Good topic.. thanks for encouraging study time for the weary.
defined:
Greek: diškaiov - righteous, observing divine laws, innocent, faultless, guiltless, justified
Here's an absolute:
Rom4
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Relatively speaking:
Rom3
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Conclusion (not that i think i'm concluding this research for anyone):
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified (declared RIGHTEOUS) freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him (THAT's US) which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works?
(Works will never cut the mustard) Nay: but by the law of faith.
(faith justifies us and makes us righteous, not our faith, but His faith given to us. We don't even get credit for the faith that makes us righteous! Eph 2:8-9)28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified (declared righteous) by faith without the deeds of the law.
Thanks so much for posting this. Studying is good. I welcome correction in any of my 'logic'!
This one i'm still trying to get though:
Rom3
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Establish meaning set a higher standard? such as we don't sin outwardly (where everyone can see) AND we don't sin in our hearts (where only God can see)?
-Jen