What is Righteousness

Let me give you a Readers Digest answer and then I will go into a deeper teaching. Righteousness, by simple definition, is a judgment which renders justice and produces right.

This meaning is used more than 200 times in the N.T., so I think it’s important for us to know what righteousness is.

Righteousness is right standing with God. It requires perfect obedience to God’s commands.

Since no one can perfectly keep the commandments, it is impossible to be made righteous by the law:

Romans 3:10 - And the Scriptures agree, for it is written: There is no one who always does what is right, no, not even one!

3:20 - For by the merit of observing the law no one earns the status of being declared righteous before God, for it is the law that fully exposes and unmasks the reality of sin.

1 John 2:1 says that only Jesus can be called “righteous”: because he lived perfectly for us under the law. He gives us his perfect record through faith.

Righteous, righteousness, and justify all share the same Greek root word. When believers trust the words of Isaiah 61:10 - “he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness”, They are confident of their standing before God."

Romans 3:22 (NLT) - We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.

I like the way TPT translates it:

21-22 But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is really no difference between us,

23 for we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God.

24 Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!

Remember our definition of Righteousness: a judgment which renders justice and produces right.

Paul tells us in verse 23 that all two-leggeds, no matter their color or culture are sinful and unrighteous and in need of God’s glory. How does God’s glory come to us?

Part of God’s glory is righteousness which comes to us through Jesus Christ.

21-22 The righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One….It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift.

Paul teaches us that we cannot obtain righteousness or be made right by anything we can do…it’s not by our works or by being obedient to the Law. He says that our right-standing, our justification (being declared not guilty) comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. By our faith in Jesus we receive the gift of righteousness that flows through Jesus to us.

Before we can be saved, we must first be declared righteous by God.

No unrighteous person will ever be accepted by God or allowed into the kingdom of heaven. We could say that righteousness is the door that leads to salvation. And to obtain it, all we need to do is believe in Jesus; that's all, that’s it, nothing added.

This righteousness is for all people of every color, every culture. All can equally receive this righteousness gift from Creator through his Son Jesus Christ. So now, with a proper understanding of righteousness, can I ask you: “What will happen to you on Judgment Day?”

When you stand before God, will you point to your own righteous character or Christ's righteousness? Many people are afraid of judgment day and don’t want to talk about it.

Are you afraid to talk about your judgment day? It’s something we all will one day face, so it stands to reason that we would want to know what to expect. You want to be ready don’t you?

Revelation, the last book of the Bible, gives us a picture of Judgment Day. The last chapters talk about the books being opened. It says in Rev.20:12, “The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works”

These books have a record of everything you ever thought, said, or did.

How many times in your life have you not said it, but thought it? It can be frightening to now realize that that thought was written down in your book of life.

God expects perfection. Since your record is far from perfect, Rev.20:15 - “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” That’s a picture of hell. Many people are afraid of judgment day with good reason! Deep down, we recognize our lives haven’t lived up to God’s perfect demands.

WHEN YOU STAND BEFORE GOD,

WILL YOU POINT TO YOUR EXCUSES

OR TO CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS?

In Psalm 139::23-24, David proclaims, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”

The Bible points to David as a model – not of a man who trusted in his own righteousness – but one who trusted in God’s forgiveness.

Romans 4:6-8 (NLT)

[6] King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous:

[7] “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.

[8] Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord.”

This goes back to our definition of righteousness: a judgment which renders justice and produces right.

David never thought he would be blessed because of his own righteousness. He knew that he would be blessed only through the forgiveness won for him by the greatest Son of David, Jesus Christ.

So when you stand before God, what will you point to in your defense?
Will you point to your own righteous character or Christ’s righteousness?

When it comes to being worthy and acceptable to God, the only righteousness that stands is Christ’s righteousness.

Romans 3:20-22 (NLT)

[20] For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it.

[21] But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.

[22] We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.

By placing our faith and hope in Jesus Christ we are given the gift of God’s righteousness and declared not guilty and free from sin.

The book of life that is opened on your judgment day is all about Jesus’ perfect life lived through you while you were on earth. And only those who find salvation through Jesus Christ can be declared righteous and be a vessel for his use.

When you stand on Christ’s perfect record and his forgiveness then your name is in the book of life and you have nothing to fear. You can look forward to judgment day because you already know the verdict. When you trust in his perfect life, you have life.

If you want to grow and mature as a follower of Jesus, you must have an understanding and knowledge of righteousness.