Righteousness is one of those words that frightens people. It is so big. Yet it is not as difficult as it sounds. 

   We know what it means to do right.  Even a child understands that.  And so, a person that does right is called righteous and the right which they do is called righteousness. Not too difficult, is it?

   As you would expect, the Bible speaks a lot about righteousness. One of its basic truths is that there is none righteous.1 This means that nothing that we have done, or can do, will make us righteous in the sight of God. We have no righteousness. Going to church, giving to charity, living an upright life, will not make us righteous before God. Devastating, isn’t it?

   Yet righteousness is something we desperately need, for only the righteous are accepted by God.  We cannot provide it. But God can.

  It is the righteousness of God in Christ.2   Christ magnified God’s law and made it honourable.3   This means His whole life was lived in accordance with God’s holy standard. Therefore, God was well pleased for His righteousness’ sake.3   But more than this. In His death He paid the penalty God required in respect of the sins – the unrighteousness – of every sinner that trusts Him. Look at what the Bible says –

It is CREATED.4

 God designed and brought it into existence. Like everything that God makes, it is perfect. We cannot improve it.

 It is CONTINUOUS

 When Christ came, He brought in everlasting righteousness.5 It will never be abolished.6 The time will never come when it has ceased to be effective.

It is a COVERING.

 The perfect righteousness of Christ is called a robe 7 and God is the One that places it upon the believing sinner. In that garment we stand covered by the work of Another.

There is no COST to us. 

 It is called the gift of righteousness.8 The God of the Bible is a giving God. He does this because it is in His heart and He knows we cannot provide it ourselves. Therefore, He bears the whole cost.

It is CLOSE.

 God says that He brings it near and it shall not be far off.9 We do not have to ascend to heaven to bring Christ down. Nor into the deep to bring up Christ again from the dead.10 It is all done and for us to accept by faith.

There is a COURSE we must follow. 

 It is with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.11 It can only be received by faith. Yet there is no merit in faith. It is simply the means by which we receive the gift of righteousness.

There is also a CONDITION.  

 Deep in every heart lies the belief that God will accept human efforts. The Bible speaks of those who go about to establish their own righteousness and have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.12 It speaks of the stout-hearted that are far from righteousness.13 Any opposition we may have must cease. Until we bow to what God says we can never receive the righteousness which is by faith. Remember all our thoughts about the matter mean nothing.

Finally, there can be CONFESSION

 God wants you to be able to say, ‘Surely in the Lord have I righteousness.”14 He wants our confession that the ground on which we are accepted by Him is found in the work of Christ.

 This is the righteousness that God offers. It is unto all but only upon all them that believe.15 You can make it your own by faith. Do it today. Tomorrow may be too late. 

1. Romans 3:10           2. 2 Corinthians 5:21          3. Isaiah 42:21

4.Isaiah 45:8                5. Isaiah 51:8                       6. Isaiah 51:6

7.Isaiah 61:10              8. Romans 5:17                    9. Isaiah 46:13

10. Romans 10:6-7    11. Romans 10:10               12. Romans 10:3

13. Isaiah 46:12        14. Isaiah 45:24                    15. Romans 3:22

Originally a leaflet for distribution

With permission from family of Bruce W Allen

Hastings, New Zealand.