Righteous
Are you righteous? This is an odd question that is not preached well in most churches. This article explores Abraham's question about the rightous in Sodom.
Prolog
One morning early in 2004, I awoke with a dream where I was being told about the theology of "righteousness." This was strange because I'd never had a dream dealing with theology before. The dream reduced to two distinct points:
Biblical "righteousness" is defined dynamically. No one is righteous before God unless they can demonstrate that they are willing to do what God says. Biblical righteousness is not staticly defined as is normally preached.
Abraham's plea for Sodom was based on the question of people being righteous. Abraham's question was built on his own experience of righteousness. Understanding Biblical righteousness correctly has tremendous bearing on what Abraham is actually asking and what the angels do when they arrive in the city.
I wrote up the dream in my diary and a few days later relayed the dream to some Christian friends meeting at a home fellowship. Nearly to a person they were shocked at the thought that the popular definition was wrong.
Over the next week or so each came back and said to me privately that I was right. Without action, there can be no righteousness.
Webster's Definition
When studying the meaning of a word it is often best to start with a dictionary and look up the meaning. Though it is possible the Biblical definition is different than the modern meaning, it is a useful starting point. In this case the definition is this:
Righteous /Right' eous/, a. 1) Doing, or according with, that which is right; 2) Yielding to all their due; 3) Just; 4) Equitable; 5) Especially, free from wrong, guilt, or sin; 6) Holy; as a righteous man or act; a righteous retribution. Syn. Upright; just; godly; holy; uncorrupt; virtuous; honest; equitable; rightful.
Several parts of the definition point directly at the lesson here. Righteous, in its most simple form means Doing that which is right. The English word is most simply defined dynamically. This is enough to show that the translators likely chose this English language word because it centers on a dynamic definition.
Abraham's Question
Abraham pleaded over Sodom in a fairly famous narrative from Genesis 18.
In summary YHVH tells Abraham what he is about to do and then Abraham begins to plea for Sodom. Abraham's question is all about righteousness.
Understanding the word is key to understanding the entire passage. For review, here is the text.
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17וַֽיהוָֹ֖ה אָמָ֑ר הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֥י עֹשֶֽׂה׃ 18וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הָי֧וֹ יִֽהְיֶ֛ה לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל וְעָצ֑וּם וְנִ֨בְרְכוּ ב֔וֹ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃ 19כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַעַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־ בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־ בֵּיתוֹ֙ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֔ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט לְמַ֗עַן הָבִ֤יא יְהוָה֙ עַל־ אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־ דִּבֶּ֖ר עָלָֽיו׃ 20וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה זַעֲקַ֛ת סְדֹ֥ם וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה כִּי־ רָ֑בָּה וְחַ֨טָּאתָ֔ם כִּ֥י כָבְדָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃ 21אֵֽרֲדָה־ נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָ֛הּ הַבָּ֥אָה אֵלַ֖י עָשׂ֣וּ׀ כָּלָ֑ה וְאִם־ לֹ֖א אֵדָֽעָה׃ 22וַיִּפְנ֤וּ מִשָּׁם֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ סְדֹ֑מָה וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם עוֹדֶ֥נּוּ עֹמֵ֖ד לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ 23וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַאַ֣ף תִּסְפֶּ֔ה צַדִּ֖יק עִם־ רָשָֽׁע׃ 24אוּלַ֥י יֵ֛שׁ חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים צַדִּיקִ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר הַאַ֤ף תִּסְפֶּה֙ וְלֹא־ תִשָּׂ֣א לַמָּק֔וֹם לְמַ֛עַן חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים הַצַּדִּיקִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃ 25חָלִ֨לָה לְּךָ֜ מֵעֲשֹׂ֣ת׀ כַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה לְהָמִ֤ית צַדִּיק֙ עִם־ רָשָׁ֔ע וְהָיָ֥ה כַצַּדִּ֖יק כָּרָשָׁ֑ע חָלִ֣לָה לָּ֔ךְ הֲשֹׁפֵט֙ כָּל־ הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה מִשְׁפָּֽט׃ 26וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה אִם־ אֶמְצָ֥א בִסְדֹ֛ם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים צַדִּיקִ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר וְנָשָׂ֥אתִי לְכָל־ הַמָּק֖וֹם בַּעֲבוּרָֽם׃ 27וַיַּ֥עַן אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הִנֵּה־ נָ֤א הוֹאַ֙לְתִּי֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־ אֲדֹנָ֔י וְאָנֹכִ֖י עָפָ֥ר וָאֵֽפֶר׃ 28א֠וּלַי יַחְסְר֞וּן חֲמִשִּׁ֤ים הַצַּדִּיקִם֙ חֲמִשָּׁ֔ה הֲתַשְׁחִ֥ית בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה אֶת־ כָּל־ הָעִ֑יר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית אִם־ אֶמְצָ֣א שָׁ֔ם אַרְבָּעִ֖ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃ 29וַיֹּ֨סֶף ע֜וֹד לְדַבֵּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר אוּלַ֛י יִמָּצְא֥וּן שָׁ֖ם אַרְבָּעִ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה בַּעֲב֖וּר הָאַרְבָּעִֽים׃ 30וַ֠יֹּאמֶר אַל־ נָ֞א יִ֤חַר לַֽאדֹנָי֙ וַאֲדַבֵּ֔רָה אוּלַ֛י יִמָּצְא֥וּן שָׁ֖ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֔ה אִם־ אֶמְצָ֥א שָׁ֖ם שְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ 31וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּֽה־ נָ֤א הוֹאַ֙לְתִּי֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־ אֲדֹנָ֔י אוּלַ֛י יִמָּצְא֥וּן שָׁ֖ם עֶשְׂרִ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית בַּעֲב֖וּר הָֽעֶשְׂרִֽים׃ 32וַ֠יֹּאמֶר אַל־ נָ֞א יִ֤חַר לַֽאדֹנָי֙ וַאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה אַךְ־ הַפַּ֔עַם אוּלַ֛י יִמָּצְא֥וּן שָׁ֖ם עֲשָׂרָ֑ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית בַּעֲב֖וּר הָעֲשָׂרָֽה׃ (WLC)
1 Genesis 18:17
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for fortys sake. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twentys sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for tens sake. (KJV)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be 50 righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the 50 righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28Peradventure there shall lack 5 of the 50 righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of 5? And he said, If I find there 45, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be 40 found there. And he said, I will not do it for the sake of 40. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall 30 be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find 30 there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be 20 found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 20. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure 10 shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 10. (KJV/NC)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; 18seeing that Abraham had surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 20And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before Jehovah. 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes: 28peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for the forty's sake. 30And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten's sake. (ASV)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17And the LORD said, Shall I hide from my servant Abraham the thing which I am going to do, 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him? 19For I know him well, and that he will command his children and his household after him, to keep the ways of the LORD, to do justice and righteousness; for the LORD shall fulfil for Abraham the thing that he has spoken concerning him. 20And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has come before me and their sins are very grievous, 21I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to their cry which has come before me; and if not, I will know. 22So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23¶ And Abraham drew near and said, Wilt thou in thine anger destroy the righteous with the sinners? 24Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou in thine anger destroy it, and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are in it? 25Far be it from thee to do such a thing as this, to slay the innocent with the guilty, far be it from thee, O thou Judge of the whole earth! Such a judgment should never be carried out. 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole country for their sake. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold, I have ventured to speak before the LORD, and yet I am but dust and ashes; 28Suppose there shall lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt thou destroy the whole city for the lack of five men? And he said, If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it. 29And Abraham spoke to him and said, Suppose there shall be forty found there? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty. 30Then Abraham said, Oh let not the LORD be displeased and I will speak: Suppose there shall thirty be found there? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold, I have ventured to speak before the LORD; suppose there shall be twenty found there? And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty. 32And he said, Oh, let not the LORD be displeased, and I will speak only once more; suppose ten shall be found there? And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. (LAM)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? 19No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." 20Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor'rah is great and their sin is very grave, 21I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know."
22So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23Then Abraham drew near, and said, "Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27Abraham answered, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." 29Again he spoke to him, and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." 30Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." 31He said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." 32Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." (RSV)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."
20Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing -- to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
26The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
27Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it."
29Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."
30Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
31Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."
32Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."(NIV)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17Yahweh said, 'Will I hide from Abraham what I do, 18seeing that Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? 19For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.' 20Yahweh said, 'Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me. If not, I will know.'
22The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh. 23Abraham drew near, and said, 'Will you consume the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are therein? 25Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?'
26Yahweh said, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.' 27Abraham answered, 'See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes. 28What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?'
He said, 'I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.'
29He spoke to him yet again, and said, 'What if there are forty found there?'
He said, 'I will not do it for the forty's sake.'
30He said, 'Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?'
He said, 'I will not do it, if I find thirty there.'
31He said, 'See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?'
He said, 'I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.'
32He said, 'Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once. What if ten are found there?'(WEB)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17The LORD said, 'Will I hide from Abraham what I do, 18seeing that Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him? 19For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.' 20The LORD said, 'Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, 21I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.'
22The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. 23Abraham drew near, and said, 'Will you consume the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?'
26The LORD said, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake.' 27Abraham answered, 'See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes. 28What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?'
He said, 'I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.'
29He spoke to him yet again, and said, 'What if there are forty found there?'
He said, 'I will not do it for the forty's sake.'
30He said, 'Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?'
He said, 'I will not do it, if I find thirty there.'
31He said, 'See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?'
He said, 'I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.'
32He said, 'Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?'(WEB/HNV)
1 Genesis 18:17-32 17And Yahvah said, Will I hide from my servant Abraham the thing which I am going to do, 18Seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him? 19For I know him well, that he will command his children and his household after him, to keep the ways of Yahvah, to do justice and righteousness; for Yahvah will fulfill for Abraham the thing that he has spoken concerning him. 20And Yahvah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has come before me and their sins are very grievous, 21I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to their cry which has come before me; and if not, I will know. 22So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet before Yahvah.
23And Abraham drew near and said, Will you in your anger destroy the righteous with the sinners? 24Suppose there are 50 righteous inside the city; will you in your anger destroy it, and not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous that are in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing as this, to slay the innocent with the guilty, far be it from you, oh Judge of the whole earth. Such a judgment should never be carried out. 26And Yahvah said, If I find in Sodom 50 righteous inside the city, then I will spare the whole country for their sake. 27And Abraham answered and said, Look, I have ventured to speak before the Lord, yet I am but dust and ashes; 28Suppose there will lack 5 of the 50 righteous; will you destroy the whole city for the lack of 5 men? And he said, If I find 45 there, I will not destroy it. 29And Abraham spoke to him and said, Suppose 40 will be found there? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find 40 there. 30Then Abraham said, Oh do not let the Lord be displeased and I will speak: Suppose 30 will be found there? And he said, I will not destroy it, if I find 30 there. 31And he said, Look, I have ventured to speak before the Lord; suppose 20 will be found there? And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 20. 32And he said, Oh, do not let the Lord be displeased, and I will speak only once more; suppose 10 will be found there? And he said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 10. (BRB)
Common Understanding
If you have ever heard this preached in Church you've probably heard a story based on the following logical steps.
Jesus is our righteousness.
We are Christians, followers of Jesus.
Since there are more than 10 of us in town.
Sodom could never happen here.
Of course this does not get preached in cities that have been destroyed, even with Christians, but it does get preached in peaceful areas.
The question, of course, is where is the logical problem in this line of thinking?
The answer comes from the behavior of Abraham in Genesis.
Did Abraham Believe the City would be Blown?
This first question is important. The common preaching about how Sodom could not happen today is based in part on a belief about YHVH's character. Does he blow cities?
Of course the answer is yes. He blew up Sodom and in Revelation uses the symbolism again suggesting prophetic replays of this event at various times in history.
It is clear from Abraham's plea that he fully expected the city to be blown up. There was no question that he needed to plea for people in Sodom. If Abraham thought otherwise, that there would be no destruction, there would have been no reason to plea for mercy. Abraham's entire focus is on any possible remnant in the city.
What is Abraham really asking?
Curiously Abraham himself had really only ever done 1 thing at the direction of YHVH. That thing was to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to Canaan. That event had been 25 years earlier and this was before the covenant was confirmed with the fiery vision and cut animals.
What was righteousness for Abraham? Leaving town.
When Abraham pleas for the remnant in Sodom he is asking for the people who would be like himself 25 years earlier, and who would leave if asked.
Righteousness, to Abraham, is not just doing the right thing, but doing what YHVH asks and for Abraham there is only 1 such thing he has ever done, leave town.
What Abraham is asking YHVH about is this: If there are those who will leave, will you still destroy it?
Now, think about the process.
Righteousness means that you will leave town if asked. If there are any righteous persons in a city about to be blown, modern or ancient, how would YHVH know?
He would simply ask them to leave.
By this question 2 distinct things happen. Either 1) They leave, reducing the number of righteous in the city or 2) they show they are not righteous, removing them from any possible list of remaining righteous people. This removes any burden YHVH would have to not blow the city.
What is curious about the effect is how closely it matches the structure of the narrative. When everyone is done being asked to leave, there are no righteous left in the city. YHVH is free to blow the place without fear of taking out anyone who remains who is righteous.
The stages in the narrative are also curious. Abraham does not change his number by more than 10 between any successive stage. Why? This is probably an approximation for a family unit. Ask a family, they leave because they believe and are righteous, or stay and are not righteous.
Imputed Righteousness
The common argument for Jesus imputing righteousness to Christians is flawed in an important sense.
Our righteousness, the filthy form, is when we decide to do something of our own in order to please Jesus. This is also called Cain's offering or Korah's rebellion. This is the form of action that we should have nothing to do with.
Jesus' righteousness, the form that is clean, is when he, himself, asks us to do something specific and we do it. When that happens, we are credited with righteousness.
Abraham's case with leaving town is simply an example of the general case. Jesus can ask us to do anything. If we listen, and obey, we are righteous.
The question of righteousness cannot be answered separate from a request from Jesus to his people to do some action. Counting heads in Church pews on Sunday says nothing about the numbers of righteous in a city or region.
Of course Jesus is sovereign and knows how his people will respond, which is why instead of leaving town he may call a city wide fast. Participating in such a fast is a demonstration of righteousness and could show the requisite numbers of righteous needed to keep a city from being blown. This is how it worked at Nineveh.
Closing Thoughts
Of course this whole line of argument is predicated on knowing the voice of Jesus and knowing when he has asked something of us. Many Christians cannot distinguish his voice. Many churches do not teach about his voice, so even when Jesus spoke on a subject like leaving town, many would not know Jesus had spoken. It is hard to imagine someone unable to distinguish Jesus' voice who could at the same time be counted righteous. (Though Lot's daughters provide a limited example.)
It continues to amaze me how often I run into people who have been told by Jesus to take specific steps about leaving town. This is a common thing happening in the world today. Each time someone answers by leaving, they decrease the number of righteous in various cities. At some point those numbers will reach a level like Abraham found in Sodom.
http://www.jasonhouse.org/home/articles/righteous/
Revision 1.1 on 2008-04-02 at 00:26:17 GMT