I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD!
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I believe the greatest revelation that can happen to a born again believer is when he
fully understands his place in God's covenant. This particular study is on a word that is
used in the Bible to describe that place in we stand in God's covenant. The word is
"righteousness." The word is hardly used in our society (and sadly enough even in our
churches!) and that makes it hard to comprehend. But the Bible will open the power of
that word to us and the knowledge that comes from this will usher you into new levels of
joy and peace and confidence in your Christian walk.
The study of righteousness must begin by defining the word. The word simply means a
person's right-standing position with God.
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A GIFT FROM GOD
This next truth is absolutely necessary for you if you are to build a correct
understanding of righteousness. Read Romans 5:17. Do you see in this verse that this
thing called righteousness is a gift from God? A gift is not something that is purchased
nor is it something that is earned. It is much like what you might do with your own child
on her birthday. The gifts you give to her flow from your heart because of the love you
have for her. You do not give her gifts because she earned them nor does the thought
of merit enter your mind. Each gift is given simply because you love her. It is what a
father or mother does based entirely upon WHO she is - she is your daughter.
There is an important element to the last statement of the preceding paragraph. The
key there to take note of is that she is your daughter. Your love flows out of you towards
her because of who she is. So it is with your heavenly Father and you. His gift(s) to you,
whether we are talking about righteousness or any of the other wonderful things God
gives you, are given solely because of who you are. You are His child.
GOD'S GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL NOT BE RESCINDED
Let's extend this idea of righteousness being a gift beyond just the instant of receiving a
gift. That lovely doll you gave your daughter exchanged ownership the instant she
received it, correct? You bought and paid for it, but you transferred title to that doll when
that beautiful little blue-eyed girl opened her present and excitedly took it out and
hugged it. After that point, it was hers. No matter how frustrated you might get with her a
few weeks later or how disappointed in her you might become you do not entertain the
notion of taking back the gift you gave to her. No father or mother would do that
because it just isn't right. The doll is hers. The same is true of the gift of righteousness
your Father gave you. Under no circumstances will He take from you what you received
from Him. To understand this truth will go far in developing you into a mature Christian.
Look closely at this powerful promise from God in Romans 11:29: "For the gifts and
callings of God are irrevocable" Can you see the truth that when God gives something
to you, it is yours forever, regardless of any other factor? What this means to you is that
what God has given to you, namely the gift of righteousness, cannot be taken away from
you, not even by God Himself. You may decide to forfeit your righteousness by an act of
your free will and in that case you would fall from grace and lose your covenant position
and be lost eternally. That would take an absolute, verbal denial of the blood of Jesus
and a willful, conscious rejection of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Hebrews 6:4-8
speaks of such a man. I am confident of better things for you!
THE KEY: TAKE GOD AT HIS WORD
Read Romans 4:19-25. Your key to receiving the gift of righteousness is found in this
passage. God uses Abraham as the illustration of how righteousness comes. Even
though Abraham heard from God something that sounded preposterous and even
impossible in the natural, he made the choice to take God at His word and to believe
Him. That single act of faith on his part is what impressed God enough to declare him to
be righteous. So from this truth we determine that faith is the key to righteousness. It
was true for Abraham and it is true for you.
When you heard the Gospel - the Good News of salvation - and received it as truth from
God and accepted God's offer of His Son Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, that act of
faith on your part ushered you into a new and powerful state of being. In that instant He
washed you clean from all sin and gave you a gift - righteousness.
THE RESULT IS REIGNING IN LIFE!
Romans 5:17 holds another glorious gem for you. Read the verse again. Do you see
what happens to you once you become righteous? You start reigning in life! That's right,
you live out a life of victory over every sin, every enemy, and every hindrance that
arises to stand in your way! Hallelujah!
One of the most wonderful aspects of your righteousness is that sin-consciousness no
longer has sway over you. You take on a righteousness- consciousness rather the
sin-consciousness that can hold you back and force you to retreat even from the
presence of God. Romans 8:1 declares to you that there is now no condemnation in
you. Once you enter into God's covenant you exist in a state of forgiveness because of
who you are - you are the child of God. Never again say, "I'm just a sinner saved by
grace!" Say from now on, "I am a child of God and I stand in righteousness before my
God!" You see, you are now a new creation; something that has never existed before.
No longer look to your past and declare what was; look up and recognize that God has
transformed you and made you the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
I encourage you to take the time to really digest this teaching. It is the foundation upon
which Christian life will be built. Study the passages of Scripture over and over until the
light bulb comes on. And, declare the following confession several times a day as you
are developing this truth in you....
Romans 3:21-26
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. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, [25] whom God set forth as a
propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because
in His forbearance God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed,
26 to demonstrate at the present time
His righteousness, that He might be just
and the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus.
Romans 4:1-8
1 What then shall we say that Abraham
our father has found according to the
flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works,
he has something to boast about, but not
before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness.
4 Now to him who works, the wages are
not counted as grace but as debt.
5 But to him who does not work but
believes on Him who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is accounted for righteousness.,
6 just as David also describes the
blessedness of the man to whom God
imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 Blessed are those whose lawless
deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord
shall not impute sin.
Romans 4:11
And he received the sign of circumcision,
a seal of the righteousness of the faith
which he had while still uncircumcised,
that he might be the father of all those
who believe, though they are
uncircumcised, that righteousness might
be imputed to them also.
Romans 4:19-25
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not
consider his own body already dead
(since he was about a hundred years old),
and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
20 He did not waver at the promise of
God through unbelief, but was
strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully convinced that what He
has promised He was also able to
perform.
22 And therefore ‘it was accounted to
him for righteousness.’
23 Now it was not written for his sake
alone that it was imputed to him,
24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to
us who believe in Him who raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 who was delivered up because of our
offenses, and was raised because of our
justification.
Romans 5:1-2
1 Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by
faith into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:17
For if by one man’s offense death reigned
through the one, much more those who
receive abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness will reign in life
through the One, Jesus Christ
Romans 8:1-4
1 There is therefore no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not
walk according to the flesh, but according
to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has made me free from the law of
sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that it
was weak through the flesh, God did by
sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, on account of sin: He
condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who do not
walk according to the flesh but according
to the Spirit.
Romans 10:8-10
8 But what does it say? The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart (that
is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the
Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
II Corinthians 5:17-21
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has
reconciled us to Himself through Jesus
Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them, and
has committed to us the word of
reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God were pleading
through us: we implore you on Christ’s
behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
Colossians 3:10
And have put on the new man who is
renewed in knowledge according to the
image of Him who created him.
MY CONFESSION
I have believed God with my heart therefore I
have come into righteousness.
I am a new creation and I rejoice that old, carnal
things have passed away and that all things in my
life have become new.
I give praise to God that He does not impute my sins
to me and there is no condemnation to me because I
am in Christ Jesus.
I stand in the grace of God and rejoice in His mercy
that is extended to me and for His love and forgiveness.
I am justified in the sight of God and I stand holy in His sight, called by name,
cleansed by the blood of Jesus, indwelt with His Spirit, and empowered by His
word.
I stand in covenant with God and I am the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus. I declare that I reign in life!
Amen.
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