because he was more than a man he was God! He was God in the flesh! Christ took the penalty of death for our sin of breaking the law to the Cross! Our righteousness now rests in him! Our expression of his love is executed on others! The righteous are persecuted because of the first sin which was pride! In the Garden of Eden our first parents were tempted by Satan with pride! Did God really say? You know more than God! I am giving you a higher education! Your knowledge will exceed God’s thanks to me! You were born a male you can be a female! You are a female you can become a male! You can do what God cannot do! You can sin! Sin is about trusting ourselves over God! Then the law becomes our judge with no redemption! We suffer because we do not trust ourselves in our own efforts as the world does! We trust in God’s character and not in men! The world hates the truth because it would mean submitting themselves to the righteousness of God! They could no longer make themselves God! Their only temporal sigh of relief is to persecute the followers of Christ! Their faith is in themselves and in conflict with the faith of God! Finally the word “happy” used in the Greek is Strong’s#3107. It means blessed possessing the character of God! When Jesus ascended to his Father in Heaven he promised us to send his Holy Spirit to keep us until his second coming! His adopting us who were once orphans in sin from the Commonwealth of Israel blesses us with no greater happiness! All of life is a struggle for acceptance living in a world of rejection!Many sin for acceptance! When we receive the righteousness of God and his acceptance there is no greater joy! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com