What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness? What is righteousness? A good number of dictionaries define righteousness as a “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Note that such behavior is one that is characterized by accepted standards of justice, morality, virtue, and uprightness. As for the Bible’s standard of human righteousness, we can say that it is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every word, every attitude, and every behavior. Hence, God’s Laws, as cited in the Scripture, both describe His personality and constitute the base by which He measures human righteousness. In the New Testament, the Greek word for “righteousness” primarily points to conduct in relation to others.
The New Testament Greek word translated “righteousness” also points to one’s conduct beginning with relationship to God, with regard to the rights of others in business, and in legal matters. This word is contrasted with wickedness which is the conduct of one who thinks only of self and does not reveres God nor respect man. The Scripture portrays the righteous person as just or right, believing and trusting God in all things (Psalm 33:18–22). The truth is that genuine and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own. The simple reason for this is that the standard for righteousness is just too high. However, the good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only achievable through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
On our own, we have no ability to achieve righteousness no matter how hard we try. Luckily enough, as Christians, we possess the righteousness of Christ. Let’s support this spiritual truth by reading from 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” That is why it is said for this amazing truth that on the Cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His righteousness. Christ did this so that one day, we can stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the righteousness of He who saved us in the person of Jesus Christ. This means that in Christ, we are made righteous in the sight of God Almighty.
Hence, we can say that all those who are in Christ are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross at Calvary. Behold, on the Cross, Jesus was treated as a poor sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure. Today, anyone who Believes, Sincerely Repents and decides to start obeying the Key Teachings of Jesus Christ is given Eternal Life and treated as a righteous being. All this is made possible on account of what our Lord Jesus Christ has endured on our behalf. Anyone who identifies him/herself with Christ and follows His ways finds mercy and favor before the throne of God Almighty who frees the person in question from the Fire of Hell.
What does the Scripture say about Righteousness?
The Scripture teaches us the righteousness is the perfect holiness of Christ. Righteousness is an essential attribute to the character of God, Father of Creation. A clear literal meaning of righteousness is “One who is right”. We can as well portray righteousness as the polar opposite of sin. The Scripture further teaches us that to commit sin is to go against God’s perfect design for our lives. With this in mind, we can say that righteousness is the only living standard that is acceptable for us to stand before God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Scripture clearly tells us that the wages of sin is death, “but in the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28). Brethren, let no one deceive you for all of us are born into complete bondage to sin.
Our sinful natures make it impossible for us to produce any form of righteousness on our own (Romans 3:9-12). Prophet Isaiah understood this and that’s why he said that our attempts to produce righteousness on our own are disgusting in the eyes of God. Let’s support this by reading from Isaiah 64:6 – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” It is important to understand here that even when our good deeds seem to b performed from the purest of motives, unless the motivation behind the actions are to glorify Jesus, those deeds are completely self-righteous and sinful. This is to support the point that our righteousness comes from Jesus Christ alone.
What The Bible Says About Righteousness
Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
1 John 2:29 – “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”
Psalm 106:3 – “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!”
Isaiah 33:15-17 – “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure. Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.”
1 John 3:7 – “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.”
Group 1 – What The Bible Says About Righteousness
1 John 5:18 – “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Matthew 5:20 – “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
1 Peter 5:10 – “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 3:14 – “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,”
Proverbs 2:5-20 – “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; …”
2 Timothy 2:22 – “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
Romans 10:4 – “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Group 2 – What The Bible Says About Righteousness
Philippians 3:9 – “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—”
Romans 8:4-6 – “In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Genesis 15:6 – “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
Ezekiel 18:5-9 – “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.”
Group 3 – What The Bible Says About Righteousness
Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Romans 1:17 – “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””
Philippians 1:11 – “Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Romans 3:10 – As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”
James 1:4 – “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Proverbs 21:3 – “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
1 Peter 2:24 – “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Corinthians 1:30 – “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,”
Group 4 – What The Bible Says About Righteousness
Romans 4:3 – For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Proverbs 13:6 – “Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.”
2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
Isaiah 64:6 – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Proverbs 12:28 – “In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”
Titus 3:5-7 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Romans 5:17 – “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
Group 5 – What The Bible Says About Righteousness
Galatians 2:16 – “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
Romans 4:5 – “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,”
Hosea 10:12 – “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Proverbs 11:5 – “The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.”
Romans 3:20 – “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
James 2:23 – “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”
James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Psalm 34:15 – “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”
Job 29:14 – “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.”
Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
John 3:21 – “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 3:21-23 – “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
James 3:18 – “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Malachi 4:2 – “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”
Galatians 3:6 – Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
Proverbs 29:7 – “A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.”
Deuteronomy 6:25 – “And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’”
1 Timothy 6:11 – “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”
Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Philippians 2:13 – “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Psalm 5:12 – “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.”
Psalm 23:3 – “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Romans 4:11 – “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,”
Genesis 6:9 – “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 – “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—”
Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
Proverbs 10:2 – “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Psalm 15:1-5 – “A Psalm of David. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
Psalm 37:1-40 – “Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. ...”
Romans 14:17 – “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 4:13 – “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.”
Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
Proverbs 10:16 – “The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin.”
Daniel 9:24 – “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”
Proverbs 14:34 – “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Job 33:26 – “Then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness.”
Proverbs 11:6 – “The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.”
Daniel 12:3 – “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
2 Peter 1:2-12 – “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, …”
Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Galatians 2:21 – “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
Matthew 23:1-39 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, …“
Isaiah 28:17 – “And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
Romans 4:24 – “But for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,“
Psalm 112:4-8 – “Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”
Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
Romans 10:10 – “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 4:9 – “Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.”
Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Isaiah 62:1 – “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.”
Psalm 11:5 – “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.”
Ezekiel 18:24 – “But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”
Isaiah 56:1 – Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.”
Malachi 3:3 – “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.”
Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Jeremiah 23:6 – “In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”
Proverbs 11:19 – “Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Isaiah 58:6-14 – “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, …”
Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
Romans 3:22 – “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:”
Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Isaiah 61:10 – “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
2 Peter 1:1 – “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”
Romans 10:3 – “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Isaiah 53:11 – “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”
2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Righteousness?
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; ...”
