“Present your members as instruments and slaves of righteousness” Romans 6:13,19. The righteousness of God is seen as His compassionate action to the weak, helpless and captives. Righteousness for us is to be set right with God by way of the New Covenant. We express it by serving fellow humans in their great need. Righteousness goes way beyond private piety to concrete actions of compassion and mercy to others. We are to be slaves to that.
This is why John Wesley said, “There is no holiness except social holiness.” It is love for God expressed as love to our fellow humans in real relationships. The following are examples: feeding the hungry, freeing sex slaves caught in horrible human sex trafficking, helping the helpless, restoring the broken, bringing the lost back home, etc. Wesley also said, “Deeds of mercy must take precedence over acts of piety.” This was the choice the pious priest and Levite would not make. The Good Samaritan stepped in to do righteousness at real personal cost to himself.
