Objection: The contradiction is plain: the Bible states
there is no righteous person, yet many biblical figures are described as
righteous (Job, Joseph, Noah, to name a few)--even Christians go around talking about being made righteous. I can't believe in a religious contradiction.
Answer: The apparent contradiction is very plain, but
is anyone asking “what does ‘righteousness’ mean?” The central text from which
we learn “there is none righteous” is found in Psalm 14 where we also find one definition. Other biblical uses quote this
passage or point back to this place, so instead of addressing each one
individually, we will consider the source.
First, it helps to know
who is writing and it takes no scholar to find the answer as the first line
reads “Of David,” who incidentally is also one of the biblical figures whose
righteousness is called into question.
What is he writing
about? Well, the first verse explains his topic as “the fool [who] says in his
heart, ‘there is no God.’”
So what about these
fools? They are described as “corrupt” because “they do abominable deeds.” No
fool does good.
Now someone will object
here: surely everyone does good! Yes . . . and no. The kind of goodness the
fool will never do is to seek after God. There is a “kind” of understanding,
but God looking down from heaven sees they don’t understand Him and the
goodness that pleases Him. No fool does God’s kind of good.
This is why David writes
that these fools have “all turned aside . . . have become corrupt.” Every
person who does not seek after God nor desires the things of God does the
goodness of God. They don’t know how, so they “eat up” God’s people. Chew them
up and spit them out as they continue to reject God. They live in terror
because the reality is this: God is found with the generation of those who seek
after God, who want to please God. God is found in the midst of those whom He
makes righteous.
Try a test: discriminate
someone who is afflicted and has trusted God and you will find you can’t touch
him. He will not be moved. Who is being unfair and unequal but the one who
calls into question the Creator and Giver of all things.
This is why Job and
Joseph and David and so many others could be called righteous--despite their
mistakes, their sins--they kept short accounts with God and constantly sought
Him out in order to be pleasing to Him. God puts His righteousness on our account.
