“He saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit,(Titus 3:5)
The moment one hear the word Righteousness, the first thing we tend to do is to look unto ourselves and check our own position with respect to our obedience and good works we have done. Yes! Most people think that the righteousness is right living. But this is not correct. The new covenant righteousness is right standing, or right faith in Jesus Christ. Right standing is to be right in God’s sight. Not Right in your sight!
Bible speaks about two kinds of Righteousness!
1. Righteousness by Works! (Self-Righteousness- Performed Under Law)
2. Righteousness by Faith in Christ Jesus (Gods Righteousness- Imputed on you!- Received Under Grace)
Knowing and believing the reality and the category of Righteousness you belong to, will decide the success of your Christian life! We all know and can easily understand the meaning of Righteousness by woks. Because it is nothing but obeying all what God has commanded you to do- the 10 commandments! Your perfect love towards God and your perfect and your Holy life style in your community! Obliviously you will measure your own righteousness based on these facts!
But the apostle Paul introduces another kind of righteousness in the New Testament which is unknown to humankind!! The Righteousness by faith! A free gift from the gracious God!
“But now righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Rom 3:21-22).
Yes! There are two types of righteousness TO BE known to the human race: one is based on works and the other is based on faith.
Paul uses to explain these two kinds of Righteousness from the life of Abraham the father of faith. We know that Abraham was a gentile and an idol maker before God calls him, then God declared Him as Righteous because He believed in God who called Him and later God call Him as His friend! In making his argument Paul explains the scenario with the followed scripture!
“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God” (Rom 4:1-2).
The scripture says “Abraham believed God. Here Abraham was Righteous or Justified in the eyes of God because He believed in God! Means the faith of Abraham in God’s word made him righteous! It was a gift from God. Because God never told Abraham that you did a good works or you obeyed me perfectly so that I found you Righteous in my eyes! No! It was purely based on his faith or trust in God and His goodness! So Abraham has nothing to boast in the sight of God! Because the righteousness was purely based on faith and was an absolute gift from God!
Here Abraham received the Righteousness of faith, not of Righteousness of works:
“What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’” (Rom 4:3).
Paul appeals to the scriptures as proof of a righteousness of faith. He quotes Genesis 15:6 which prove conclusively that Abraham was considered right in God’s sight based on his trust in God, not his works. Here the case of Abrahams giving us a clearer distinction between the two kinds of righteousness.
“Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom 4:4-5).
You know your boss does not hand you a paycheck after your work and says, “Here is my gift to you.” No, it is not gift; it is an obligation to pay you a wage. You know you deserve the wage! Because you did all the Jobs which was given by your boss! You worked to earn it! In this example what the Holy Scripture is saying is that the new covenant Righteousness is not something you work for and in the end God hands you the paycheck of righteousness because you have been so good. No! What it says is that, God doesn’t want you to boast in your good works! God wants to give His unmerited favor upon you! A free gift apart from human performance! Gods own Righteousness! Paul shows from the scriptures that there is no one righteous, not even one (Rom 3:10). In the natural self you cannot be righteous in God’s sight. Yes, you may be righteous in man’s sight, but not in God’s sight.
People will always boasts on the righteousness based on their works. What is the point of having righteousness between each other if God does not accept this kind of righteousness and no guarantee on your eternal security for your soul? Paul shows that Christ introduced a new kind of righteousness, which was unknown to the world. None of the religions have ever understood it. It is a righteousness based solely on faith. The Righteousness imparted in your salvation!
The self-righteousness or the righteousness by works does not give us any confidence. No surety or guarantee on your eternal security! But the true righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ will give you true peace and solid confidence in eternal security after death and your victorious life before death! Because the Righteousness from God is perfect, peaceful, everlasting and eternal! “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.”(Isaiah 32:17)
Yes! This Righteousness of Jesus Christ will be imputed to you when you believe in Christ as your Savior! In the same manner the sins got imputed on Christ while He was on cross! Definitely Jesus Christ didn’t do any sin to become sinner in the eyes of God! But God imputed all our sins on the body of Christ and which lead Him for a punishment of death! The punishment which we deserve, the original sinners! In the same way we didn’t do any righteous acts to become Righteous in the eyes of God, but God imputes Christ’s perfect righteousness to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and God declared them “Righteous in His eyes”
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.(2 Cor5:21)
In the New covenant Jesus Christ becomes your righteousness.
New Covenant Righteousness is Righteousness by faith only! Not by works!
You become righteous by believing in Jesus Christ!
God imputes Righteousness to you when you believe in Christ Jesus, in the same way He imputes sin on Jesus!
God wants all of you to know this truth and establish in His Righteousness, receiving it by faith as a free gift from Him. God wants you all to reign in life by this gift of Righteousness with perfect Shalom. Know and believe that all your sins are forgiven –because all paid for by Jesus finished work at the cross. God’s blessings are sure in your life because they are not dependent on your ability to keep His laws, but Jesus’ perfect obedience. Unlike the old covenant, in the new covenant your unrighteousness and sins will never ever disqualify you to reach from Him. Because God has confirmed it by His words that “
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)
Every New Covenant Believer is Righteous in the eyes of God!
Every new covenant believers are Justified by faith in Christ alone!
Every New covenant believer is perfect and holy in the eyes of God!
Every New Covenant believers are clothed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ!
God called each of the new covenant believers as His Righteousness!
“this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS..'(Jer 23:06)
So let your heart and mind get established in the truth. Because knowing the truth will set you free and by His grace, you have full access to His blessings. You no longer have to worry about whether you are doing good or good enough. You can stand firm on the promises made in His Word and enjoy His blessings today because Jesus has paid the price. Your part is only to believe and receive!
” But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you”(Mat 6:33).
Here the emphasis is again to seek Gods Righteousness! STOP looking at you to analyze how righteous and how much righteous you can become!
The grace of God was sufficient enough to make you Righteous, Holy and Perfect!
