Righteous is a word that has lots of meanings today. But let’s look at 4 truths about righteousness that affect my life today.
1. I am made righteous by Jesus’ works not mine
I’m a brand new creature when I accept Jesus as my Savior. I am completely united with Him through the new birth. Good works don’t make me able to approach God. Jesus made me able to approach God when He died for me. My righteousness is my right standing with God through Jesus blood.
2. Righteousness means I’m standing right with God
When I think of righteousness, I like to think of right standing with God. And since I only have that standing because of Jesus, there is nothing I can do to take from it or add to it. Whenever I feel that I don’t deserve to come to Him, due to my sin or failure, I must promptly remember that Jesus made the way.
3. We must receive our righteousness
Jesus paid it all, has forgiven all and made me righteous to approach my Father with no sense of inferiority or pride in myself. 1 John 1:9 says when we ask forgiveness He cleanses me from all unrighteousness. That means I am restored back into right standing again. God is not like people who may forgive but never forget and who hold things against you when you fail them. God not only forgives, He forgets and it’s as though it never was a wrong to Him.
4. Good works follow me but don’t make me righteous
There is also no place for pride in my own good works. All good works are just a reflection of my new nature. They don’t make me right. They follow me because my heart is right with God. My righteousness is through faith in what Jesus has already done for me. It is complete and total. I am righteous just as I am a child of God. I can’t be any more a child of my parents naturally and I can’t be any less. It’s because of the blood-line in the natural. It’s because of Jesus’ blood-line in the spiritual. I have been made the righteousness of God by Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, I am completely united with You. You have made me right with God. I can’t add to it or take from it. I believe that I am right with God and nothing can separate me from that love. Living right is my DNA and my response to what You have done for me.