Unwrapping Righteousness
As a Christian, who had “grown and matured” (ha!) in the faith, I used to moan inwardly when the preacher announced he was preaching a gospel message. (Don’t look at me like that you know you have too!) I have already believed on Jesus for salvation now let’s get into some deep stuff; like how to get along with my in-laws, how to not yell at my kids, practical stuff.
Oh how wrong I was. The gospel message is like a gift with many layers and all we do our whole lives is continue to unwrap it, discovering more and more of what we already have in Christ. Every question in life (even the practical ones) has its answer within the gospel message. So here is one: Does what I do make me righteous? As a Christian can I be not right with God? Out of fellowship with God?
First we need to define terms. What is Righteousness? What does that mean anyway? In its simplest terms, the word righteous means to be right with God, free from guilt and sin. There are only two types of people in the world: righteous and unrighteous. According to the Bible, there is no in-between.
What sets these two apart? What makes one person righteous and makes another unrighteous? Is it the church they go to? The way they dress? The type of activities they choose or choose not to participate in? It must have something to do with behavior; it seems unfair that one person who participates in religious activity “religiously” (pun intended) would merit the same reward as the person who drinks, smokes and chews and runs with guys who do too. How then is one made righteousness?
Righteousness is a GIFT.
Righteousness cannot be earned. The scriptures are clear on this.
Romans 5:17 “those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through One, Jesus Christ.” (NKJV)
Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness came by the law, then Christ died in vain”
Righteousness is imparted upon us.
II Corinthians 5:21 “For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The interesting thing to note is that Jesus never committed one act of sin, and yet he was made sin for us. And in the same way you and I although we never commit one act of righteousness, we are made righteous through Christ. This has practical value for both types of people in the world: righteous and unrighteous. For the unrighteous to drop their self-effort and self-righteousness and simply trust that Jesus is enough. He alone made the perfect sacrifice for sins, it is finished, and the only thing for us to do is believe.
For those who have already placed their faith in Christ for salvation, it is crucial to remember that what is true of Christ Jesus is now true of you.
I John 4:17 “because as He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.”
I Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
As a believer in Christ you are righteous, you are sanctified, (set apart) this is true about you, right now! Not a someday, somehow process you are working towards, but a fact. And the believer too must drop their self-effort, self-sanctification attempts and simply rest in the finished work of Christ.
Colossians 2:6 “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (NKJV)
So then does what I do matter? Sure! There are consequences for actions, but does it make you right with God before or after salvation? No! Not even close. We are made righteous by faith in Christ, once for all. To be in Christ, is to be righteous or right with God. A Christian cannot be “not right with God or out of fellowship”. To say that a Christian is kept in fellowship with God by their actions is to imply they were put into fellowship by their actions. I don’t know of one true born again believer who would subscribe to that line of thinking, and yet many believe their fellowship with God is dependent upon their own righteousness.
This is where the gospel message is applicable to your daily life. We are MADE righteous, by God, through Christ. I mess up, I sin, but my God sees me as righteous in spite of what I do, not because of what I do. I am permanently in the favor of God because I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It’s not all up to me. I can rest in HIS righteousness, instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to establish my own. This is what we need to remind ourselves of daily. This is the good news of the Gospel.