What does it mean to be Righteous?

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   Highvoltagewriterposted 10 years ago

   What does it mean to be Righteous?
   
   Can a person truly be righteous by their own works or is it a "God Thing"?    I have met people who seem to believe that if one gives to charity or other good works that is a form of righteousness. What do you think and why?

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   erorantesposted 10 years ago

   It is doing the right things. A person  living  in a way of respecting the law  of men and God.

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      celafoeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      actually that is NOT a scriptural answer .   it is a church answer.

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   mabelhenryposted 10 years ago

   “For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt” (Romans 4:3-4).
   
   It is truly a God thing!
   
   Righteousness means morally right or justifiable, but some of its synonyms help us more: blameless, guiltless, holy, innocent, just, sinless.
   
   When God revealed himself as JEHOVAH TSIDKENU "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS", in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 23:5-8) the people were anything but sinless and guiltless. In fact, they were in the process of being hauled off into exile and captivity for their constant and longstanding sin, idolatry, and unfaithfulness to the Lord.
   
   Righteousness is an attribute of God. When we think of the attributes of God, there are those that are specific to God, and Him alone. When we consider what is needed to communicate with God, sinlessness, and righteousness are prerequisites. We need righteousness to please God, and Jesus Christ gave us His, He (imputed) His righteousness to grant us access to God the Father. When the Bible tells us that God made man in His image and likeness, He also gave man the attributes which were His, but were and are communicable.
   
   How exactly is the Lord our righteousness? Since every one of us except Jesus has sinned, we have no right to stand before God and say; "Here I am Lord, right, just, sinless and blameless. I'm innocent God." But Jesus can stand before the Father and say all those things. So by carrying our sins on the cross, He is letting us ride on his righteousness. He can say to the Father; "I've got the blood wrought Body of Christ covered. Don't look at her sin because I paid for it and I want you to see her as blameless." The Father accepts Jesus' righteousness as if it were ours.
   
   The Bible gives and informs us of our values. God created the value system He wanted us to have. Do we deem righteousness of great price? If yes, then we value righteousness and the principles which govern our lives are to think right, act right, perform what is right, speak right, emote right, have a memory full of what is right, reason righteously, judge righteous judgment, imagine what is right, and live right: those are all principles, but the value is righteousness, and a righteous soul is our intentional goal. Imputed means that righteousness has been placed in our individual accounts, whether we are using it to operate our world view and values is up to each one of us.
   
   God bless you.

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      Highvoltagewriterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent answer, I could not answer it better myself!

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   Sparkleaposted 10 years ago

   This is a very difficult question which I really cannot answer.
   Because if I THINK I am righteous, I am NOT.  Others would consider me to be prideful.
   I think the Bible in Romans 3:10 it reads, "There is none righteous, no not one.'  Christ is the only way of salvation, eternal life, and everlasting peace and happiness. 
   Works are dead.  The answer to peace is to allow Christ to live through you, and BE him in you.  We are not human DOINGS but human BEINGS.
   Moment by moment dependence on God is the answer.  Seek first the kingdom of God, and ALL things will be added.  Blessings, Sparklea

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   DeepThought258238posted 10 years ago

   Being righteous means measuring up to one's obligations before God and men. For example Noah was called a righteous man, why? Genesis 6:9,22 brings out " Noah was a righteous man..Noah walked with the true God....And Noah did according to all that God had commanded him. He did just so."
   
   Righteousness in the bible is also related to what is in a persons heart, one's faith, appreciation and love for God and his promises. It was written about Abraham in Genesis 15:6, "And he put faith in Jehovah, and He counted it to him as righteousness."
   
   However ultimately righteousness is contingent on faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Romans 3:24 sums it up well- "And it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by this undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus."
   
   So how does one exercise faith in Jesus Christ ? Visit www.jw.org to find out.

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   lone77starposted 10 years ago

   Righteousness, as Christ described it, is an act of love.
   
   But we humans are frequently confused about what love really is.
   
   Everything of ego is not of love. Giving to charity so that people know that you've given is not an act of love, but one of ego (self-righteousness).
   
   Any act of supposed goodness that makes self look good to others is not necessarily an act of love, but one of selfishness.
   
   Yes, a person can be righteous by their own works, but it depends on their motivation. If they do it for self gain, then they are following the master of this world -- ego -- instead of love. And God is love.

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   celafoeposted 10 years ago

   the answer is NO.  There is only ONE righteousness that is acceptable to God.   And that is the righteousness of the ONLY perfect One, Jesus the Christ.    Only those that appropriate and accept His righteousness can be truely righteous.    Then and only then can we be righteous and do truly righteous acts.    But we must be careful as we can still be "self righteous", thinking more highly of ourselves than we should and that is sin..
   
   Rom 5:18-19    Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

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      Highvoltagewriterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That verse was recently the subject matter of a Bible study I am involved in, and it is one of the reasons I ask this question. By the way, I know Atheist that consider themselves righteous because of their good works.

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      celafoeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      actually if asked most would---  remember they are deceived
      Because they prefer to believe the lies God has sent them a strong delusion that they MUST believe the lies

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