Can someone be evil and righteous?

Behold said:

The attraction of sin, is that sin attracts, its pulls, it tempts,

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It is hard for humanity to avoid self interest once one becomes aware of self as A&E did.

Phil W said:

We haven't been in the "flesh" since killing it in Rom 6:3-6.

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See #41

salt-n-light said:

My sister and I had a discussion on the meaning of "good" and "evil" vs. "righteous" and
"unrighteous"

My sister stance is that we are all evil but through Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit be made righteous. You are still evil even after be made righteous. You can be both at the same time

My stance is that we are all evil but through Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit be made righteous. But if you are righteous you are made clean, you are no longer evil. If you are evil you can't be righteous.You can't be both at the same time.

We both agree that no one is good, but our understanding of evil is different. I read it as if you're calling someone evil you're pronouncing a judgement that may not be true. She's saying that its a judgement we already have from birth and its just reiterating the truth.

If anyone can provide clarity with scriptures that would be awesome.

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Light and darkness can't dwell together. 2 Corinthians 6:14

timothyu said:

It is hard for humanity to avoid self interest once one becomes aware of self as A&E did.

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The worst case of "self" is self righteousness.
You'll find this as the religion of the pretend believer, who will talk about repenting to stay "right with God", having no idea or relationship to or with the Grace of God.

Phil W said:

Rom 7:23's condition is rectified by Rom 8:2..."For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

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Rectified in the sense that Christ won't impute sin to us (Romans 4:8). We can still do those things which are called sin by the law, though not under the law (Romans 5:13, Col 2:14).

Phil W said:

We can truly be righteous now.

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Not the same as sinless perfection, which would be contrary to 1 John 1:8,10 (written to believers)

Yeah, the Gospel of the Kingdom kind of got misplaced 1700 years ago. It's an uphill climb for anyone discovering it's truths in scripture, while having to contend with the traditions that have become Christianity.

Rachel20 said:

Not the same as sinless perfection, which would be contrary to 1 John 1:8,10 (written to believers)

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Not written to believers.
You've just been taught that...
Typical of modern apostate theology.

If you read 1 Jn 3:9, you'll learn that you can't sin.

Then read 1 Jn 3:5, and you'll discover that Jesus was manifested to take away your sin.
So, if you are born again, He did.....If you are not, He didn't.
Somebody has it. And you can decide if you have it, or if Jesus has it on the Cross.
Its important that you finally figure this out, Rachel20
See, there is no sin "IN CHRIST"< and all the born again are "IN Christ".

Behold said:

Not written to believers.

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1 John 2:12-14 provides the intended audience.

Behold said:

If you read 1 Jn 3:9, you'll learn that you can't sin.

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This is a judicial inability to sin, not an experiential one. Same idea found in 2 Corinthians 5:21 where Christ became sin (judicially), though he never sinned (experientially).

HARK! said:

What fellowship does light have with darkness?

Can a house divided against itself stand?

(CLV) Lk 11:24
"Whenever the unclean spirit may be coming out from a man, it is passing through waterless places, seeking rest, and not finding it. Then it is saying, `I will be returning into my home whence I came out.'

(CLV) Lk 11:25
And coming, it is finding it unoccupied, swept and decorated.

(CLV) Lk 11:26
Then it is going and taking along with itself seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and entering, it is dwelling there. And the last state of that man is becoming worse than the first."

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Great verses. But what about the ones that explain the differences between evil and righteousness?

HARK! said:

Hi Mari, welcome again to CF.

I can't think of any that would be relevant to the OP.

As per CF rules, and courtesy, I don't want to take this thread off topic.

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That’s wise. Thank you for that.

salt-n-light said:

My sister and I had a discussion on the meaning of "good" and "evil" vs. "righteous" and
"unrighteous"

My sister stance is that we are all evil but through Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit be made righteous. You are still evil even after be made righteous. You can be both at the same time

My stance is that we are all evil but through Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit be made righteous. But if you are righteous you are made clean, you are no longer evil. If you are evil you can't be righteous.You can't be both at the same time.

We both agree that no one is good, but our understanding of evil is different. I read it as if you're calling someone evil you're pronouncing a judgement that may not be true. She's saying that its a judgement we already have from birth and its just reiterating the truth.

If anyone can provide clarity with scriptures that would be awesome.

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Should have a look at what the Greek or Hebrew word for what righteous is.

Both have valid points that need investigating.

Wickedness is possibly a better word to oppose righteousness. Which means in Hebrew ‘to be led astray’.

I always thought righteousness meant to be right standing with the Lord.

In which case, I believe your point is correct.

2 Corinthians 6:14, NIV: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"

You you are either one or the other and cannot be both at the same time.

Further, those who are reconciled with the Lord are made righteous in that they are right standing with the Lord and not led astray.

Debating good and evil in English is difficult as the meaning of the words are ambiguous & abstract detached from their true original meaning.

Mel333 said:

You you are either one or the other and cannot be both at the same time.

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James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

timothyu said:

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

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Yeh, so that verse also validates the point that you cannot be both.

There is a clear line drawn.

longwait said:

Light and darkness can't dwell together. 2 Corinthians 6:14

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It is true that "light" and "darkness" cannot dwell together forever. But they can compete for the same space until one gives way, which is pretty much the human predicament. Keep in mind, in that passage, Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to abide in one and one alone. He wouldn't have to exhort if it wasn't already a problem.

"The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts." Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago

timothyu said:

See #41

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I don't see how post 41 connects with my post.

Rachel20 said:

Rectified in the sense that Christ won't impute sin to us (Romans 4:8). We can still do those things which are called sin by the law, though not under the law (Romans 5:13, Col 2:14).

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God won't impute sin to those He made righteous.
And the righteous can't do things contrary to our divine natures, or contrary to the seed we have been reborn of.
Fig trees cannot bear grapes and God's seed cannot bear liars, adulterers, thieves, or the covetous.

Not the same as sinless perfection, which would be contrary to 1 John 1:8,10 (written to believers)

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What is the difference between "righteous" and "perfectly obedient to God"?
Nothing.

1 John 1:6, 8, and 10 all pertain to those walking in darkness-sin. They can neither say they have fellowship with God or that they have no sin.
However verses 5, 7, and 9 pertain to those walking in the light-God, and they have had ALL their sins washed away by the blood of Christ.
They CAN say they have fellowship with God and that they have no sin.

Behold said:

Not written to believers.
You've just been taught that...
Typical of modern apostate theology.

If you read 1 Jn 3:9, you'll learn that you can't sin.

Then read 1 Jn 3:5, and you'll discover that Jesus was manifested to take away your sin.
So, if you are born again, He did.....If you are not, He didn't.
Somebody has it. And you can decide if you have it, or if Jesus has it on the Cross.
Its important that you finally figure this out, Rachel20
See, there is no sin "IN CHRIST"< and all the born again are "IN Christ".

Click to expand...

Actually, it is written to believers, but is in part about unbelievers.

Rachel20 said:

1 John 2:12-14 provides the intended audience.

This is a judicial inability to sin, not an experiential one. Same idea found in 2 Corinthians 5:21 where Christ became sin (judicially), though he never sinned (experientially).

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I'm sorry you feel that way.

By what you asked I would say no. Right now God sees us 100% righteous..sinless through Christ. Can you do evil things? yes. Think.. its no longer I ( who is I)that sins but sin that is in me. So I is the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. That which is BORN of God can not sin/does not walk in sin/continue in sin. Yet we still live in this flesh that LOVES to sin.

So we battle or.. we embrace sin and live like that. We will always have this battle until we are made as He is .