This article is a summary from the following episode: How Could Lot Be Righteous?
If you had to pick someone in the Bible to be called "righteous," would it be Lot? We wouldn’t have picked him either.
When we think about righteousness, we instinctively think about moral performance. Who did the right things? Who avoided the wrong things? In that kind of system, Lot wouldn’t stand a chance. His story is filled with compromise, failure, and some truly disturbing moments.
And yet Peter, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls Lot a righteous man (2 Peter 2:7–8). Not once, but multiple times.
So what’s going on? How could Lot be called righteous?
We need to rethink what righteousness before God really means.
Not Righteous by Performance
When we hear words like “righteous” and “godly,” we usually think behavior. We think in terms of obedience. But the Bible consistently teaches that righteousness before God is not based on how well we perform. It’s based on faith.
Hebrews 11, that great “Hall of Faith” chapter, makes this crystal clear. Over and over, the writer points out that the saints of old—men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and even Rahab—were commended not because they lived flawless lives, but because they trusted the promises of God.
Without faith, Hebrews says, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Impossible. No amount of moral effort can bridge the gap. Only faith in the Redeemer can.
Lot was righteous, not because of what he did (or didn’t do), but because he trusted in the God who justifies the ungodly.
Lot’s Story Isn’t Pretty
Lot’s life, frankly, is a mess. He chose to live near Sodom, knowing full well what kind of place it was. He had to be dragged out of the city when judgment came. He offered his daughters to an angry mob. Later, after escaping destruction, he got drunk and was involved in scandalous behavior with his own daughters.
And yet Peter says his “righteous soul” was tormented by the wickedness he saw around him (2 Peter 2:8). Lot grieved over sin. He hated the corruption of the world. And, most importantly, he clung to the promises of God, however weakly.
That’s faith. And faith is what God counts as righteousness.
Righteousness Is by Faith, Not Achievement
This isn’t just true for Lot. It’s true for Noah. It’s true for Abraham. It’s true for David. It's true for you and me.
Romans 4:5 says, "To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness."
This is why Hebrews 11 isn’t just a celebration of heroes who conquered kingdoms—it’s also a celebration of sufferers, outcasts, and those who wandered in deserts and caves, clinging to promises they hadn’t yet received (Hebrews 11:32–40).
Their hope wasn’t in themselves. Their righteousness wasn’t in their resume. It was in the Messiah to come.
And ours is too.
Why This Matters Today
In a culture that’s increasingly hostile to the truth, it’s easy for us to fall into self-righteousness. We see the debauchery around us, and like Lot, we’re rightly grieved. But if we’re not careful, we’ll start thinking that our standing before God is based on how well we resist the darkness.
It’s not.
Our standing with God is—and always has been—based on Christ. On His righteousness. On His obedience. On His life, death, and resurrection, counted to us by faith.
We don’t rescue ourselves. We don’t clean ourselves up. God rescues the godly—those who trust in His Son.
That’s the good news Peter wants his readers to cling to. And it’s the good news we need today.
Keep Trusting the Promises
The call for us, just like it was for Lot, is to keep trusting. To hold fast to Christ in a world gone mad. To pursue virtue, yes—but not because we’re trying to earn anything. We pursue holiness because we already have everything in Jesus.
We live by faith. We die in faith. And we will be raised by the same.
God rescues the godly. Always has. Always will.
Not because of what we do, but because of who we trust.
