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What does it mean to be "Righteous"?

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kw5kw

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Just what the thread title asks:

What does it mean to be "Righteous"?


Does being righteous mean being sin free?

-----Or-----​

Does being righteous simply mean worshiping the LORD God and to put Him first before anything else?

Your thoughts please.​

and May God Bless each and every one of you!
Your Brother in Christ
Russ
 

RonnyRulz

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Being righteous is not something to be grasped.

Only God is righteous. All humans are unrighteous, and we can only BORROW God's righteousness, but it's still God's righteousness.

I wrote a poem about this:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Christians are not judged by their actions or works
nor by their successes or failures,
nor by their deeds or righteousness,
nor by the amount of God's righteousness in their life,
nor by the anointing they carry in their job,
not even by their surrender,
But by Love Alone.

All will stand before God.
"What have you done with your life?"
All will only say, "Nothing but harm."
Only the humble will continue,
"Jesus did the good for me."
[/FONT]​
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 - Phillipians 3:9 -
What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
but the righteousness that comes from God.
 
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kw5kw

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Being righteous is not something to be grasped.

Only God is righteous. All humans are unrighteous, and we can only BORROW God's righteousness, but it's still God's righteousness.

There are many in the OT who were deemed to be righteous. Including Noah, Abraham, Tamar, Rehab, Gideon, and David.

None of these were sin free but all were declared as righteous according to the Holy Scriptures.
 
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Charles YTK

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To be Righteous:

Words change somewhat over time. In scripture sometimes Just, or Justified is used as Righteous or righteousness. It the New testament the word righteous does not mean to be saved or to have a status placed upon you. Here is the word Righteous:


1342dikaios { dik’-ah-yos}

from 1349; TDNT - 2:182,168; adj

AV - righteous 41, just 33, right 5, meet 2; 81

GK - 1465 { δίκαιος }

1) righteous, observing divine laws
1a) in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God

Strong, J. The exhaustive concordance of the Bible :

Here is one from the Old testament:

6662tsaddiyq { tsad-deek’}

from 6663; TWOT - 1879c; adj

AV - righteous 162, just 42, righteous man 1, lawful 1; 206

GK - 7404 { צַדִּיק }

1) just, lawful, righteous
1a) just, righteous (in government)
1b) just, right (in one’s cause)
1c) just, righteous (in conduct and character)
1d) righteous (as justified and vindicated by God)
1e) right, correct, lawful

Strong, J. The exhaustive concordance of the Bible :


Abraham was a man who believed God and he was counted as righteous. Did his faith create a way of life within him?

Here is the testimony concerning Abraham:

Gen 26: [4] And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; [5] Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

 
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epistemaniac

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Phi 3:9-11 ESV and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- (10) that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (11) that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Rom 3:21-26 ESV But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- (22) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (26) It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Rom 4:3-5 ESV For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." (4) Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. (5) And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Rom 4:9-11 ESV Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. (10) How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. (11) He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,

Rom 6:16-18 ESV Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (17) But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, (18) and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Rom 9:30-31 ESV What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; (31) but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.

Rom 10:3-4 ESV For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. (4) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

2Co 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Gal 3:5-6 ESV Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith-- (6) just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?

Gal 3:21-22 ESV Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. (22) But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Gal 5:4-6 ESV You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified[a] by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (5) For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. (6) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.


etc etc

blessings,
Ken
 
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Optimax

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No, that's way too vauge to say righteousness is right standing with God. You need to be more specific and detailed. What do you mean by that?


The meaning of the word translated “Righteousness” in most cases is “right standing with God”.

That means that a Christian can go into the presence of God without a sense of guilt and without fear. Just as though they had never sinned.

When a person is born again as defined by Rom. 10:9-10, they are “made” this righteousness .

2 Co 5:21

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
KJV

A Christian maintains that righteousness by confessing known sin to God.

1 Jn 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
KJV


 
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HisBelovedMelody

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To be righteous is to be Gods' righteousness. the rightness of God that's in christ Jesus. we could never be declair righteous on our own merit. but God gives us his very own righteousness. our righteousness is but filthy rags. but Gods' is pure.
OH Glory! amen! that is so true.
 
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kw5kw

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To be righteous is to be Gods' righteousness. the rightness of God that's in christ Jesus. we could never be declair righteous on our own merit. but God gives us his very own righteousness. our righteousness is but filthy rags. but Gods' is pure.

Sadly, many have claimed self-righteousness over the past two thousand years; and many more will claim it before it is all said-and-done.
 
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Teke

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This reminds me of another persons question on Titus 2:11-15. Which is about christians ethics. While christian ethical teaching often appears similar to other systems. Paul uses both Roman and Jewish ethical terms, but the basis of christian ethics is unique. Christians are good not merely because of obedience to law or harmony with nature, or in order to gain immortal bliss for the soul.

Rather, they are righteous in anticipation of the age to come, the "eschaton" (Gr.), the age of the fullness of creation in the incarnate Son of God.
 
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DevotiontoBible

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The OP asked what does it mean to "be" righteous. Some have correctly said that man is declared righteous in Christ but this does not make a person to "be" righteous. There is no such thing in the Bible as being righteous and being a sinner at the same time. Rom 4:6 "Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works," Notice it says apart from works not unaccompanied by works. To "be" righteous means to obey God's Moral Commandments. Righteous works are the fruit of ones faith and show the health of that faith. This is not self-rightousness because these works come from faith first. To sin is to "be" wicked.
 
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holo

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I'll let you know, just as soon as I become righteous.
You already are. The same God who made the Earth from nothing by saying "let there be" has said that seanHayden is righteous. You'll see in the NT that the believer is never referred to as a sinner, but as a saint.

You are a saint. You are just as righteous as Jesus Christ (hey, that's a tounge-twister!).
 
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DevotiontoBible

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Christ's righteousness being credited to someone is not the same as someone being righteous. The term "saint" does not mean someone who is righteous, it means someone who has been declared righteous by God and is seperated unto God. In order to "be" righteous a person has to act righteous in all manner of living like Jesus did. This is after a progressive work of the Holy Spirit in the life of mature believer. 1Jo 3:7 "My little children, let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he [Jesus] is righteous:"
 
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DanEdwin

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Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:30).

This verse shows the progression unto being saved. Those predestined to salvation are first CALLED to repentance by confessing and turning from sin. We are justified of our sins as we repent and confess our sins, but do not become JUSTIFIED and born of the Spirit until we are forgiven of all trespasses. For with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

When God sees in our heart we have truly repented by turning from the world and sin, we are born of the Spirit. This happens by being quickened together with the Spirit of Christ when reconciled to God by being forgiven of all trespasses. This is when we are JUSTIFIED as RIGHTEOUS. These words translated to mean JUSTIFIED and RIGHTEOUS are the same greek word.

After we have been JUSTIFIED, we are spiritually "crucified with Christ" by the workings of the Spirit in our life for the purpose of "destroying" the body of sin of our "old man". We are made conformable to a state of death to our flesh and sin with Jesus Christ. In this manner our heart is "circumcised" of it's fleshly nature. We spiritually mature and are raised incorruptible by putting off the ways of corruption from sin in our life. This is also called our sanctification as we are purified to overcome sin unto being sanctified completely by baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is when we are made HOLY and our mortal body is changed to put on immortality. This is the resurrection of the body when we are saved as "sons/daughter" of God and heirs of the Kingdom of God.

We become saints (angels of the Lord) when sanctified completely (wholly).

God bless
 
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