What does it mean to be righteous? Can
you be righteous? When we hear of righteous people in the Bible, we often
think of people who are bigger than life. Yet, all you have to do to be
righteous is to do what is right. Yes, it is that simple. God's Word tells
us that one who does what is right is righteous:
| Dear children, do not let anyone
lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is
righteous. –1 John 3:7 (NIV) |
Righteousness is acting out your faith.
It is not what you wear, who you know, or how much you know.
Here are some examples of Bible people
who were righteous:
-
Noah. He did what was right when
everyone else around him did what was wicked.
| This is the account of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he
walked with God. –Genesis 6:9 (NIV) |
-
Abraham. He was righteous for obeying
God.
| Was not our ancestor Abraham
considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the
altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and
his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled
that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what
he does and not by faith alone. –James 2:21-24 (NIV) |
-
Rahab. She was considered righteous
for hiding God's people from the wicked people.
| In the same way, was not even
Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave
lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. –James
2:25-26 (NIV) |
We need to be righteous in order to
be in the sight of God.
| For the eyes of the Lord are
on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face
of the Lord is against those who do evil. –1 Peter 3:12 (NIV) |
With all the evil that goes on in the
world, we need to be righteous. What are you waiting for? Do what is right
and therefore be righteous!
Copyright © 2005 Timothy
A. Southall. All rights reserved.
|
