When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
Summary: The Bible offers examples of many types of righteousness. Understanding the differences between the various types helps us better understand the Bible.
We have been discussing what it means to be righteous. Our working definition of being righteous is “being right with God,” but we have expanded on this for clarification. There are several types of righteousness that we have discussed so far.
Perfect righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He is sinless in thought and deed before God and is obedient in every way.
Jesus shares his righteousness with those who believe in him. This is called imputed righteousness, or righteousness by faith. This also is a perfect righteousness, but instead of being earned, it is given to the believer. We see this in the Old Testament as well, when Abraham is counted as righteous because of his faith (Romans 4:3).
The third type we have discussed is a kind we called imperfect righteousness. This type covers all of our human efforts to please God. It exists because we have been called to faith in God but, being imperfect, our efforts to please God are also imperfect. When today’s passage refers to “the righteous” I understand Solomon to mean what we would call imperfectly righteous. Such people honor God in their hearts and do their best to live according to God’s laws (Matthew 22: 37-40).
A subset of imperfect righteousness could be called God-fearing non-Christian imperfect righteousness. An example of this would be devout Jews who believe in God and devote their lives to obeying God’s laws as they understand them.
A fourth type of righteousness is called self-righteousness. Self-righteousness can be an attribute of those who pretend to serve God. The self-righteous do not submit to God’s definition of righteousness but rationalize or re-define God’s will to suit their own desires. This can be a very confusing kind of righteousness for the sincere believer because the self-righteous are often so convinced of their righteousness that they want to impose their beliefs on everyone else.
A variation of this fourth type of righteousness can be called secular self-righteousness. Like its namesake, it is based on the belief that our human definition of righteousness is supremely right. The well-meaning type of secular self-righteousness fully believes that they are doing the best for “the world” but it generally lacks compassion for individuals.
Another variation of self-righteousness might be called godless self-righteousness. Proverbs 11:9 talks about how the “godless destroy their neighbors” with their mouths. The image I have in mind for these people are those who believe devoutly in their superiority over all other humans, and who have no sense of conscience when it comes to manipulating or hurting others. All self-righteous people are frequently referred to as “wicked” in the Bible.
To restate today’s passage, I hear Solomon telling us that when those who are righteous by faith, or imperfectly righteous (i.e. – those who fear God) are doing well, everyone does well and the City as a whole rejoices. When the openly wicked and self-righteous perish and are no longer around to bother people, there are shouts of joy.
Application: Do your best to be (imperfectly) righteous before God and prosper in what you do.
Food for Thought: If the wicked can appear to be self-righteous, how are we to figure out what real righteousness is?
We do not need to figure out someone else’s righteousness. We only need to be in right standing with God ourselves. For salvation this comes through faith in Christ. We need to depend on Christ’s righteousness to be right with God and encourage others to also depend on Christ. For living a righteous life we walk in the Spirit and obey the Spirit and in so doing obey the word of God. We can also encourage people in their relationship with God. If we keep it about the word of God, a walk with God, and emphasize relationship over rules that will help.
Thanks, Rich!
What I hear in your words is “Focus on Jesus!” Good advice! Amen.
🙂
05-22-2022, Proverbs 11:10, If the wicked can appear to be self-righteous, how are we to figure out what real righteousness is?
As believers we must be sensitive to the motives behind our actions, as we seek to grow in Christ.
Value Self over God
The issue with self-righteousness is that we don’t see ourselves as wrong, or even sinful when we are reproved. Instead, we reject guidance from God and others. We consider our faith is the right and in fact the only faith.
The key to true righteousness not self-righteousness is allowing God to do good through us, according to His definition of good, not ours.
When believers keep God in mind with their various behaviors, sin will not be able to easily take root. They will be able to do all things, even the mundane for the glory of God.
Proverbs 21:2, 1 Corinthians 10:31
Lack Love
The first greatest commandment is to love God, and the second is to love others. The self-righteous believer is not able to do either correctly because self-righteousness is self-centered. Even though we are called to define behavior according to God’s standards, we will see ourselves as the example of good behavior. Anyone not acting like us is therefore not acting like a believer which can create strife and dissension in our relationships.
Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Matthew 22:35, Proverbs 10:14
Make our Righteousness Known
In order for the self-righteous to stay fueled in this behavior, requires the approval of others. Jesus commanded His disciples to spread the gospel. Even the self-righteous Christian will do that, but in our own way. If our faith is the prime example for other Christians, then we have to teach others to behave like us.
When we interact with others in the form of giving advice, or donating to charity, our actions are going to carry great significance, at least in our minds. Without the approval of others, we are bound to doubt ourselves and what we believe. We will make our good deeds known to many.
Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:1
Know It all.
We no longer seek God for wisdom because we already know everything we need to know. Not only do we have “enough” knowledge, but we make ourselves an authority figure for understanding God and preach to others this absolute truth of who He is.
The Bible describes God as being beyond total human understanding. There will always be a mystery to God that will never be solved. God has never over the course of the Bible given one person complete knowledge of everything so that they no longer needed Him. There will always be more to learn and more to discover about Him.
Job 11:7-8, Psalm 92:5-6,
Closed minded.
As a self-righteous we define our morals and beliefs based on what we know when our source of all wisdom is God. The Bible tells us of how God guides us through our seasons of highs and lows, and through His Word we learn what is sin and what is not. Believers who are open to learning, realize there is so much they still don’t know, and will strive to become more like Christ as we seek His growth in us, and His work through us.
Proverbs 1:7, Psalm 23:2-4
Ron,
You have given us a very interesting study in being aware of self-righteous tendencies in ourselves.
If we turn your logic statements around, they give us an outline of what it means to be righteous.
Instead of putting self first
>>> Love God above all else, all the time.
Instead of lacking love
>>> Love others with a godly, self-sacrificing love.
Instead of claiming to be righteous
>>> Serve God and others humbly.
Instead of knowing it all
>>> Understand that God is the source of all knowledge
Instead of being closed minded
>>> We open our minds to God’s will and truth.
Thank you!
Ahhhhh, you have done well Grasshopper! I had a lot of fun with this one, And really enjoy your “outline of what it means to be righteous.”
Thank you!
Ron