Righteous/ness

Conformity to the Divine Law.¹ God measures differently than does man. Being “righteous before God” may not mean the same thing one thinks “righteousness” means. Man wants outward signs, symbols, dress, grooming, and conformity. God looks at the intent of the heart.² Righteousness comes by obedience. Obedience requires action. Without conforming conduct to the Lord’s commandments, it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of heaven.³ Righteousness can be defined in the most simple terms as hearing the voice of the Shepherd, the voice of the Son — hearing that voice, heeding it, and repenting, no matter where that voice comes from.⁴ “Who is righteous? Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting, he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing. The man on the top of the stairs facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance; and that is what determines whether we are good or bad.”⁵ “The gospel of repentance is a constant reminder that the most righteous are still being tested and may yet fall, and that the most wicked are not yet beyond redemption and may still be saved. And that is what God wants: Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? [Ezekiel 8:6]. There are poles for all to see, but in this life no one has reached and few have ever approached either pole, and no one has any idea at what point between his neighbor stands. Only God knows that.”⁶ “An extremely important lesson [is] driven home repeatedly in the Book of Mormon, that righteousness does not consist of being identified with this or that nation, party, church, or group. When you find a particularly wicked society in the story, look back a few pages and you will probably find that not many years before those same people were counted righteous. Or, when you find a particular godless and ferocious lot of Lamanites, if you look a few pages ahead you may find them among the most blessed and favored of God’s people.”⁷ One of the best descriptions of righteousness is that of Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:2). However, the self-righteous fail to realize that self-righteousness is a lie, a mirage, and utterly untrue.⁸ “How odd it is that the self-proclaimed ‘righteous’ are almost without exception those who are the most wicked, fallen, abominable, and proud. You rarely encounter a corrupt group in the Book of Mormon who are not also quite involved in a false religion… which frequently teach that the followers are righteous and highly favored of God.”⁹