In the article “The Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith in Romans,” Stephen Westerholm analyzes why righteousness is required for christianity and what it means to be biblically righteous. The article is a part of A Journal of Bible and Theology; Richmond. The author has written many other works about theology.

The author states that Christians must literally follow God’s laws to be declared righteous. According to scriptures, followers of the church ought to become righteous. Therefore, if someone wants to stay in the church they must realize their own sin, and then repent and stop.

In The Scarlet Letter, the church judges Hester for her sins. They do not look at themselves to try and stop but only encourage her to stop herself.

Although it would be ideal to stop sinning, no human can. The author of the article challenges individuals to only let the law of God evaluate them and then accept it as a form of love. Therefore the church cannot be held responsible for the congregations actions and should only be held accountable for providing them with a place to encounter God.

In The Scarlet Letter, the congregation is heavily based on the responsibility of upholding rules. After Hester sins, the church makes it their responsibility to punish her.

Although many churches make it their responsibility to uphold righteousness, the author connects it to a personal relationship with God.

By punishing Hester, the puritans removed Hester further away from God and made her feel like she could not have a relationship with Him.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York, New York: Bantam Dell A Division of Random House, Inc., 1965. Print.

Westerholm, Stephen. “The Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of Faith in Romans.” Interpretation vol. 58, no. 3, 2004, pp. 253-264 ProQuest Database. 2004. Web. 12 October 2018. .