Episode Details

In Episode 281, Lance Smith concludes his two-part examination of Matthew 23:35 by tackling the question, "Has there ever really been a righteous person?" The Skeptic's Annotated Bible identifies just four passages that answer "No" and more than eighty that answer "Yes." Is that a contradiction?

By examining passages such as Romans 3, Genesis 15, Hebrews 11, and Matthew 23, Lance shows that Scripture uses the word righteous in two distinct senses: perfect righteousness, which belongs to Jesus Christ alone, and credited (imputed) righteousness, which God gives to those who trust Him by faith.

Far from exposing a contradiction, the Bible presents a consistent message from Genesis to Revelation. When read in context, these passages point to the heart of the gospel: Jesus took our sin upon Himself and offers His righteousness to all who believe.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: bibledifficultiesandanswers@gmail.com 

1. Skeptic’s Annotated Bible – “Has there ever been a righteous person?” https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/righteous.html
2. GotQuestions.org – “What does it mean that ‘there is none who does good, no not one’ (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:12)?” https://www.gotquestions.org/none-who-does-good-no-not-one.html
3. Ligonier Ministries / R.C. Sproul – “None Righteous” https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/none-righteous
4. The Master’s Seminary Journal, Vol. 32 No. 1 (Spring 2021) Full PDF: https://tms.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TMSJ-32.1-rev.11.24.pdf
   1. J.V. Fesko – “Imputed Righteousness: The Apostle Paul and Isaiah 53”
   2. Peter Sammons – “In My Place Obedient He Lived: Imputed Righteousness in Romans 5:18–19”