Day 2: The Righteous

Proverbs discusses the righteous and wicked often. That raises a question: Who are the righteous? After all, didn’t Paul write that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10)? Doesn’t that make everyone wicked?

“The Righteous” in Proverbs

When Proverbs talks about the righteous, it’s not talking about someone who’s never sinned (which is the sense that Paul meant in Romans 3:10). Rather, it means someone who strives to live the way God commands and who confesses wrongdoing to God when that effort fails.

In both the Old and New Testaments, the standard for righteousness is God’s righteousness, and no person is righteous on their own. We can’t be righteous on our own because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

However, Scripture calls some people the righteous. These are the ones whose faith in and love for God cause them to order their lives according to God’s laws. God bestows righteousness on them because He counts faith as righteousness.

In the New Testament, God makes righteous those who put their faith in Jesus. In both Testaments, the righteous aren’t sinless. But when they sin, they seek God’s forgiveness, and God cleanses them of unrighteousness.

In contrast, the wicked are those who live as they see fit. The word translated wicked in Proverbs can refer to those who simply don’t love God, those who reject God’s laws, or those who are committed to violence and oppression.

Righteous Standing Versus Righteous Living

It’s important to differentiate between righteous standing and righteous living. Righteous standing is the righteousness that God gives people who live by faith; the theological term is justification. It does not depend on how good we are, but is a gift.

On the other hand, righteous living is ordering one’s life by God’s commands. It’s something God wants us to do, so He sends His Holy Spirit to help us. The theological term for this is sanctification.

Justification—righteous standing—happens the moment we’re saved. Sanctification—righteous living—is an ongoing process.

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The first nine and last two chapters of Proverbs contain lengthy poems. The rest of the chapters have short, pithy statements on miscellaneous topics. Today’s proverbs come from these middle chapters. They compare the fates of the righteous and wicked. As you read them, pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in living as God wants.