Many in Christianity think that whenever the Bible refers to the righteous, it is talking about those who are born again. In this view, whoever is righteous in his position before God—that is, justified––is also righteous in his experience.
Some in Christianity say that if a righteous person stops living righteously, he loses everlasting life and ceases to be justified before God.
Others say that if a righteous person ceases to be righteous in his experience, then he will not gain what they call final salvation unless he repents and perseveres in righteous living once again.
But those who are born again, according to Scripture, are those who believe in Jesus for everlasting life, whether they live righteously or unrighteously (John 3:16; Eph 2:8-9).
It is true that the Bible calls people who live righteously righteous. But it is not true that the Bible teaches that all believers are righteous in their experience. Some born-again people are righteous in their experience, and some are not.
There is a motif in Scripture called the blessing-cursing motif. It is the idea that God blesses obedience and curses disobedience. The issue in this motif is not who has everlasting life and who does not. The issue is blessings or curses in this life.
So, when you see Scriptures that refer to the righteous, the just, the godly, and the wise, don’t think born again. And when you see references to the unrighteous, the unjust, the ungodly, and the fool, don’t think unregenerate. Believers can experience God’s curses, and unbelievers can experience God’s blessings.
In the English Bible, the expression the righteous occurs only nine times in the NT in reference to people. All nine refer to those who are righteous in their experience (Matt 9:13; 13:43; 23:29; 25:37, 46; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32i). The Lord did not come to call the righteous to repentance. He came to call sinners to repentanceii
However, the Greek word dikaios occurs eighty-one times in the NT, though seldom in reference to people. In many of these occurrences, it is translated just, rather than righteous. See the following examples:
Matthew 1:19: Joseph was a just or righteous man in his experience.
Matthew 10:41 (3xs): Receiving a righteous man will result in the reward of the righteous man.
Luke 1:6: Elizabeth and Zacharias, the soon-to-be parents of John the Baptist, were both righteous before God, walking in the commandments.
Luke 23:50: Joseph was a good and just man.
Acts 10:22: Cornelius was called a just man before he was born again (see Acts 11:14). While it was unbelievers who said this, Luke, in inspired Scripture called him “a devout [or godly] man and one who feared God” (Acts 10:1).
Hebrews 11:4: Abel was righteous in his experience.
James 5:16: The effective prayers of a righteous man accomplish much.
Revelation 22:11: Let him who is righteous be righteous still.
None of those examples suggest that all believers live righteously or persevere in righteous living. They simply refer to those who were living righteously.
I could find only three examples in which dikaios probably refers to those who are righteous in their position (but not necessarily in their experience): Matt 13:49; Luke 14:14; Acts 24:15.
The usages are even more pronounced in the OT.
There are fourteen references to the just in the OT. All refer to experience (Job 12:4; 27:17; Ps 7:9; 37:12; Prov 3:33; 4:18; 17:15; 21:15; Isa 26:7; 29:21; Lam 4:13; Amos 5:12), except for Hab 2:4, “the just shall live by faith.” Even that might refer to experience if he is saying that those who are righteous in their experience live by faith.
There are 134 uses of the righteous in the OT. This would be a good word study for you to do. All appear to refer to experience. See for example, Gen 18:23, 25; Ps 1:5, 6; 34:15; 37:21; Prov 11:23, 30, 31; Mal 3:18.
Sadly, most commentators understand the righteous and the just in both the OT and NT to refer to those who are regenerate. In their minds, those who are regenerate live righteously in their experience.
Ross comments on Ps 1:5:
On the basis of the contrast between the godly and the wicked, the psalmist wrote that God will separate the righteous from the wicked in the judgment. The righteous are those who are related by covenant with the Lord, who live by His Word, who produce things of eternal value. God will divide the righteous and sinners as a man separates wheat from tares (“Psalms” in BKC, p. 791).
If that is the point, then Psalm 1 contradicts John 3:16.
Everlasting life is a gift. One is not required to live righteously to gain or maintain one’s salvation.
We must be righteous in our experience to receive His blessings now and at the Bema.
The issue in Scripture concerning the righteous and the just is not who is born again. The issue is who is living righteously, in a godly manner.
i For a discussion of 1 Pet 4:18, see Zane Hodges, 1-2 Peter & Jude, p. 59. The saving of the soul in 1 Peter is not about regeneration. It is about fullness of life now and in the life to come.
ii Amazingly, most commentators turn this saying upside down. They think the Lord meant that we are all unrighteous, but that He did not come to call to repentance those who think they are righteous. However, the Scriptures are clear that some are righteous and that they do not need to repent, but merely to confess their sins and walk in the light (1 John 1:7, 9).
