Ecc. 7:16-20 - Embracing sin
Given the importance of being righteous, it might seem surprising to see the following biblical advice:
 16 Do not be overrighteous,
      neither be overwise—
      why destroy yourself? 17 Do not be overwicked,
      and do not be a fool—
      why die before your time? 18 It is good to grasp the one
      and not let go of the other.
      The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .
In other words:
Don’t be a know-it-all.
Don’t go out of your way to do wrong things.
Strive to be righteous, without forgetting you are a sinner.Â
Reading on…
 19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful
      than ten rulers in a city. 20 There is not a righteous man on earth
      who does what is right and never sins.
We see this truth throughout the Gospels. Though Jesus calls us to be righteous, he knows that we will sin. That is why He died on the cross. So consider this. What kind of person does it result in following God before they die? The sinless? Far be it! No way! Who follows Him are the repentant, the ones whose sins He died for… the ones who sin but strive for righteousness.
Jesus set up a system that assumes we sin and will continue to do so, even while calling us to righteousness! Yet , we are still sinners. He death on the cross acknowledges that the faithful are not made of sinless beings, but sinful ones.
Apparently, righteousness does not entail a lack of sin. How can that be? Well, remember the 3 steps to righteousness: believe God, obey God, be zealous for God’s name by striving for purity in your relationship with Him. Step 1: BELIEVE: God tells us we’re sinners. Step 2: OBEY: God tells us to repent and be baptized, witness, give to the poor. Step 3: PURITY: Do things to show your love for God. Praise Him. Serve Him at church. Represent Him well in the presence of others. None of these actions require you to be sinless, but that you do them prayerfully and to the best of your ability… and if you do, then you are righteous… and righteous sinner, which is why Jesus died for you. Because no matter how righteous you are, you will still sin… but don’t forget that or you will be guilty of being overrighteous.
As Paul tells us, only one can win the race, but run so as to win. When the race is over, you will find that Jesus finished first… but that he’ll share his victory over sin with us… with the righteous-who-aren’t-sinless. This covers the fact that we’re losers… covers our sin, wipes our slate clean. So embrace your sin in righteousness… for every time you sin (by accident… never sin on purpose, for that is overwickedness) should serve as a reminder of God’s love for you, that He died for you. Then get back up and run in righteousness, and run so as to win.