The BFF Digital Libraries

Facebook BFFBFF is now on Facebook! Please visit and join us in releasing God's powerful Word to our generation!

God's peace can help us live above anxieties as we learn to trust in Him!

The Lord Your Healer: 

Discover Him and Find His Healing Touch by Paul J. Bucknell

Newest! The Lord Your Healer

Discover Him and Find His Healing Touch

First step of discipleship
revive devotions
Advanced Discipleship

The Bible Teaching Commentary on Genesis: The Book of Foundations

Commentaries that specialize on training the teacher!

Overcoming Anxiety: Finding Peace, Discovering God

 


The Godly Man:  When God touches a man's life

Righteousness, not Compromise

righteousness

A Short Study of Righteousness

Righteousness not Compromise |The hardest part to give up | Can I be righteous? | How can I? | Impact of little sin | A little lust | Clarifying righteousness | Legal definitions | Good people and heaven | Chinese character for righteousness | Three Aspects of Righteousness | Testimonies | Godly Man index


Purpose

What does the scriptures teach about that small reserved part of our 'own' lives? What does the New Testament say about righteous living? This Short Study of Righteousness provides a comparative study which helps us with many of these questions!

The Godly Man: When God Touches a Man's Life--- Purchase The Godly Man and its ten studies in easy epub or pdf format!

A search was made under four similar words: righteous, godly, holy and perfect. Their word usage is a bit different, but they all mutually confirm God's teaching.

  • The righteous man lives by God's righteous principles.
  • The godly man lives out his life in good and pious ways.
  • The holy man is set apart for God to live in God presence dedicated to doing God's work.
  • The perfect man focuses on the complete work of God being done in a person.

    • Righteous = God's standards
    • Godly = God's practice
    • Holy = God's possession
    • Perfect = God's fullness

A few verses below are representative of the whole. A fuller selection of verses is for your study below. We are purposely using New Testament references to simplify the study. The Old Testament references would confirm these same conclusions.

God's people are called, commanded and expected to live righteous, holy, godly and perfect lives now on earth.

RIGHTEOUS

Luke 23:50
"And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man."

Hebrews 10:38
"BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM."

GODLY

1 Timothy 6:11
"But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance [and] gentleness."

2 Peter 3:11
"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness"

HOLY

1 Peter 1:16
"... because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

2 Peter 3:11
"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness."

PERFECT

Matthew 5:48
"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

James 1:4
"And let endurance have [its] perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

 

From these verses we must conclude that God is calling His people now to live righteous, godly, holy and perfect lives. We were saved and called to live out God's standards and principles. Of course, our question is how can we do it?

Next => How can we live righteous lives then?

Notes

Selected New Testament verses comparing the synonymous words:
Righteous, godly, holy, perfect

The following verses are selected to help us better appreciate that though we are sinners, we are expected to live righteous and godly lives.This study purposely used only New Testament (NT) references. OT references would confirm this same pattern.

RIGHTEOUS

1Jo 2:29
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1Jo 3:7
Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

Heb 10:38
BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

Lu 23:50
And behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man

Mt 5:45
in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on [the] evil and [the] good, and sends rain on [the] righteous and [the] unrighteous.

Lu 1:6
And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

GODLY

2Ti 3:12
And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Tit 2:12
instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

1Ti 6:3
If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,

1Ti 6:5
and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

1Ti 6:6
But godliness [actually] is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.

1Ti 6:11
But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance [and] gentleness.

2Ti 3:5
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

Tit 1:1
Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

2Pe 1:3
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

2Pe 1:6
and in [your] knowledge, self-control, and in [your] self-control, perseverance, and in [your] perseverance, godliness;

2Pe 1:7
and in [your] godliness, brotherly kindness, and in [your] brotherly kindness, love.

2Pe 3:11
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

HOLY

1Pe 1:15
but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all [your] behavior;

1Pe 1:16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

2Pe 3:11
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

2Ti 1:9
who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

Eph 1:4
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

PERFECT

Mt 5:48
"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jas 1:4
And let endurance have [its] perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Jas 2:22
You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

Heb 13:21
equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Col 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

Col 1:28
And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Php 1:6
[For I am] confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Php 3:12
Not that I have already obtained [it], or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Php 3:15
Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

2Co 13:11
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.