To walk with Christ will call every believer to stand up for the righteousness of God. In a 'go with the flow' kind of world, Christians are faced with the dilemma of being salt and light while not being too arrogantly zealous for righteous living.
While we do not want to be completely separated from the world, God does call us to be set apart just as He called Israel to be set apart. That in no way means that we become a 'holier than thou' clique of super-Christians, but that we desire God's Spirit most in all times and depend on His power to change and lead us into blessed living. We won't be perfect, but we will be better than we once were.
I'd like to share three things that standing for righteousness is not in hopes to get a better understanding of being salt and light to the world.
It's not standing on your righteousness
Let us always remember that God never asks us to stand or depend on our own righteousness, but rather on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (ESV). When we stand in the righteousness of Christ, it becomes natural that we find it much easier to say no to sin.
Also, when we stand in the righteousness of Jesus, it never becomes an exclusivity game, but one that invites everyone—including the world—to stand in His righteousness as well.
It's not neglecting your faults
Sometimes believers can misinterpret standing for righteousness as judging others. When we are quick to stand for our beliefs, the world will try to twist our words and make it seem like we're being bigoted know-it-alls. Make sure that when that happens, you're in no position to find yourself at fault.
The Bible is a mirror that shows us the dirt of our souls and not a periscope to peer into the sinfulness and shame. Luke 6:37 tells us, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven" (ESV).
It's not an excuse to railroad relationships
Still, to many, standing for righteousness can become about abandoning tact to communicate what's right. Most of the time, it's not about who is right, but about how Jesus has made things right for all of us. Standing for righteousness at the expense of loving others is a battle already lost.
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (ESV). We are made righteous so we can do good works to others, not so that we can railroad other people's lives and feelings.
