What is a righteous person?

Byte 1 – What is a righteous person? Romans 5 – 2/27/25

Romans 5

  1. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
  2. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die
  3. but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
  4. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
  5. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
  6. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What is a righteous person?  Religiously speaking, he is a person who is right with God. Did Jesus have to die for this person?  No. If he is already right with God, why would he need the righteousness that the blood of Jesus would give him? The next question is – how many people who ever lived on this earth can claim that?

Romans 3

  1. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
  2. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
  3. and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

The answer to that question is – One. The rest of us might be good people, but no one can claim to be righteous on their own. Only Jesus can claim that.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person

You may die for Jesus’ Name, but that will never add to Jesus’ righteousness. He is already perfect.

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die

And yes, Jesus did dare to die for all the good people of the world. All the people who should go to heaven because they were so good (remember Dorcus in Acts 9?). And yet, goodness is not enough to make you righteous.

while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And by the way, Jesus also died for the bad people too.  (Zachaeus, Saul of Tarsus, Mary Magdalene). Romans 3:23 says all, not most people have fallen short of the glory of God.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

PLAN OF SALVATION

                          • Hear (Rom 10:17)
                          • Believe (Heb 11:6; John 3:16)
                          • Repent (Acts 17:30)
                          • Confess (Matt 16:16)
                          • Be Baptized (Acts 2:38)
                          • Live Faithfully (Rom 6:4; Rev 2:10)

JRZ