Righteousness of God

I believe it necessary to try and do an easy to be understood note, of what righteousness is and specifically what the righteousness of God is and how it benefits us. This topic is of utmost importance because as we will find out, we need this "righteousness of God" in order to get to heaven, and also, this topic is where all religions and cults depart from true Christianity.

First of all, my righteousness is my right doing. When I come to a place where I am confronted with a choice, either to do good or evil, and I chose the good, that is my righteousness. When I see someone in need and I help them, that is my righteousness. When I read my bible, pray, meet with the church, witness or any other good thing, that is my righteousness. When I get baptized in water, that is my righteousness. All my religion or anything good that I do in this physical body, that is deemed good in the eyes of man or God, is my righteousness. I need to say that, so we can distinguish between the righteousness of God from our own. Now, if you said that the righteousness of God is God's right doing, you would be correct. Specifically though, what is this right doing that God has done? The next two verses are the answer...

Romans 1:16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The context is obviously the gospel of Christ and Paul says that "therein is the righteousness of God revealed". So God's righteousness is the right doing that Jesus Christ did while He was here on earth. Jesus obviously being God. This is the very foundation of what is getting us to heaven and what is making us right or justified in the eyes of God. So now we know what our righteousness is, and what God's righteousness is. Check out the following verses...

Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Here in Philippians 3, the apostle Paul has just finished stating how far superior his religion is to the next person's. If anybody can brag about what they have done in their life, he can more. He goes on to say in the above verses, that he counts all of his righteousness that he got from obeying the law, as dung, so that he might win Christ and be found in Him not having his own righteousness which he got from obeying the law, but instead be found with the righteousness that He got from God when he exercised faith in Jesus Christ. This is profound and contrary to all laws of nature! Paul just said that all his righteousness, as far as getting right with God is concerned, is just manure. It's worse then useless. You say, how can doing good be deemed bad? The answer is when it is done to benefit only yourself in terms of earning merit and favor in the sight of God. God has supplied the guilty sinner with another way to be made right in His sight (justified) so that the sinner can be saved apart from his or her own righteousness. Read the previous sentence again if you don't understand. This is absolutely CRUCIAL! This is where true Christianity separates from all religions.

Look at this phrase taken from verse nine... "the righteousness which is of God by faith"

This righteousness that we need, is God's righteousness. Our righteousness is filth and called "dung" here in the bible. So we need some good righteousness which is God's. We already found out that God's righteousness is revealed through the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is Christ's life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. This is the righteousness that we need. God says that if we believe that Jesus did enough to get us into heaven, He will count our faith as if it were His righteousness. That is amazing! That is awesome! Now, in God's sight, we are sinless with all of Christ's righteousness placed to our account in heaven. You need more proof?

Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Check out this...

2Cor 5:21 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.

For God has made Jesus to be sin for us on the cross, (Jesus was sinless), that we sinners might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus (As a free Gift!).

Here is what God did. He delivered up His only begotten Son to die in the place of sinners on the cross. When He was on the cross, God treated Jesus as if He were all the sinners in the world. It pleased the Father to bruise His Son because of our sin that Jesus bore. Jesus went down into hell where sinners go, and three days later He came up without our sin, having paid the ransom with His blood, that God required for our sin. Now, when we by faith, accept the payment that Christ made on our behalf, God takes His righteousness and imputes it to us.

The thing is, underneath this righteousness that God has placed to our account, we aren't perfect yet. Sometimes we still sin. The devil is up their accusing us before God, but God doesn't see it. All God sees is the righteousness of His Son that He placed to our account! No sin will ever be placed to our account again! You say you will get saved then and just keep on sinning? Not after what He did. After you get saved and Christ comes into you, the last thing you want to do is sin again. Love and thanksgiving floods your soul and the last thing you want to do is hurt the One that did so much for you.