Last week we saw the great contrast between righteousness and unrighteousness. These are two quite large words that aren't always clearly understood. But their meaning is very simple. Righteousness simply means to obey God and His holy, pure law and to live a life acceptable to Him.
Righteousness is beautifully described as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness and temperance.

Unrighteousness is the very opposite in every aspect, the Bible says "All unrighteousness is sin" 1 John 5:17, and that "sin is the transgression {or disobedience} of the {God's} law" 1 John 3:4.

So the great question we've got to ask is "Is it possible for us to live a righteous life? A life filled with love, joy, peace etcetera...?" "If so, How?"

Let's read one of the many Bible verses that show us, without a shadow of doubt, that there have been men and women in the past who have lived righteously before God.

Remember Noah's flood, and the ark he built by following God's instruction? Here is something God said to Noah:

"And 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" - Genesis 7:1

Righteous before God? Yes! So it must be possible to live a righteous life! At least it was for Noah. But was it because the world was a better place to live in all those thousands of years ago?

No! In actual fact, the Bible gives us a terrible description of the wickedness of the world in Noah's day:

"And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually." - Genesis 6:5

Yet, in the midst of this great wickedness, Noah was righteous before the Lord.

So what are we missing? What was it that enabled a human being like Noah to live a righteous life?

Well, first we must discover where righteous comes from, which again the Bible makes very clear.

"O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee..." - Daniel 9:7
"The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" - Psalms 145:17
"To shew that the Lord is upright: ... there is no unrighteousness in him" - Psalms 92:15

Righteousness belongs to God, the one in whom there is no unrighteousness but is holy in all His ways?

So then, if there is any hope for you and I to live a righteous, peace-filled life, it must come as a gift from God. Because, let's face it, there is no righteousness in ourselves. The Bible says we all have sinned and are filled with all unrighteousness (see Romans chapter 3).

So how can a poor unrighteous sinner, live a righteous life?

Keep tuned as next week we will dig even deeper into this wonderful topic and see the matchless love of God in providing a plan so you and I and every other person who chooses can partake of His righteousness.