Steve,STEVE7150 wrote:Righteousness" is not restricted to utter perfection; rather, it is a matter of fundamental character.
What i mean Todd is that in the realm of Christianity we obtain righteousness through real faith in God in the OT and real faith in Christ in the NT otherwise known as "imputed righteousness."
We all sin and we all need to repent and gradually over the course of our lives if we follow Christ, we will become more like him but none of us are righteous on our own. If we are deemed righteous it's a gift of God and if we believe ourselves to be righteous (like some Pharisees) then we are a long way from the Kingdom of God.
So are you saying that when Jesus speaks of the righteous ones who need no repentance He is speaking of those who through faith have "imputed" righteousness but not "actual" righteousness? I think that this is what TK is alluding to as well.
Todd