The word “righteous” is widely misunderstood, and the world often refers to it in terms of being self-righteous. It is defined as excellent, virtuous, and ethical; and if we attempted to be this way through our own efforts, we would fail miserably. Jesus Christ makes us righteous, not because of anything we could ever accomplish, but because of what he did on the cross. This is a gift we receive from him by faith, regardless of what we do.

Understanding who we are in Christ brings us to an understanding that righteousness isn’t about what we deserve; it’s offered to us by his grace. Basing our identity in God gives us a solid foundation that can never be shaken, moved, or destroyed. God is a God of abundance, and because of who he is, those who receive righteousness also receive wisdom, sanctification, redemption, and other spiritual gifts. These come directly from him, and we can’t take credit for any of them.

Our righteousness is based on our unwavering belief and trust in Jesus, to the point where we do not rely on our intellectual understanding. There will be times where faith will depart from earthly knowledge. We must remember that earthly “knowledge” shifts and changes constantly, but godly wisdom guides us to build the foundation of our faith on Christ, our unchanging rock.

Although forgiveness, perfection, and holiness are available to us, as free moral agents, we can choose for ourselves whether to accept or reject these gifts. This is an important decision. Choosing wisely makes us the righteousness of God, something we could never claim for ourselves.

Prayer:

Father God, you gave us your own righteousness, which is based on what your Son did instead of what we do. This frees us from the burdensome requirements of our own self efforts to perform until we are “good enough.” Our faith in Jesus perfects us and, in your eyes, we’re now as holy and blameless as your Son. You took away all the bad we deserve, and instead gave us the good that we don’t deserve.  In Jesus’ name, thank you.

Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 3:11

Isaiah 28:16

1 Corinthians 1:30, 31

James 1:17

Romans 1:17

Galatians 3:11

Hebrews 10:38

Matthew 7:24-27