“As surely as I am alive,” declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that someone wicked changes his way and keeps living. Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”
– Eze 33:11
Jehovah, “whose will is that all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth” (1Ti 2:4) is never happy about killing even those who deserve it.
The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he revolts
nor will the wickedness of the wicked man make him stumble when he turns away from his wickedness
nor will anyone righteous be able to keep living because of his righteousness in the day that he sins
You will surely keep living,” and he trusts in his own righteousness and does what is wrong, none of his righteous acts will be remembered, but he will die for the wrong that he has done
he walks in the statutes of life by not doing what is wrong, he will surely keep living
– Eze 33:12 – 16
Righteousness is something very important for Jehovah. When searching “righteousness” in the English NWT 2013 it appear around 300 times. In the new earth and heaven
Righteousness is a requirement for life, while goodness is something desireable.
- New heaven and earth with righteousness (2 Pe 3:13)
- The bible is “disciplining in righteousness” (2 Ti 3:16)
- Seeking first the righteousness of the kingdom (Mt 6:33)
- Jesus as future ruler of justice and righteousness (Is 9:7)
- Putting on the new personality with true righteousness (Eph 4:24)
- Not being unevenly yoked with unbelievers. Like righteousness and lawlessness are not together (2 Co 6:14)
- Noah a preacher of righteousness (2 Pe 2:5)
- Abraham’s faith counted as righteousness (Ac 17:31)
It is truly an important topic in the bible to understand that there is a difference between what humans perceive as right and what god defines as righteous.
Relying on the own inherent ability to have a basic feeling of good and bad is not enough.
Even once you found it you have to care to not lose it.
Interesting the connections:
own righteousness <-> doing what is wrong
statutes of live <-> righteousness
wickedness <-> doing what is wrong
Jehovah is really defining the rules (statutes) of life.
Jehovah will judge each of us “according to his ways” (Eze 33:20).