The Foundation for a Righteous Life

Aug. 7, 2017 | By Creflo Dollar

To some people the word “righteous” may seem intimidating, but it is simply the quality of being justified and in right-standing with God. As believers, we already know that our righteousness comes not from our own abilities or actions, but from what Jesus did for us. Once we’re born again and He becomes the foundation for our lives, we go from being sinners to saints. We’re righteous because we’re in Christ, and we can now build our lives on the foundation that has already been laid.

The enemy can only attack our minds, and one of his strategies is to confuse us about who we are in Jesus. Christ gives us the same identity that He has. “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, ‘If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30, 31, NLT). Jesus gives us access to gifts the world doesn’t have. When we’re in Him, we are the righteousness of God.

If we try to build our lives on any foundation other than Christ, those efforts are bound to fail. It’s like trying to walk on sand that keeps shifting under our feet; we simply can’t get any traction or stability. Because of Him, we have the wisdom to build our lives on solid rock. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Now although Jesus has made sanctification and holiness available, but He also left the final decision whether or not to claim it totally up to us. We can decide for ourselves if we want to be blessed, healed, redeemed, and wise. The manifestations hinge on whether we try to earn our own self-righteousness or depend on God’s righteousness.

The devil would have us think that our righteousness is based on our daily behavior, but it’s not.

The gift of righteousness can’t be revoked. Our true identity is not based on what we do, but on what Jesus has already done. The Holy Spirit permanently seals our salvation. “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13, 14, NKJV).

For the righteous, sin is no longer an issue. Satan tries to fool us into thinking our identity is based on what we do, but when we know with absolute certainty whose we are, then what we do will reflect that identity. We’re under grace and, even when we sin and miss the mark, we’re not sinners. “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14, NLT).

We can compare building our lives on Christ to building a house on bedrock instead of soft mud. Anything less just won’t hold up when trouble hits (Matthew 7:24-27). As God’s people trusting in Jesus, our righteous standing can’t be shaken or toppled.