proverbs 11

Read Proverbs 11 at Bible Gateway.

Proverbs 11 contrasts the righteous and the wicked. The biblical definition of a righteous man is one who walks in God’s ways and who obeys God’s words — regardless of what doctrine they believe with their mind or profess to believe with their mind. The biblical definition of a wicked man is one who does not walk in God’s ways and who disobeys God’s words — regardless of what doctrine they believe with their mind or profess to believe with their mind.

This means that anyone who walks in God’s ways, church goer or not, is righteous; and anyone who does not walk in God’s ways, church goer or not, is wicked. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven,” Jesus said in Mat 7:21.

In Proverbs 11, the righteous:

are just in their weights and measures;
are humble and wise;
walk in integrity;
will be directed their way;
will be delivered from the trouble that comes upon them;
uses his mouth to build up his neighbor, or holds his peace;
uses his mouth to bless his city;
conceals matters out of faithfulness;
hates surety;
is merciful;
sows righteousness;
desires good and earnestly seeks good;
is generous to give, not trusting in his riches;
does not trouble his own house, but blesses it.

The wicked:

use dishonest means to profit themselves;
are prideful, perverse, and unfaithful;
will fall in their way and be caught by their lust;
will be consumed by trouble that comes upon them;
are hypocritical;
uses his mouth to destroy his neighbor;
uses his mouth to overthrow his city;
reveals secrets by talebearing;
are ruthless and cruel;
sows deception;
seeks evil and pursues evil;
withholds material goods for his trust is in his riches;
troubles his own house;
is a fool, ungodly, and a sinner.

These are some of the deeds, the fruit, which we can observe, which will tell us which is which (Mat 7:20).