How do we increase in righteousness?

[Jeff4607]

Read this link. It may change your definition of righteousness as it pertains to the believer.
Righteousness Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary

 

[Jeff4607]

I often use Websters 1828 dictionary.
The Bible dictionary you suggested really over-complicates things.
The simple answer is doing the right thing according to what God has declared right.
To understand what God call's right and doing what God commands, takes the fullness of His spirit, not our self righteous opinions or the traditions of men. The simplicity of the gospel comes from the Holy Spirit. If we understand these rudimental truths, we can then begin to unlock the mysteries of the Gospel.
Mincing words is a distraction from the truth. Understanding the mystery is life.

 

[Jeff4607]

Righteousness doesn't increase. It is a free gift from God that you receive at conversion. It is the righteousness of Christ. The definition of "righteousness" in terms our standing with God is to be acceptable to Him. As soon as we are born again we are acceptable to Him. We have righteousness. I think what you are meaning is how to increase your sanctification. Many confuse the two words and think they mean the same thing. How to increase your sanctification? Read the Word, pray, love others, and love God with all your heart. The Holy Spirit will make sure that your sanctification will increase.

 

[Jeff4607]

If you overcome 1 willful sin, your righteousness has increased.
Your faith has put in your account a measure of righteousness. You have done more of the right thing.
If you have more willful sin that you struggle to overcome, Increase your faithfulness.
You may then overcome a 2 or 3 more willful sins. This is an increase in your righteousness.
Do this until you are without shame, and you will be perfect "mature" in the eyes of God.
If you do not thirst and hunger for righteousness, this blessing will be withheld and none of this will make sense.

Romans 1:17
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 3:22
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,

Romans 3:27
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith

Romans 4:5
However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Deuteronomy 6:25
And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

1 Samuel 26:23
The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.

Job 29:14
I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Hebrews 5:13
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness

Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Galatians 3:6
So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

 

[throughfiierytrial]

The surpassing righteousness is His righteousness bestowed as a free gift on those who are converted to Him. the righteousness of the Pharisees depended on them keeping the Law and performing the sacrifices. It lasted only 1 year and then had to be renewed. Read the book of Hebrews which explains it. When Jesus said that the believers' righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees, He meant that they needed a righteousness that did not have to be renewed every year. But the sacrifice of Jesus happened once and for all. This made it possible for our sinfulness to be exchanged for His righteousness which, for the believer, does not have to be renewed every year like that of the Pharisees.

Some people seem to be fixated in the mistaken notion that righteousness is us being good. That is self-righteousness - trying to be acceptable to God through what we can do. But that is sinful and a rejection of Christ. It is an insult to Christ if folks are trying to get into God's good graces by trying to do the right thing. In fact, it is treading the work of Christ, and even Christ Himself underfoot, denying what He did on the Cross for us and thinking we could be right with God by doing good works.

We do the good works because we are righteous, not to become righteous. Developing good works is sanctification, not righteousness.

I don't believe that we should be using dictionaries...Bible or otherwise...to define the word righteousness. Look at its usage in the Bible. Judah said of Tamar...she is more righteous than I, King Saul said of David...you are more righteous than I.
It is true that the crediting of righteousness by God is salvation and we do not work for that salvation, but does that mean also that righteousness has only that usage? Doesn't seem so given the passages above.

 

[Jeff4607]

I don't believe that we should be using dictionaries...Bible or otherwise...to define the word righteousness. Look at its usage in the Bible. Judah said of Tamar...she is more righteous than I, King Saul said of David...you are more righteous than I.
It is true that the crediting of righteousness by God is salvation and we do not work for that salvation, but does that mean also that righteousness has only that usage? Doesn't seem so given the passages above.

 

[Jeff4607]

You don't believe in using the Bible to define righteousness, so you use the Bible to define righteousness? I don't understand

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I know what it is, the point is He speaks of righteousness as though it is found in degrees of different proportions. As for the rest of your thinking I am quite well aware of it and do believe, again, that God credits us with righteousness.

Jesus says in John 17:17:
Sanctify them by Thy Truth; Thy Word is Truth.
Your Statement/Oscarr
It is an insult to Christ if folks are trying to get into God's good graces by trying to do the right thing.
I believe your statement above to be false. It is a trampling on the work of Christ to go on sinning in the face of His passion(see Hebrews 6:8) willful sinning. Paul says overcome evil with good and we are urged to go on and do good works...our Kingdom Work it is a travesty that such good works are labeled as work righteousness and frowned upon by some denominations. We know that these works do not save us but they do help keep our eyes fixed on Christ and it helps to contend with the sinful nature.

The Pharisees problemwais that they carefully observed the Law while leaving out Justice, Mercy, Faithfulness (the weightier matters of the Law)...
Matthew 23:23:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

I am sure more can be said about righteousness later.

I didn't say (and I never have) that we should go on wilfully sinning because we have been given the free gift of righteousness by Christ. I have always said that we don't go trying to establish our own righteousness (acceptability to God) by our own efforts at doing right. We don't put effort into living a holy life to be justified and made acceptable to God. That has already been done by Christ's finished work on Calvary. What I am saying is that we try with all our heart to live a holy life because we are already made acceptable to God (righteous). In fact, we are much more highly motivated to defeat and die to sin in our lives because of it.

Paul plainly said, "Do we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!" That makes it clear, doesn't it? We don't continue in sin at all. I have said that time and time again, but some insist on saying that I am supporting continuance in sin because I said we don't have to comply with any moral law in order to be Justified or made acceptable to God. But in order to continue in free and close fellowship with God in faith we need to do all we can to develop our sanctification. But then, those who are insistent on self-righteousness as a means to salvation will not believe anything else anyway. That is why in spite of repeated points, this thread keeps on going round and round the same old legalistic mountain.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Did "Job" see the good in everything? Did "John the Baptist" see good in everything? He called people vipers!
I would caution you to be careful and not to substitute your righteousness for the righteousness of God. That's what was wrong with the Religious Leaders of the times.

When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.
Ezekiel 18:26

Old Testament. The righteousness is not his, it is the righteousness of Christ. The only way that this scripture can be applied is concerning a person who turns right away from Christ and goes back into the world. It is putting the hand to the plough and then turning back that makes the problem. Jesus said, "Remember Lot's wife." Therefore it is not a matter of the struggle with our faults and shorcomings. It is a matter of our attitude to Christ that keeps us saved or makes us lost again.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I think that we grow in the righteousness by understanding the righteousness.

Correction: We grow in sanctification by understanding the righteousness of Christ bestowed on us by the grace of God.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

By seeking God's face always and in all things. We learn of His Will in the Bible and His righteous commands and see we fall miserably short. So with prayer and with following the commands of Love and not gratifying the sinful nature, then by the grace of God we may grow in righteousness. We have and always will have that sinful nature while we are in this tent as Peter says and so we will continue to sin...not willfully and when we do we cry out for mercy and can be assured we'll find that mercy in Christ who will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Replace "we may grow in righteousness" with "we may grow in sanctification" and then your post will be entirely correct.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Maybe some on this thread are having trouble with their eyesight, so I will say this:

Righteousness is acceptabilty to God and this is given as a free gift at conversion
Sanctification is the development of a holy life which is essential to maintaining our faith in Christ.

Most of what has been said concerning righteousness on this thread is actually sanctification and not righteousness. Righteousness is what Christ has done for us. Sanctification is what we have to work on for the rest of our lives.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

You don't believe in using the Bible to define righteousness, so you use the Bible to define righteousness? I don't understand

You didn't READ correctly, I said dictionaries...Bible or other...which means Bible dictionaries or other dictionaries.
Hope that clears it up for you.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Replace "we may grow in righteousness" with "we may grow in sanctification" and then your post will be entirely correct.

Never have I seen that usage of the word sanctification in Scripture...growing in sanctification, yes growing in holiness.
Look at Hebrews 12:3 posted above as follows:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
What is meant there...clearly what you are saying does not fit.

 

[Jeff4607]

You didn't READ correctly, I said dictionaries...Bible or other...which means Bible dictionaries or other dictionaries.
Hope that clears it up for you.

 

[Jeff4607]

Sorry, I misunderstood.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Never have I seen that usage of the word sanctification in Scripture...growing in sanctification, yes growing in holiness.
Look at Hebrews 12:3 posted above as follows:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
What is meant there...clearly what you are saying does not fit.

There's no difference in holiness and sanctification. It is quite true that a holy life produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. But righteousness is not something we can do. I say again, and again, and again... that righteousness is a free gift. We live a holy life because we are righteous through Christ, and not to become righteous. Why become something we are already? We are acceptable to God through Christ, period. Holiness comes as we are transformed as we develop the mind of Christ. Anyone who believes that we have to be made acceptable to God through our own good works and not through faith in Christ have got their theology out of a Cornflakes packet!

You may have to enlighten me about how you think the Hebrews reference pertains to a believer living a holy life. I thought it was more about what Christ has done for us and to consider it to enable us to endure to the end. I suppose that is what you are getting at.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

There's no difference in holiness and sanctification. It is quite true that a holy life produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. But righteousness is not something we can do. I say again, and again, and again... that righteousness is a free gift. We live a holy life because we are righteous through Christ, and not to become righteous. Why become something we are already? We are acceptable to God through Christ, period. Holiness comes as we are transformed as we develop the mind of Christ. Anyone who believes that we have to be made acceptable to God through our own good works and not through faith in Christ have got their theology out of a Cornflakes packet!

You may have to enlighten me about how you think the Hebrews reference pertains to a believer living a holy life. I thought it was more about what Christ has done for us and to consider it to enable us to endure to the end. I suppose that is what you are getting at.

Sorry, if I do not accept Bible dictionary definitions as my authority, I certainly am not going to use you as my authority either...No don't believe I will attempt more enlightening of you on the topic, busy at the time and it appears your mind is quite set as it is.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Sorry, if I do not accept Bible dictionary definitions as my authority, I certainly am not going to use you as my authority either...No don't believe I will attempt more enlightening of you on the topic, busy at the time and it appears your mind is quite set as it is.

Whatever...

 

[2 know him]

How does our righteous increase?

Do good in response to evil and your righteousness will increase... Anyone can do good for selfish reasons, but doing good in response to evil makes you a child of God.

Matthew 5:44: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.