Sin & Righteousness

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•          What is sin and how is law related to sin?
•          Are there any righteous people?
•          Can anyone get right with God by following the God’s law?
•          What is the purpose of the law?
•          How did God made us free from law and became our righteousness?
•          How is anyone, in the Bible declared righteous?
•          Whose righteousness we need to enter into heaven?

•          What is sin and how is law related to sin?

1 John 3

   ⁴Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Romans 7

   ⁷What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

   ⁸But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

   ⁹For I [Adam] was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

   ¹⁰And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

   ¹¹For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

   ¹²Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

   ¹³Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

 

Romans 5

   ¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

   ¹³(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

   ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Romans 1

   ¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

   ¹⁹Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

   ²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

                                                                                                                            

• Are there any righteous people?

Romans 3

   ¹⁰As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

   ¹¹There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

   ¹²They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

   ¹³Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

   ¹⁴Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

   ¹⁵Their feet are swift to shed blood:

   ¹⁶Destruction and misery are in their ways:

   ¹⁷And the way of peace have they not known:

   ¹⁸There is no fear of God before their eyes. 

•          Can anyone get right with God by following the God’s law?
  

James 2:10:

   ¹⁰For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Matthew 5:27-28:

   ²⁷Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

   ²⁸But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

1 John 3:15:

   ¹⁵Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Hebrews 10

   ¹For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

   ²For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

   ³But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

   ⁴For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 

•          What is the purpose of the law? 

Romans 3

   ¹⁹Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

   ²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

   ²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

   ²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

   ²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

   ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Galatians 3

   ²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

   ²²But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

   ²³But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

   ²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

   ²⁵But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

   ²⁶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

• How did God made us free from law and became our righteousness?

Galatians 3

   ⁹So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

   ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

   ¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

   ¹²And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

   ¹³Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

   ¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Hebrews 10

   ¹¹And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

   ¹²But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

   ¹³From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

   ¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Romans 7

   ¹Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

   ²For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

   ³So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

   ⁴Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

   ⁵For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

   ⁶But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 10

   ³For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

   ⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Romans 5

   ¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

   ¹³(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

   ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

   ¹⁵But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

   ¹⁶And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

   ¹⁷For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

   ¹⁸Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

   ¹⁹For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

   ²⁰Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

   ²¹That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Titus 3

   ⁴But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

   ⁵Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

   ⁶Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

2 Corinthians 5:21:

   ²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Isaiah 61

   ¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

   ²To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

   ³To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Jeremiah 23:5-6:

   ⁵Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

   ⁶In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

• How is anyone, in the Bible declared righteous?

Genesis 7

   ¹And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

Hebrews 11:7:

   ⁷By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Romans 4

   ¹What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

   ²For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

   ³For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

   ⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

   ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

   ⁶Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

   ⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

   ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Romans 11

   ⁵Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

   ⁶And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 

• Whose righteousness we need to enter into heaven?

Philippians 3:9:

   ⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Isaiah 64

   ⁶But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Isaiah 61

   ¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Revelation 19

   ⁷Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

   ⁸And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.