By Simon Ifeanyi Ezeh

A critical inspection of Psalms 14, 53 and Isaiah 64, the places where Paul derived his notion of ‘no one is righteous’ as in Rom 3:10, shows that the writers maintain the existence of righteous and unrighteous people alike.

You would notice in these Psalms that there are the wicked or unrighteous people as well as the people of God or the righteous people. Both before and after Christ, there have been righteous and unrighteous people on earth and loads of scriptures attest to that.

Isaiah 64:5 reveals the existence of righteous people whereas the entire chapter is a confession of a people who have sinned against God and are seeking forgiveness and restoration.

In Genesis 18:23, Abraham, a righteous man, asked God if he would destroy the righteous together with the wicked and God said he won’t and he didn’t because righteous Lot and his house was saved except his wife who couldn’t forsake the things of this life. But the unrighteous people of Sodom were destroyed as God rained fire on them from heaven.

It would make better sense to say that the righteous are few among many unrighteous people but to conclude that everybody is unrighteous is a display of downright ignorance of scriptures and the dynamics of God’s kingdom.

Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 23 tells us that Abel, Noah, Enoch, and the rest prophets are (they are still alive) righteous. In John 1:47, Jesus Christ saw Nathanael approaching him and immediately declared him a righteous man in whom there’s no deceit and this happened much earlier than his crucifixion. Jesus in Matt 19:13-15 states that children are automatically righteous (until the age of accountability).

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In fact, one would have to be like children in order to be righteous or make heaven. Children (due to their pure hearts) have no qualms believing whatever you tell them just as they are very honest and forgiving. No wonder their angels always stand before God without any hindrance whatsoever as in Matt 18:10.

It’s important to note that they are righteous because of their godly traits not because Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood and much more important to note is that children have always been like that before the coming of Jesus Christ, and will always be that way. As we grow up, the onus rests on us to either continue to be righteous as children or jettison those traits as ‘childish’ and imbibe adult traits which are obviously unrighteous because from adult we start getting adulterated, adultery, etc.

Jesus Christ, in these scriptures (Mat 10:11, Lk22:9-12, Lk 1:5-6, and Mat 12:35) insists there are righteous people everywhere, although they are in precious little minority.

Jesus Christ, in the above sited scriptures, declares the existence of at least one person who is worthy (Having worth or merit or value; being honorable or admirable; having qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a godly way; being an appropriate and good choice, as judged by God) or righteous or good in every city. Remember, whoever or whatever is good must be of God as in Mark 10:18.

This is one of the reasons I believe Paul never read the Synoptic gospels before writing his epistles. How could any sound minded individual still doubt the existence of righteous or good people on earth after reading Jesus’ words in the above quoted scriptures? Why should God command us to be perfect if he knows we couldn’t be perfect as in Matt 5:48?

It’s noteworthy that perfection in God’s economy is about having one’s mind fixed on God. A righteous or perfect man could fall into sin regardless but he must repent and be forgiven so he continues his walk with God and God won’t forsake him because his heart is not only fixed on God, he is fixated on God so that his repentance and restoration is inevitable.

As in Matt 5:48, we have been told how to be perfect in God and one way to perfection is showing kindness to our enemies, not praying that they die! To show kindness is to forgive. So, if you want to be perfect, forgive your enemies!! Give to the poor in your neighborhood by striping yourself of material wealth and you would be perfect according to Christ Jesus. See Mar 10:17-23

Psa_37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. Who’s this man and where does he live? Clearly, this man is a natural man that lives on earth. Job is an example although he lived before the era of the Holy Ghost. If we couldn’t be righteous even after we have received the Holy Spirit and the assistance of angels of God then the gospel is useless.

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All the characters of the beatitudes who are blessed according to Jesus Christ are not only righteous, they are also living (or lived) on planet earth. They describe righteous people including those still living on earth currently and those who’ve passed on. In every society that God created, you could always find the pure in heart, the meek, the seeker of the righteousness of God, the merciful, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake etc. at any given time.

Such people are righteous as well as blessed by God even in their natural lives. The beatitudes do not describe angelic beings in heaven; they describe people on planet earth. If the righteous existed in Sodom, they could exist anywhere else. So, it is a lie that no one is righteous. Jesus Christ made a lot of reference to righteous people and it goes beyond Jesus’ reference to righteous people; he gave extensive teachings on that in his parables.

Jesus Christ, in many parables, maintains the existence of righteous people on earth living side by side with sinners but many people think it’s humility to jettison the doctrines of Christ and believe other misleading teachings because they are convenient especially as they are also in the Bible. Some people are righteous now! They are clearly in the minority but they exist, have always existed and will always exist.

The parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and the prodigal son in LK 15 and many more illustrate the coexistence of both righteous and unrighteous people. The same theme is maintained in the parables of wheat and tares, threshing floor, sheep and goats, the ten virgins, the talents, the dragnet, the tower, two ways, two foundations, trees and fruits, the two sons, etc.

As in the times of Noah, Job, Lot, etc. there is always a remnant of the righteous among many sinners. There has never been an age when there were only sinners and no righteous people at all: they always lived side by side and their relationship is like that between smoke and the nostrils.

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