That seems like kind of a lot.
I remember being told that if God is repeating Himself it's important. Pay attention.
So, I haven't done a huge word study. Just sitting here sharing my thoughts with you.
From Websters 1828 Dictionary (did you know I have a favorite dictionary? This is it.):
RIGHTEOUS, adjective ri'chus.
1. Just; accordant to the divine law. Applied to persons, it denotes one who is holy in heart, and observant of the divine commands in practice; as a righteous man. Applied to things, it denotes consonant to the divine will or to justice; as a righteous act. It is used chiefly in theology, and applied to God, to his testimonies and to his saints.
The righteous in Scripture, denote the servants of God, the saints.
2. Just; equitable; merited.
And I thy righteous doom will bless.
RIGHTEOUSNESS, noun ri'chusness.
1. Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. righteousness as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion.
2. Applied to God, the perfection or holiness of his nature; exact rectitude; faithfulness.
3. The active and passive obedience of Christ, by which the law of God is fulfilled. Daniel 9:7.
4. Justice; equity between man and man. Luke 1:75.
5. The cause of our justification.
The Lord our righteousness Jeremiah 23:6.
(witty transition here)
God called Noah Righteous.
First in Genesis 6:9
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
These are the generations of Noah.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.
Noah walked with God."
Then in Genesis 7:1 where God speaks to Noah,
"Then the Lord said to Noah,
'Go into the ark, you and all your household,
for I have seen that you are righteous before me
in this generation.'"
Lets look at a few more righteous verses.
"What is man, that he can be pure?
Or he who is born of a woman,
that he can be righteous? "
Job 15:14
"And Jesus answered them,
'Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.
I have not come to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance.'”
Luke 5:31-32
"that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God that depends on faith"
Philippians 3:8c-9
"All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
and for training in righteousness"
2 Timothy 3:16
Noah was a man who walked with God. A man of faith.
Again from Websters 1828:
FAITH is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them.
Hebrews 11:1-2 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation."
Noah was one of those people of old (about 4600 years ago). He had great belief in God.
He wasn't born righteous, but his faith made him so. He made a choice to believe God. And it saved his life and the lives of his family.
Your belief can save your life too.
I just finished watching NOAH the movie. Not the Hollywood version, which I do NOT intend to support.
I watched the Living Waters version with Ray Comfort in his roll of making people think. Think hard about something of eternal importance.
Watch it now. It's only 30 minutes and 5 seconds long.
Are you righteous?
Go share the movie with others.
"Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish."
Psalm 1
"Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
'That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.'
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say?
That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying.
Their condemnation is just.What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all.
For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
as it is written:
'None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.'
'Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.'
'The venom of asps is under their lips.'
'Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.'
'Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.'
'There is no fear of God before their eyes.'
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law,
so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight,
since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
This was to show God's righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time,
so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works?
No, but by the law of faith.
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law."
Romans 3
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
