RIGHTEOUSNESS

"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." (II Corinthians 5:21)

Righteousness is the state of moral perfection required by God. The Bible states that human beings cannot achieve righteousness through their own efforts (Romans 3:20).

Righteousness (also called rectitude) is a theological concept. The Greek New Testament word for “righteousness” primarily describes conduct in relation to others, especially with regards to the right of others in business, in legal matters, and beginning with relationship to God. It is contrasted with wickedness, the conduct of the one who, out of gross self-centeredness, neither reveres God nor respects man. The Bible describes the righteous person as just or right, holding to God and trusting in Him (Psalm 33:18-22).

People receive righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ took humanity's sin upon himself and became the willing, perfect sacrifice, suffering the punishment mankind deserved. God accepted Jesus' sacrifice, through which human beings can become justified. In turn, believers receive righteousness from Christ. This doctrine is called imputation. Christ's perfect righteousness is applied to imperfect humans.

The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of Jesus.

The righteousness of God, one of the most prominent attributes of God in the Scriptures, is also one of the most elusive. Initially, distinguishing the righteousness of God from His holiness or His goodness seems difficult. In addition, the righteousness of God is virtually synonymous with His justice.

While the most common Old Testament word for just means ‘straight,’ and the New Testament word means ‘equal,’ in a moral sense they both mean ‘right.’ When we say that God is just, we are saying that He always does what is right, what should be done, and that He does it consistently, without partiality or prejudice. The word just and the word righteous are identical in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Sometimes the translators render the original word ‘just’ and other times ‘righteous’ with no apparent reason (cf. Nehemiah 9:8 and 9:33 where the same word is used). But whichever word they use, it means essentially the same thing. It has to do with God’s actions. They are always right and fair.

The word impart means “to give, convey, or grant.” It is very similar to the Greek word for “reckon” or “credit,” as in Romans 4:3, which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Galatians 3:6; Romans 4:22). To impart is to credit the account of another without the other having earned it. In Romans 4:3, God imparted righteousness to Abraham’s account simply because Abraham trusted Him.

The only way any of us can be declared righteous before God is through impartation. Our own righteous acts are “as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). We have no way of becoming righteous enough to earn heaven or fellowship with a holy God. We are sinners, lawbreakers, selfish, and unholy. Our best efforts to clean up our acts or turn over a new leaf fall pitifully short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23). So Jesus came to earth and did for us what we cannot do for ourselves: He lived a perfect life (Hebrews 4:15), obeyed God in everything (John 8:29), and completely fulfilled every letter of the law (Matthew 5:17). Then He offered to trade places with us.

Second Corinthians 5:21 describes this act of impartation: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” God took our sin record and nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Then He took the righteousness that Jesus earned and imparted it to all who believe in Him (John 3:15-18). It is a divine exchange: our sin for His righteousness. When we come to Him in repentance and faith, Jesus takes our rap sheet, filled with every evil act or thought we have ever done, and places it upon Himself. Then He takes His own spotless record and writes our names at the top (Revelations 20:15).

When we stand before God, we don’t come to Him based on our efforts to expunge our own record. It won’t work. We can’t erase what we’ve done. Our goodwill never outweigh our bad. But to be in Christ means that Christ’s perfect righteousness has our name attached to it. His righteousness is “imparted” to us when He adopts us as His children through faith in Christ (John 1:12). Just as righteousness was imparted to Abraham when he trusted God, righteousness is imparted to us when we trust Jesus as Savior and Lord (John 14:6). Faith is the key. Because of this holy impartation, we can stand before God with our record expunged and hear Him say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

The Old Testament tells us that because of the sin of Adam, we, his descendants, have inherited his sinful nature. God set up a system in Old Testament times in which people sacrificed animals to atone for their sins. The shedding of blood was required.

When Jesus entered the world, things changed. His crucifixion and resurrection satisfied God's justice. Christ's shed blood covers our sins. No more sacrifices or works are required. The Apostle explains how we receive righteousness through Christ in the book of Romans.

Salvation through this crediting of righteousness is a free gift, which is the doctrine of grace. Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus is the essence of Christianity. No other religion offers grace. They all require some type of works on behalf of the participant.