What is the meaning of Righteousness?
The meaning of Righteousness is essential for us to understand in our journey toward Heaven. So how do we become righteous?
Before we answer this question from a Biblical point of view, let’s look at how Dictionary.com defines righteousness.
A righteous person is characterized by a good or moral way of life. Their lives illustrate decent living, evidenced by a moral or virtuous life.
Some words related to righteousness are fairness, goodness, respectability, holiness, purity, saintliness, and spirituality.
The Righteousness of God is more
God’s righteousness includes all the qualities listed above, but more. In God, there is no darkness or unrighteousness. In all things, He is fair, good, loving, holy, right, and just.
On the other hand, we are not! Our actions are always tinted with sin. Since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden we have been under the curse of sin.
There are two types of righteousness, that of man trying to live by God’s law and that which comes through our faith in Jesus.
Paul says in Romans 10:4-5 NKJV, 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
Moses speaks of righteousness that comes through obeying the laws of God. This should be our goal, but we need to realize that we can not reach God’s perfect righteousness.
So God sent Jesus!
Our only path to righteousness is through our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. He took our sins on Himself on the cross so we could become righteous. God made a way for us to become righteous in Jesus.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV, 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
When we accept Jesus into our hearts and commit ourselves to follow Him, God seals us with His Holy Spirit. Then, when He looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Jesus in place of ours.
There are three important things to remember about the Righteousness of God.
First, it’s not earned. God gives it.
God expects you to follow His commands as best you can in your daily life. There is nothing you can do to earn Heaven or to buy righteousness. God’s righteousness is so far above ours that it is unreachable without Jesus.
Isaiah says, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.
Paul says in Romans 3:21-22 NKJV, 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe
Jesus purchased your righteousness on the cross with His blood. God gives you His righteousness when you accept Jesus.
Second, you can not buy it. Jesus purchased it on the cross for you.
Just like you can not earn your righteousness you also can not buy it. Righteousness is not for sale anywhere. It only comes to those who believe in Jesus as their Savior.
Romans 10:10 KJV says, 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
You see Jesus is the only way to receive God’s righteousness. Paul says in (Romans 5:9 NKJV) 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. It is only through Him that we can become righteous and only the righteous will be saved.
Finally, God’s Righteousness is Eternal.
We must be righteous to enter into Heaven. Jesus’ righteousness is what God will see when we stand before Him. Jesus says in John 10:28 NKJV, 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Not only does He give us His righteousness, but He makes it clear that no one has the power to take us out of His Hands. Jesus will be with us for all of eternity.
If we choose to follow Him, we will be saved. However, if we only give Him lip service and do not follow Him we will be lost. God gives us free will and we can choose to follow Him or not.
No one can take us out of God’s Hands. However, He will not force us to accept His salvation although He desires that we all be saved.
Because of God’s Righteousness, we become a special people.
God’s grace through Jesus Christ makes us a special people.
Peter says it like this, 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV
He points out that we were once not a people, but now we are a chosen generation.
How cool is that?
Is this fact something worth rejoicing in? We are a holy nation, a royal priesthood.
Fruit of Righteousness
How will this blessing from God affect us? His righteousness imparted to us will bring peace into our hectic lives. There will be storms, but we will have an inward peace that will give us quietness and confidence forever.
17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. Isa. 32:17 NIV
Meaning of righteousness
What we call righteousness in our lives is a small reflection of God’s righteousness. As in all things God is way above what we can ever attain on our own.
Therefore, only the righteous will be allowed in Heaven. God provides a way through Jesus for those who choose to accept Him. He gave His Son to stand in our place. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and placed His mark within us in the form of the Holy Spirit.
When God looks at us He will see the righteousness of Jesus instead of our unrighteousness. We will stand before Him and be seen by Him as righteous due to Jesus in our lives.
My prayer is that people will always see Jesus in me and want what I have through Jesus.