Hope
Princesinha
Look forward to it. But you don't believe that being good and loving your family and your fellow man is part of righteousness, it's just what god considers righteous is righteous? It is simply an arbitrary decision reserved for god?
Hmmm....how to explain. Yes, being good, loving your family, etc., are all part of righteousness, but I guess we need to clarify that there is man's so-called righteousness, and then there is God's righteousness. None of man's good works, in and of themselves, please God.
"...all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." ~Isaiah 64:6
This is why we can never please God in our own strength, no matter how good we are. Because our righteousness, compared to His, which is true righteousness, is not enough. I wouldn't say God is arbitrary about righteousness...He is simply righteousness personified and therefore has every right to reject our feeble attempts at righteousness.
If Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin, etc., ever repented of their sins and trusted in Christ to be their righteousness, then, yes, they would've been righteous. Unfortunately, there is no evidence any of them ever did this.So Pol Pot may be considered righteous by your god? And Hitler and Stalin and Genghis Khan?
My husband (hypothetically-speaking, as I don't have one) could do any number of heinous sins, and if he repented of them, and trusted in Christ, then, yes, he would be considered righteous. I think you're missing the whole point about repentance and faith. God's not saying, hey, go sin as much as you want, it's ok, you're still righteous...He's saying, if you sin, and then you're genuinely repentant and come to Me through Jesus Christ, trusting in His sacrifice to cleanse you and present you as righteous before Me, then, and only then, are you righteous.If your husband had sex with your daughters, would you consider him righteous? Because your god would, apparently.
And, by the way, just because God may forgive and cleanse people of heinous sins and declare them righteous doesn't mean they don't still have to deal with the consequences of their sin and be disciplined. A murderer or sex offender that turns to Christ will still have to deal with their earthly punishment. God doesn't simply "let them off the hook."