Personal Righteousness - Its Effects on Others
These are notes for an incomplete "Concept" page.
- Information is being added as the Bible Pages are added. In the end, everything will be compiled, further information added (as necessary), broken links connected, etc.
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- See also: Righteousness. In some passages, the word can refer to external conduct, with no reference to whether or not the person is saved. Unsaved people can be good - as seen by the life of the rich young ruler - Matthew 19:16+.
A Look at the Basic Principle
Consider Job 22:30: "He [God] will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
- In Job's case, the principle was being wrongly applied. (Job's friends were saying - wrongly - that Job's hands were not clean, but if he changed his ways, this would become true of him. However, consider the following instances:
Noah - He is described as righteous; but God spares his entire family, some of which (like Ham - see Genesis 9:22) were far from righteous!
Lot - In his family, only his two daughters were spared. The rest of his family could have been spared, if they had been willing. In fact, the entire city or region could have been spared, if there had been a mere 10 righteous people present! (Even so, because of Lot's pleading, one of the five cities - the smallest - was spared.)
The Effect of One's Righteousness on God
Righteousness with God comes from God. It does not exist naturally within ourselves.
When we are righteous, it pleases God; but it does not "benefit" God, as though he were lacking in something!
Job 35:6-8 - If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him [God]? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are, and your righteousness may profit a son of man.
Bible Pages with Comments about This
Genesis 7:1-24 - It is because of Noah's righteousness that God would spare his entire family. Some of the other family memberss may have had a degree of righteousness (and some, like Ham, had definite wicked tendencies - see Genesis 9:22); but only Noah had such a godly lifestyle that it took God's notice.
Genesis 19:1-29 - Various examples of how righteousness can (at least potentially) effect others. In some of these instances, the concept of "righteousness" might not refer to salvation (righteousness with God), but to a "goodness" in the person(s) interaction with other people.
- Because of Abraham's prayer (previous chapter), Lot was spared (see v. 29).
- Lot's two daughters were spared (and his wife could have been spared, had she not longed for the city), either because of Abraham's prayer, or because of Lot (who was more righteous than anyone else in the city - see also 2 Peter 2:7).
- The city of Zoar was spared, because of Lot's pleading with the angels (see v. 19-20).
- The entire region could have been spared, if a mere ten righteous people could have been found! (There weren't ten... only one, Lot.)
Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.
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