Was Paul Speaking of His Past or Present Life in Romans 7?

In the seventh chapter of Paul the apostle's epistle to the Romans, he speaks in the first person singular in the present tense regarding an intense inner struggle. It was the struggle between wanting to do what was good and right, but not being able to carry it out, and between wanting to avoid doing what is wrong, yet doing that very thing anyway. 

For centuries, a controversy has existed between those who believe that Paul was speaking about his past life before Christ, and those who believe that he was speaking about his present life at that time, as a Spirit-filled disciple of Christ. This same controversy continues to this day.

In fact, recently I was visiting with a dear relative of mine, who also loves the Lord, as I do, and who is a born-again believer. He said that he believes Paul was speaking of his present life as a follower of Jesus in that chapter, and that the main point he was making was that he needed to stop trying to keep the law. But I respectfully disagreed, saying that I believe the context, including Romans chapters six and eight, does not allow for that interpretation, and that Paul could not have been speaking about his present life. I said that I believe Paul was speaking about his life before knowing Christ.

This subject, in the context of the law vs. the spirit, is something I have been studying for decades, and the matter of whether Paul was referring to his life before Christ or his present life as a Christian is something I recall coming up in class in Bible school around thirty-four years ago,  That recent discussion over dinner with my relative led me to go and check to see what my two favorite Bible commentators thought about this matter. So I went and checked both Matthew Henry and John Wesley's commentaries, and although Wesley usually follows Matthew Henry, in this instance Wesley had a different point of view than Henry.

In this article, I am going to share with you an abridged version that summarizes their comments. For their complete, unabridged comments, please see the commentaries on Romans 7 written by Matthew Henry and John Wesley at the links I have just provided.

Matthew Henry's Perspective About Romans 7

Matthew Henry believed that Paul was writing either from the perspective of an unregenerate person, who is convinced they are a sinner, but who is still unsaved, or about the ongoing struggle with the remaining corruption in the life of a sanctified believer in Christ. He believed it was difficult to apply this passage to the regenerate, but even more difficult to apply it to the unregenerate. He also believed that Paul did not intend his remarks in this chapter to be understood to refer to the same state as his present state, and the condition he was now in. Henry explained in his comments that Romans seven: 

…is about the period “When we were in the flesh, that is, in a carnal state, under the reigning power of sin and corruption - in the flesh as in our element.”

…it is “a description of the conflict between grace and corruption in the heart, between the law of God and the law of sin.” 

…”it is applicable two ways: - 1. To the struggles that are in a convinced soul, but yet unregenerate, in the person of whom it is supposed, by some, that Paul speaks. 2. To the struggles that are in a renewed sanctified soul, but yet in a state of imperfection; as others apprehend. And a great controversy there is of which of these we are to understand the apostle here.”

…is “difficult to apply [this passage]…to the regenerate, who are described to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” But “it is more difficult to apply it to the unregenerate.” “Of [the unregenerate] there are many that will needs have all this understood, and contend earnestly for it: though it is very hard to imagine why, if the apostle intended this, he should speak all along in his own person; and not only so, but in the present tense…if here he speaks of the same state as his present state, and the condition he was now in, surely he did not intend to be so understood.”

…”seems rather to be understood of the struggles that are maintained between grace and corruption in sanctified souls. That there are remainders of indwelling corruption, even where there is a living principle of grace, is past dispute; that this corruption is daily breaking forth in sins of infirmity (such as are consistent with a state of grace) is no less certain.”

…teaches “That true grace strives against these sins and corruptions, does not allow of them, hates them, mourns over them, groans under them as a burden, is likewise certain (Gal_5:17): The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would. These are the truths which, I think, are contained in this discourse of the apostle…his design is further to open the nature of sanctification, that it does not attain to a sinless perfection in this life; and therefore [his design is] to quicken us to, and encourage us in, our conflicts with remaining corruptions.”

…”complains of - the remainder of indwelling corruptions, which he here speaks of, to show that the law is insufficient to justify even a regenerate man, that the best man in the world hath enough in him to condemn him, if God should deal with him according to the law, which is not the fault of the law, but of our own corrupt nature, which cannot fulfil the law.”

…teaches us that “Such was the strength of corruptions, that [Paul] could not attain that perfection in holiness which he desired and breathed after. Thus, while he was pressing forward towards perfection, yet he acknowledges that he had not already attained, neither was already perfect.”

…shows us that “in his own account [Paul] was a wretched man, because of the corruption of nature, because he was not so good as he fain would be, had not yet attained, neither was already perfect. Thus miserably does he complain.”

…teaches us that “When we are under the sense of the remaining power of sin and corruption, we shall see reason to bless God through Christ…to bless God for Christ; it is he that stands between us and the wrath due to us for this sin. If it were not for Christ, this iniquity that dwells in us would certainly be our ruin.” 

…is “an argument why sin should not reign over us, and why we should walk in newness of life.”

...is to be understood as referring to the law here “as a covenant of works”…rather than “as a rule”, since “we are freed, by death, from our obligation to the law as a covenant,” [not as a rule]. 

…”shows from [Paul’s] own experience the great excellency and usefulness of the law, not as a covenant, but as a guide,” which is holy, just, and good. The law in general is so, and every particular commandment is so. Laws are as the law-makers are. God, the great lawgiver, is holy, just, and good, therefore his law must needs be so.”

…teaches that “the commandment, which was ordained to life, was intended as a guide in the way to comfort and happiness.”

…is “an argument why we should be holy” and an “encouragement in [our] endeavors” to do so through “grace, which promises strength to do what [the law] commands, and pardon upon repentance when we do amiss,” since “…we are under a covenant of grace, and not under a covenant of works - under the gospel of Christ, and not under the law of Moses.”

…”distinguishes the good works of believers from the good works of hypocrites and self-justifiers”, since those of believers “…are brought forth in marriage, done in union with Christ, in the name of the Lord Jesus.” For “The only fruit which turns to a good account is that which is brought forth in Christ,” which is “one of the great mysteries of godliness.”

…teaches is that as believers, “we must now serve in newness of spirit, by new spiritual rules, from new spiritual principles, in spirit and in truth. There must be a renovation of our spirits wrought by the spirit of God, and in that we must serve. Not in the oldness of the letter; that is, we must not rest in mere external services, as the carnal Jews did, who gloried in their adherence to the letter of the law, and minded not the spiritual part of worship…We are under the dispensation of the Spirit, and therefore must be spiritual, and serve in the spirit.” For “Wherever there is true grace there is an experimental knowledge of the spirituality of the law of God….Wherever there is grace there is not only a dread of the severity of the law, but a consent to the goodness of the law…This is a sign that the law is written in the heart, that the soul is delivered into the mould of it. To consent to the law is so far to approve of it as not to wish it otherwise constituted than it is. The sanctified judgment not only concurs to the equity of the law, but to the excellency of it, as convinced that a conformity to the law is the highest perfection of human nature, and the greatest honour and happiness we are capable of…All that are savingly regenerate or born again do truly delight in the law of God, delight to know it, to do it - cheerfully submit to the authority of it, and take a complacency in that submission, never better pleased than when heart and life are in the strictest conformity to the law and will of God.”

…teaches that “It is not enough to consent to the law, and to delight in the law, but we must serve the law; our souls must be entirely delivered up into the obedience of it. Thus it was with Paul's mind; thus it is with every sanctified renewed mind; this is the ordinary course and way; thitherward goes the bent of the soul. I myself - autos egō, plainly intimating that he speaks in his own person, and not in the person of another.”

…teaches us that “there is no way of coming to that knowledge of sin which is necessary to repentance, and consequently to peace and pardon, but by comparing our hearts and lives with the law.” For “There is nothing about which the natural man is more blind than about original corruption, concerning which the understanding is altogether in the dark till the Spirit by the law reveal it, and make it known.”

…teaches us “to bow our souls to the commanding authority of the word and law of God, not striving against, but submitting to it.”

John Wesley's Perspective About Romans 7

Now let's look at what John Wesley believed about that same passage. Based on the following key statements that Wesley made, we can clearly see that he made a perfectly sound argument from Scripture to support his belief that Paul was impersonating an unsaved man in order to illustrate the utter bondage of trying to please God by obedience to Him in the flesh without the Spirit before becoming united with Christ in his death, raise with Him to new life, born again of the Spirit, and controlled by the Spirit. Wesley states that Romans seven:

…is “the comparison between the former and the present state of a believer”

…is a comparison between “the past and present state of believers -- that ‘in the flesh,’ Rom 7:5, and that ‘in the spirit’."

…speaks of the period “When ye were in the flesh - Carnally minded, in a state of nature; before we believed in Christ.”

…demonstrates the futility of trying to serve and obey God “in the oldness of the letter…in a bare literal, external way, as we did before,” rather than “in newness of spirit…in a new, spiritual manner.”

…“is a kind of a digression, to the beginning of the next chapter, wherein the apostle, in order to show in the most lively manner the weakness and inefficacy of the law, changes the person and speaks as of himself, concerning the misery of one under the law. This St. Paul frequently does, when he is not speaking of his own person, but only assuming another character, Rom 3:5, 1Co 10:30, 1Co 4:6. The character here assumed is that of a man, first ignorant of the law, then under it and sincerely, but ineffectually, striving to serve God. To have spoken this of himself, or any true believer, would have been foreign to the whole scope of his discourse; nay, utterly contrary thereto, as well as to what is expressly asserted, Rom 8:2…”

…depicts the unsaved “man, finding there is no help in himself, [who] begins almost unawares to pray, Who shall deliver me? He then seeks and looks for deliverance, till God in Christ appears to answer his question.” However, “the deliverance is not wrought yet.”

…depicts a man before knowing Christ, who “is now utterly weary of his bondage, and upon the brink of liberty,” who finally realizes how wretched he really is in himself, and who realizes that “God will deliver me through Christ.”

…is summed up and concluded “as he began, Rom 7:7. I myself - Or rather that I, the person whom I am [im]personating, till this deliverance is wrought.”

My Own Key Points

I believe that Romans seven could not have been about Paul's present life, since he said, "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin" (Rom 7:14), which is completely inconsistent with what he wrote in chapters six and eight. 

In chapter six, he said that once you are saved, you are united with Christ through water baptism in his death and burial, and you are united with him in His resurrection to a new life (Rom 6:3-6). 

He said that our old self was crucified with Christ, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin (Rom 6:7). He also said you are now a slave to righteousness and no longer a slave to sin (Rom 6:17-18,22). Therefore, as a true believer, it was impossible for Paul to still be a slave to sin as he stated in Romans 7:14, so he could not have been speaking of his present state.

Likewise, in chapter eight, he said that through Christ the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2). He said the mind governed by the flesh is death, while the mind by the Spirit is life and peace (Rom 8:6). He also said that the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God and cannot submit to God's law, and that those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God (Rom 8:7-8). All of these statements in Romans eight about the Spirit-controlled life that Paul was living as a believer are completely inconsistent with the kind of struggle he described in Romans seven.

I do believe, however, that the Holy Spirit was illustrating through Paul the ongoing struggle between the flesh and the spirit that exists in the life of a sanctified believer, and emphasizing the points made in Romans six and eight about the old self being crucified with Christ and the need to now be controlled by the Spirit.

Lastly, it's important to always remember that we cannot interpret the teachings of the apostles, except through the teachings of Christ, and not the other way around. The Lord Jesus always upheld the law, and commanded obedience to it (eg., Matt 5:17-19; Luk 16:16-18), as I've written about here. In fact, the Gospels, and especially the Sermon on the Mount, prove this point (Matt 5:48; Matt 5 - 7).

Conclusion

As you can see, Wesley and Henry each had their own different opinions about the meaning of Romans seven, and both were able to support their views in a doctrinally sound way from Scripture. Henry said that Paul speaks in his own person, and not in the person of another, while Wesley said Paul was impersonating an unsaved man. They both made many excellent points which, even to this day, continue to edify, instruct, and encourage the Body of Christ. Neither of these men used their viewpoint as an opportunity to teach grace as a license for sin, but both taught the need to live a holy life in obedience to God. Both of them taught that we must obey the gospel law (see here). 

Therefore, whichever way you choose to view Romans seven, just be sure that it is consistent with sound doctrine that conforms to Scripture, especially the teachings of Jesus, and that it is consistent in its context with the rest of Paul's discourse.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Aim for Perfection, Christian Perfection, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, Living on Earth as They Do in Heaven, Wesley and Henry on Gospel Law, Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?, Faith in Action, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Practicing Your Righteousness

I’d like to discuss the righteousness of three men found in Scripture – Noah, Job, and Daniel. These men, who lived so long ago, are still godly examples for us as Christians today.

There is a righteousness that is imputed to the believer as part of his justification by faith in Christ.  It is the righteousness of God, and although it does not belong to the believer, it is attributed to him. But there is also a righteousness that is imparted to the believer as part of his sanctification, which is also by faith. This has to do with the righteous acts of the saints, practiced by faith in God through the power of the Holy Spirit, for which God confers, gives, or bestows righteousness to the saint for his or her godliness.  This second kind of righteousness that is imparted in connection with sanctification is the kind I would like to focus on right now.

There are many references to this practical righteousness in the New Testament, but a few examples will suffice. For instance, Jesus taught us the level of righteousness required to enter the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”  (Mat 5:20).  While the scribes and Pharisees had a righteousness that comes from the Law, they did not have God’s righteousness that comes by faith in Christ. But they also practiced their righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Therefore, the Lord said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 6:1).  Immediately after saying this, he gave three examples of practical righteousness, namely prayer, giving to the poor, and fasting.

Once you have been justified by faith and received the gift of God’s righteousness in Christ, you must practice your righteousness.  That involves doing righteous deeds, such as prayer, fasting, worship, Bible reading, giving tithes and offerings, not stealing, not accepting bribes, serving in the Church, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting those in prison, and giving to the poor (Mt 25:35-36).  The Lord calls this "your righteousness."

In Revelation, John mentioned the reward the saints receive for this practical righteousness.  He wrote: “Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Rev 19:6-8).

As Matthew Henry said, "God takes notice of the good that is in his servants, to their honor and benefit."

Don’t Trust in Your Own Righteousness
Now I would like to turn to the Old Testament for some passages about practical righteousness, which teach us more about what it is and warn us not to trust in it. Ezekiel wrote:

"But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period-- if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man, if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully--he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD. (Eze 18:5-9).

In that passage, we learn that when a man is righteous and practices righteousness, then He is considered righteous in God’s sight.  Several examples of righteous deeds are given. However, listen to the following warning against trusting in your own righteousness:

"And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, 'The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.' "When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. "But when I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. "None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live. "Yet your fellow citizens say, 'The way of the Lord is not right,' when it is their own way that is not right. "When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. "But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. (Eze 33:12-19).

While a sinner who turns from his sin and serves God in righteousness will live, the same cannot be said of the righteous man who commits sin. The Lord says a righteous man will not be able to save his life by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin. Put differently, a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin. When the righteous man trusts in his righteousness such that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; rather he will die in that same iniquity of his that he has committed. This is the danger of getting comfortable once you become justified as a Christian, and thinking that from now on the matter of sin will never have any bearing on your salvation.

Job was a righteous man

Job is a good example of a righteous man.  He was a man of integrity, who prayed and interceded diligently for his children, feared God, and turned from evil.  “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:1)

The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." (Job 1:8).

"As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. (Jas 5:10-11).

Job was godly, harmless, true, abstaining from all evil, and clinging to innocence.  He endured suffering patiently and practiced righteousness.

Noah was a righteous man
Another excellent example of a righteous man was Noah.

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.’"  (Gen 6:5-7)

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Gen 6:8-9)

“Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.’” (Gen 7:1).

“Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him.” (Gen 7:5)

“By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Heb 11:7)

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;”  (2Pe 2:4-5)

So the Scriptures say that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time. He was a preacher of righteousness, who walked by faith with God and did according to all that the Lord commanded him.

Daniel was a righteous man

Another excellent example of a righteous man was Daniel. He prayed on his knees three times a day, even when it was illegal to do so, and the penalty for it was death. He continued as always giving thanks, making petition and supplication to God three times a day.

“Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.” (Dan 6:10-11)

He refused to defile himself with the king’s meat and wine, preferring instead to fast and pray.

“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” (Dan 1:8)

Daniel possessed an extraordinary spirit, and was known as a man who served God continually. He was faithful. Even his enemies could find neither grounds for accusation against him, nor any evidence of corruption in his conduct.

“Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, ‘We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.’" (Dan 6:3-5)

No negligence or corruption was found in him.  He was reliable and did not do anything wrong or dishonest. Daniel was an excellent example of a righteous man. By his faith, he shut the mouths of lions (Heb 11:33).

Noah, Daniel, and Job
In fact, God Himself recognized the righteousness of these three men. And it's worth noting that two of them -- Noah and Job -- lived before the Law of Moses was given, which proves that righteousness does not depend on the Law. We saw that Noah found favor with God and the Lord saved him and his whole family from the flood that destroyed the earth.  Job’s health and possessions were restored to him and God answered his prayers for his friends. Daniel had dreams and interpretations of dreams. God protected him from the mouths of the lions, and answered his prayers. The Lord also spoke to Ezekiel about these three men and their own righteousness.

“Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,’ declares the Lord GOD. ‘If I were to cause wild beasts to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, though these three men were in its midst, as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the country would be desolate. Or if I should bring a sword on that country and say, “Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,” even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness." (Eze 14:12-20)

The point that God was making here to Ezekiel was that when He decides to bring judgment on a country, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves.

This reminds me of when Abraham said to the Lord, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Gen 18:23). Abraham interceded for Lot and managed to get God to spare him from the judgment that was about to come upon Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord still brought judgment on those cities, but spared Lot and his family.

Likewise, when God has determined to bring his judgment down on a place, even the presence of these three righteous men altogether – Noah, Daniel, and Job – would not stop Him from carrying out His plan.  Those men by their righteousness would only save themselves. And in fact, Daniel was carried away into exile along with the other Hebrews when God sent the Babylonians to bring judgment on Israel during this period when Ezekiel received this message.  Daniel’s life was spared and it went well with him in captivity, partly because of his righteousness. But his presence did not spare the nation from God’s judgment.

How This Righteousness Works 
I'd like to touch briefly upon how this righteousness works, because it is such a foreign concept to most people these days in the Church. The Bible teaches us that your faith and your deeds work together and your faith is made complete by what you do (Js 2:22). James also taught, "that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." (Jas 2:24).  He said our righteous deeds are part of our justification.  King Solomon referred to this as God "justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness." (1Ki 8:32; 2Ch 6:23). We are justified not merely by having a certain opinion about Christ, or profession of Him, or by believing without obeying, but by having the kind of faith that produces good works. These are works of self-denial like the ones produced by Noah, Daniel, and Job, as well as others like Abel, Abraham, Lot, and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The apostle Peter said we must die to sin and live for righteousness (1 Pe 2:24). Therefore, we must sow in such a way as to receive a harvest of righteousness (Js 3:18). The one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward (Pr 11:18, NIV; Gal 6:9).

Putting it All Together
My point in all of this is that in addition to the righteousness imputed to us when we are justified by faith, which does not belong to us, but is God’s perfect righteousness, there is also a practical righteousness that is given or bestowed by God as we grow in sanctification, which is the character of Christ. This is what Jesus called “your righteousness.” The Lord said we need to practice our righteousness, and taught us how to do so in a way that pleases God. Noah, Daniel, and Job were good examples of how we as disciples of Christ should practice our righteousness. And He is coming with His reward to render to every man according to his deeds. "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (Rev 22:12).

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, unless otherwise noted. The Good Samaritan by Dan Burr of Dan Burr Illustration copyright 2013 used by permission. The Daniel in the Lions' Den painting is by Briton Rivière (1890) and is in the public domain.  The Noah painting is by Joseph Anton Koch circa 1803 courtesy Wikimedia. Painting of Job and his Friends by Ilya Repin, 1869, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, I also recommend Righteous Deeds and White Robes, Doing What is Right, Your Rewards Are Based on Your Practice, The Righteous Will Shine Forth as the Sun, Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?, Faith Works!, The Judgment Seat of Christ, The Obedience of Faith, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, and The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer. Other related articles are available on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.