Righteous, Not Perfect: What the Bible Actually Says

Understanding Biblical Righteousness: Faithful Obedience, Not Sinless Perfection

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” Of course, no one ever truly achieves perfection – the saying is meant to highlight that improvement comes through action. The more we do something, the better we get at it. While it’s often used in sports, music, or work, it carries a spiritual truth as well. In God’s eyes, perfection – at least in this life – isn’t the goal. Righteousness works in this same way: it grows as we practice it. We may never reach sinless perfection now, but every step of faithful obedience moves us closer to the character of God.

Many today assume that to be “righteous” means to be sinless or morally perfect. As a result, they dismiss the idea of anyone being righteous apart from Christ’s perfection being imputed to them. Verses like “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10) are often cited to support the belief that trying to live righteously is either futile or dangerously legalistic.

But is that what the Bible really teaches?

Scripture shows that righteousness isn’t about flawlessness but about relationship, faith, and obedience. From beginning to end, the Bible tells the story of people who were righteous in God’s eyes–not because they were perfect, but because they trusted God, responded to His instruction and correction, and walked with Him.

Why the Confusion Exists

Many misunderstandings about righteousness stem from assumptions that come more from tradition than from Scripture. One common error is the idea that righteousness is something mystically transferred to a person while they remain fundamentally unchanged. But throughout the Bible, God instructs people in righteousness–He doesn’t simply declare them righteous without transformation.

From the beginning, the Word of God gave instruction–what we often refer to as “the law”–so that those who listened and obeyed could live righteously. That pattern continues in the New Testament. Jesus, the Word made flesh, taught His disciples both the physical and spiritual intent of the law. Through the Holy Spirit, He enabled them to walk in righteousness. He didn’t simply declare people righteous; He taught them, gave them an example, and provided the help they needed to walk in truth.

In this way, righteousness isn’t split between Old and New Testaments. The New doesn’t replace the Old; it deepens it. The external becomes internalized. The written word becomes lived experience. The original intent becomes realized.

Biblical Righteousness Is Relational, Not Perfect

Consider the people Scripture calls righteous:

• Noah was “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Genesis 6:9), yet after the flood, we know he got drunk, leading to a family scandal.
  
• Job was “blameless and upright” (Job 1:8) and yet had to repent for speaking rashly about God’s justice (Job 42:6).
  
• Abraham is one of the clearest examples. God made promises to him, and Abraham believed without demanding evidence or explanation. “He believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). That belief was active–he trusted, obeyed, and followed. All that said, we know he was far from perfect, but he was faithful.
  
• David, despite grievous sins, was still described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). His psalms reveal a man who continually returned to God, sought His correction, and loved His law (Psalm 119:97).
  
• Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord” (Luke 1:6).
  

These examples make it clear: righteousness isn’t sinless perfection. It’s a life turned toward God, guided by His word, lived in faithful response to Him and grounded in repentance to sin.

Misused Verses and Their Context

Some of the confusion about righteousness comes from verses that seem to say no one can ever be righteous:

“None is righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)
“All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6)

The Isaiah passage is often quoted to suggest that even our best efforts are worthless. But the context is important. Isaiah was speaking about people who were going through the motions of religious observance while living in rebellion. God wasn’t rejecting true righteousness–He was rejecting hypocrisy.

Similarly, in Romans, Paul quotes the Psalms to emphasize that no one is inherently righteous without God. But he goes on to explain how righteousness comes through faith and obedience (Romans 6:16; 5:19).

Jesus and the Pharisees: Not All Obedience Is Legalism

Jesus warned, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Many assume this means righteousness is impossible. But Jesus was correcting the kind of righteousness the Pharisees pursued.

Their righteousness was often external, based on tradition and performance, rather than love and understanding. Their works became the goal, rather than the fruit of a relationship with God. They broke God’s commandments in order to keep human customs (Matthew 15:3). But Jesus didn’t criticize them for keeping the law–He criticized them for missing the point of the law.

Obedience is not legalism when it flows from faith, love, and a desire to walk with God. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). I come back to this point a lot, that’s not legalism–it’s about a relationship.

Righteousness Deepens, It Doesn’t Disappear

The New Testament doesn’t do away with righteousness or the law. It deepens it. Jesus showed this when He said:

• “You have heard it said, ‘Do not murder,’ but I say to you, ‘Do not be angry with your brother’” (Matthew 5:21–22).
  
• “You have heard it said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ but I say to you, ‘Do not lust in your heart’” (Matthew 5:27–28).
  

Jesus didn’t cancel the law–He revealed its full spiritual intent. Those who are led by His Spirit don’t abandon righteousness; they walk more deeply in it.

God Still Calls People Righteous

Righteousness is not an impossible standard or a mystical status. It is the result of walking with God, trusting Him, listening to His instruction, and allowing His Spirit to shape our hearts. Those called righteous in Scripture weren’t perfect. They were faithful, humble, repentant, and teachable.

In a world full of confusion and deception, the call remains the same:

“The righteous shall live by faith”–faith that trusts God’s wisdom and expresses itself through obedience (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17).

“He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” Righteousness requires effort–a lifelong practice and pursuit (1 John 3:7).

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). True righteousness begins with a hunger to understand God’s way through His Word.

The Word is still instructing in righteousness. God is still calling a people who will walk with Him. And righteousness is still the fruit of those who respond.

Not perfect. But righteous.