“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”  Matthew 12:33

Biblical righteousness is three-fold.  The concept primarily describes the condition of being in an upright state; a good tree.  Being in an upright state is manifested in practice in two ways.  Firstly, the fruit of righteousness is manifested in a person when he or she makes a practice of doing the right thing.  This does not mean that such a person does not sin, but rather that such a one does not continue in sin.  Continuing in sin is the result of remaining in bondage to it, being a slave to do its will.  Everyone who is set free by Christ from the bondage of sin and death is restored by God to an upright state that he or she may then begin to practice righteousness.  The second manifestation of the fruit of righteousness is seen in this, that when a righteous one comes to understand that a certain activity is sin, such a one from that point of realization ceases from that activity and even goes so far to right the wrong, as much as it is in that one’s power to do so.  True repentance is seen in that very act [Zacchaeus is an example -- Luke 19:8].  Biblical righteousness is practical righteousness.  It is being in an upright state which leads to the practice of doing the right thing and in the event of trespass, to cease from the wrongful act upon realization and to right the wrong.  The sin of a righteous one is not premeditated and sustained, but is more often incidental and spontaneous, and also quickly abandoned.  A child of God abhors sin as much as the Father.  Instead of looking for excuses or Bible commentaries to rationalize and justify its practice, God’s kids make a practice of looking for the sin that remains in their lives so as to put it to death as soon as possible.  By His death, Christ made us dead to sin and delivered us from its mastery.  We who have died to sin shall live in it no longer.  Just as faith without works is dead, so also is righteousness that is not practiced.  Jesus’ righteousness is not imputed to us, it is established within us to the effect that we too would do the will of the Father, just as He did; that we would lay down our own lives looking to the needs of our brothers and sisters ahead of our own.  If you don’t know and practice this, you don’t know God.

“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”  1 John 2:28-29

“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”  1 John 3:10

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”  1 John 3:16

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  1 John 4:7-8