'Righteousness' in the Bible

Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, "Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land." It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you.

It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he made on oath to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn people!

Relent, let there be no falsehood; reconsider, for my righteousness is intact!

I will maintain my righteousness and never let it go; my conscience will not reproach me for as long as I live.

I put on righteousness and it clothed me, my just dealing was like a robe and a turban;

He entreats God, and God delights in him, he sees God's face with rejoicing, and God restores to him his righteousness.

Your wickedness affects only a person like yourself, and your righteousness only other people.

With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness.

As for the Almighty, we cannot attain to him! He is great in power, but justice and abundant righteousness he does not oppress.

Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of those who wait to ambush me, remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me!

To receive moral instruction in skillful living, in righteousness, justice, and equity.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity -- every good way.

Kings reign by means of me, and potentates decree righteousness;

Riches and honor are with me, long-lasting wealth and righteousness.

I walk in the path of righteousness, in the pathway of justice,

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from mortal danger.

Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from mortal danger.

The righteousness of the blameless will make straight their way, but the wicked person will fall by his own wickedness.

The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the faithless will be captured by their own desires.

The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.

True righteousness leads to life, but the one who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.

In the path of righteousness there is life, but another path leads to death.

Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

The Lord abhors the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

Better to have a little with righteousness than to have abundant income without justice.

Doing wickedness is an abomination to kings, because a throne is established in righteousness.

Gray hair is like a crown of glory; it is attained in the path of righteousness.

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

The one who pursues righteousness and love finds life, bounty, and honor.

remove the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.

Zion will be freed by justice, and her returnees by righteousness.

I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds, but they will not help you.

to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.

The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, "I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns. When I do, they will again say of Jerusalem, 'May the Lord bless you, you holy mountain, the place where righteousness dwells.'

"When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the sovereign Lord.

Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, they could not save their own son or daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer for his father's iniquity, and a father will not suffer for his son's iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness.

None of the sins he has committed will be held against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live.

"But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die.

When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing, he will die for it; because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will die.

"And you, son of man, say to your people, 'The righteousness of the righteous will not deliver him if he rebels. As for the wicked, his wickedness will not make him stumble if he turns from it. The righteous will not be able to live by his righteousness if he sins.'

Suppose I tell the righteous that he will certainly live, but he becomes confident in his righteousness and commits iniquity. None of his righteous deeds will be remembered; because of the iniquity he has committed he will die.

"Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place.

But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.

I will commit myself to you forever; I will commit myself to you in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and tender compassion.

Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap unfailing love. Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers deliverance on you.

And I will bring them to settle within Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.'

So Jesus replied to him, "Let it happen now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John yielded to him.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

"Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.

in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live.

And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment --

concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;

and said, "You who are full of all deceit and all wrongdoing, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness -- will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?

because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising him from the dead."

While Paul was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I will send for you."

For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, "The righteous by faith will live."

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.)

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed --

namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,

God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.

This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus' faithfulness.

For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Is this blessedness then for the circumcision or also for the uncircumcision? For we say, "faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness."

And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.

so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?

and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

(I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness.

What shall we say then? -- that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith,

but Israel even though pursuing a law of righteousness did not attain it.

For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God's righteousness.

For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: "The one who does these things will live by them."

But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)

For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.

For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory!

God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.

by truthful teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left,

Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness?