10 Bible Verses on Righteousness

What does the bible say about righteousness? There are many bible verses about righteousness, from both the old and new testaments. Some refer to the righteousness of God, while others call us to righteousness, explain how Jesus is the only righteous one, or talk about how pleasing righteousness is to God. Here we hope to provide you with a simple explanation of what righteousness means using some of the most popular bible scriptures.

Why do we want to be righteous?

“The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17) 

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” (Proverbs 11:30)

“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” (Psalm 34: 19)

Christ is the only righteous person, but through Him we are seen as righteous by God our Father.

“As it is written: 'there is no one righteous, not even one.’” (Romans 3:10) 

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30)

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

Christians are righteous through their faith in Christ, not through obedience to laws or good actions:

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed- a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'the righteous will live by faith'.” (Romans 1:17)

“Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Philippians 3:9) 

Righteousness does not protect us from suffering in this life, but gives us hope for the next:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

“It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.” (2 Peter 2:21) 

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Meditate on the Bible every day to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, and to taste the fruits of God’s word in your life. And we can help! You can choose to receive a daily gospel verse to meditate on, or join the community who say a prayer a day together.