The word righteous or righteousness dominates the Bible, and yet so many Christians misunderstand what righteousness is all about. I read someone say that righteousness is about a life that is acceptable before God. I understand what they were trying to say, but I believe there’s much more to this wonderful word “righteousness” than just being acceptable before God. When I was young, my dad taught me how to grill out, and for me grilling out has a lot to do with seasonings and sauces. I make a killer barbecue sauce, and whenever I build the flavor in my barbecue sauce (it’s got endless ingredients in it), I get others around me to taste it to see if it tastes right. After tasting it, if someone tells me that it is “acceptable,” I feel discouraged because acceptable is not good enough. What I want to hear is them telling me it’s “just right.” That’s what the word righteousness means. It means “just right” in God from God’s perspective. Often teachers will talk about having a “right standing” with God, but New Testament righteousness is much bigger than that. Let’s take a look at what the Scriptures say; “He (The Father) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
That verse doesn’t say that I have a right standing before God. It actually says that I have God’s standing with God. The nature of Christ is my new nature, and I have His standing with God. It’s important to remember though that righteousness is not just about right standing; it is also about right living, and the nature of Christ that I have been joined to is not some dormant goodness that indwells me. It is an active and living godliness that co–mingles with my humanity and personality. Galatians 2:20 says that Jesus lives in me (the grammar here reveals that Jesus is continually in each present moment actively living in me.) The beginning of that verse actually says, “I (the old independent fallen false self) have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live – but Christ lives in me.” Christ living in me is righteousness, and it’s more than right standing; it’s His right living. The life that Jesus Christ lives in us is “just right.” So in Christ I have God’s right standing with God, and through Christ, I have God’s right living in me. Understand, when I use the phrase “just right” or “right living,” I don’t mean that in just the “we don’t do bad things kind of way”; but I mean it in the (living the abundant life (reigning in life) kind of way) that Jesus Christ lives. Ultimately righteousness is a person and that person is Jesus, and because I am in Him I have His standing before God, and His living in me before humanity. Righteousness is not something we work toward but is the gift of someone we live from. “For if by the transgressions of the one, (Adam) death reigned through the one, MUCH MORE those who receive (not achieve) the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17.