Righteousness

What do you think of the word "righteousness?" These days, the word seems to have a bad rap. Many equate it with hypocrisy. One reason for this impression is that righteousness is actually a pretty high standard, one that none of us live up to in God's eyes and so naturally only hypocrites claim to be absolutely righteous. As Isaiah said of his contemporaries, so we can all say about ourselves, "All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)." However, let's not throw out righteousness altogether just because we fall short; let's look in the Bible to see what true righteousness looks like.

Paul in Romans 1:16-17 speaks of the righteousness of God, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" Here we learn that the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God. With this phrase, "righteousness of God," Paul harkens back to the Old Testament. Psalm 98:2 says "The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations." Here also we see that God's righteousness is closely tied to God's salvation. In Romans, Paul explains how all have fallen short of God's glory (our righteousness is not perfect like God's; we are sinners). However, referring to Jesus Christ, he also tells us, "?by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. (5:19)." Now we are getting an idea of what this righteousness of God is. Jesus Christ is that righteousness of God that was for so long expected by the Old Testament people of God. We are not righteous by our own actions (even believers!), but Jesus' righteousness can be counted to us as our own through faith (Romans 4)! So, Jesus is what true righteousness looks like and He can be yours.

To illustrate, say you are wearing old dirty clothes. That is like our righteousness ? filthy. But then, someone gives you a nice brand-new spotless suit that you didn't pay for. That is like Christ's righteousness (see Zechariah 3). But illustrations cannot do it justice. Even the apostle Paul who seemed to have kept the law scrupulously before his conversion had to admit in Philippians 3:8-9 (pay attention to what he says about righteousness) "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." While it is absolutely true that our sins need to be cleansed by Christ's blood, we also need that perfect righteousness which comes from Christ alone. Trust in Christ and you will have such righteousness. And you who do trust in Christ can rejoice because God sees you as perfectly righteous only because you are in the spotless Savior! Let's conclude with Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."