What is righteousness according to the Bible? The Bible says, “there is righteousness for everyone who believes. The qualification is to believe. We had earlier given a hint how to do so.”
The issue here is that no true believer needs to be in doubt about God’s gift of righteousness. Israel at the time lacked true knowledge of this mystery of grace. As a result, they suffered the bondage of religion, characterized by distress and depression.
This study deals with the issues bothering around righteousness and What is righteousness according to the Bible? And What happens when you are righteous.
What is righteousness according to the Bible?
According to the Bible, Righteousness is the process of being in the right relationship with God through faith in Christ. We are in the wrong relationship with God because of what we have done. Consequently, our relationship is not what it should be and what His promise demands.
Romans 5:1 (TPT) “Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us.”
Paul’s ability to vividly describe Israel’s religious understanding of righteousness is shown in Romans 10:1-4, 6-7 (NIV), as he was firmly entrenched in it himself. Paul refers to his present ministry as a preview of what lay ahead in the remaining two verses. Righteousness is brought about by faith, he stresses in these verses. It does not involve superhuman efforts on anyone’s part. It cannot be accomplished through human efforts.
This was a contradiction of Israel’s conviction. Paul, therefore, prayed earnestly for their salvation. They had a commendable zeal for God but not based on the right knowledge.
The biblical definition of righteousness
The Bible says, “there is righteousness for everyone who believes; the qualification is to believe. We had earlier given a hint on how to do so.
The issue here is that no true believer needs to be in doubt about God’s gift of righteousness. Israel at the time lacked true knowledge of this mystery of grace. As a result, they suffered the bondage of religion, characterized by distress and depression.
What does it mean to be righteous in God’s eyes?
After Jesus had given a very inspiring sermon and miracle in st, John gospel Chapter 6, the audience posed a very vital question to him in verse 28 and said, “What shall we do that we might work the works of God.”
They may have been expecting a do’s and don’ts list. Jesus, on the other hand, replied, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him who he has sent.”
The fact is that if we concentrate on our own deeds, we will quickly lose sight of how God has benefited us by redeeming and sanctifying us in Christ Jesus.
In St. Marks Gospel Chapter 10:17-27, Jesus also taught extensively on this issue. The Bible states that a rich young man ran after Jesus and asked Him. “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?””
Jesus called his attention to the teachings and recited them to him as he had been taught. The rich man responded that he had followed all of God’s laws.
He was a good person and a devout believer. He was able to adhere to the regulations. Christ did not dispute this, but this man had no peace in his heart. He still felt inadequate and unfulfilled, despite Christ’s affirmation that he was perfect.
He knew what he had done could not earn him eternal life. Keeping the laws obviously is external conformity of set rules lacking in inner obedience and total surrender of the heart, which true worship demands.
The Lord asked him to go and sell all his possession, give the proceed to the poor and come and follow Him. The young man frowned, turned his back, and walked away.
This shows how dearly he held his possession at heart, preferring the wealth to the kingdom he claimed to seek. He worshiped “Things.”
Jesus, through this incident, taught that no man could earn eternal life through human effort or by observation of any law.
He said how impossible it is for the rich man to enter into heaven. He, however, concluded that ” with man, it is impossible but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
This teaching does not say that rich man shall not enter heaven as some people have erroneously believed. It says that no man, not even the rich, can enter into heaven by merit of personal effort.
Man can’t earn eternal life for himself, but with God, it is possible that man must believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and follow Him as prescribed. That is the way to merit eternal life.
Biblical examples of righteous people and their actions.
Below are some Biblical examples of righteous people and their actions are given below:
The Righteousness of Job
Job is a biblical character who stands out for his unusual character traits. Job suffered the loss of all of his possessions, including his children, fortune, and even life. Despite these tragedies, Job remained faithful and upright. In this way, Job serves as a terrific role model for us in times of struggle.
Job knew the importance of righteousness, and if you read down the book of Job in the Old Testament, his righteousness was rewarded.
The Righteousness of Abraham
Abraham is famous for being a father to many nations. In what way was he righteous? Obviously, his faith and trust in God made him what he became, but there are other factors we can look at as well.
It is said that “He believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.”(Genesis 15:16)
According to the Bible, righteousness is what God has given us that we can’t earn on our own. The righteousness of Abraham was credited as if he had always been righteous because of his faith in what God would do for him and others who believe like him.
The Righteousness of Noah
Noah was a good man who was free of blame among his contemporaries. Noah walked with God, and everything he did pleased Him.
Noah was what we know as a good man, and We see that Noah’s faith and obedience to God (walking in all His ways) made him righteous. This saved him and his family from perishing.
In response to God’s orders, Noah built an ark, and inside it, he placed male and female specimens of every kind of animal known to man in the hopes that the stocks could be renewed if necessary.
The covenant that God made with Noah was what we know as the rainbow. In which, He promises never again to destroy all of life by a flood.
The Righteousness of Moses
Why was Moses righteous? Was it because he grew up as a prince in Pharaoh’s court? Was Moses righteous because of what he did for God?
Romans 10:5 (NIV) “Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”
Moses was the first prophet to whom the Lord revealed His glory and what we know as his law. Christ did not come to put an end to the law of Moses but to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
For Moses describes the righteousness of the law, saying, “He who keeps these commandments shall live by them.”
Righteousness based on what we can or cannot accomplish will fail us in the end and expose our sinfulness and lack of faith.
Romans 11:32 (NIV) “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”
As a result, if you truly believe, you should not doubt God’s gift of righteousness to everyone who believes because it was purchased at such a high price. If, for some reason, you are still waiting for your own obedience before accepting God’s gift of Righteousness into your life, then what does that say about how much you really trust Jesus.
The Righteousness of David.
2 Samuel 22:21 (NKJV) “The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.”
Acknowledging what David meant by “righteousness” in this context provides the answer. Said, the Bible differentiates between positional and practical righteousness.
Righteousness is the flawless obedience required by God for our justification and eternal salvation, which we get from Christ.
This righteousness renders us positionally righteous, legally just in God’s sight, yet it is foreign righteousness because it rightfully belongs to someone else, not to us.
Another type of righteousness is the righteousness that the Bible credits to God’s devoted servants who live lives of faith and repentance, endeavor to fulfill His rule, and grow in godliness generally, such as Noah, Lot, Zechariah, and Elizabeth.
Despite his transgressions, when we look at David’s life as a whole, we see that he possessed this later sort of righteousness.
Because he was a devoted servant of God, he was blessed with freedom from his foes (2 Sam. 22:21–31). Those who put their trust only in the Lord are deemed righteous, and they begin to exercise righteousness.
The Righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is our righteousness. Therefore, we are made righteous in God through him.
Because our self-righteousness is as worthless as dirty rags, we will never be able to have a right relationship with God on our own merit. We are guilty sinners in desperate need of flawless righteousness.
As Christians, we have everything we need since God gave us as a gift via Jesus Christ. We have been declared righteous by God’s grace via trust in Jesus Christ once and for all.
By being joined to Christ, we are declared righteous in God’s eyes. In other words, we’re “in Christ.” Because of Christ’s accomplished work on the cross, we can have a good relationship with God. Because of Christ, we have full acceptability with God.
As a result of the Law of Moses, there was righteousness under the Law before the Cross. This was the righteousness that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:20.
The law’s righteousness requires that a person or people subject to the law perform good deeds to make Oneself right with God and comply with ALL of the requirements of the Law of Moses.
Christians are not subject to the law but to God’s grace. This righteousness is based on Christ’s merits alone, not on what you can do to earn it.
Why is righteousness important in Christianity?
Righteousness in Christianity is what God requires, what He demands all men to have. It is what he bestows upon whomsoever believes in His Son Jesus Christ and the sacrifice made on the cross at Calvary.
The righteousness of man can be found nowhere else except through faith in Jesus Christ crucified for sinners by bearing our sin so we could attain a right relationship with God forever.”
No true believer needs to be in doubt about what has been done for them by God’s gift of righteousness. Israel at the time did not possess true knowledge of this mystery regarding grace. As a result, they suffered due to lack of freedom – characterized by distress and depression, which are both bondage-like conditions.
How can I be righteous in my daily life?
Being righteous in daily life is what the Bible is all about. It says, “there is righteousness for everyone who believes – and that qualification is to believe.” We had previously given a hint on how we could do what we were asked to do.
The issue here is that no true believer needs to doubt what has been done for them by God’s gift of righteousness. Israel at the time did not possess true knowledge of this mystery regarding grace. As a result, they suffered due to lack of freedom – characterized by distress and depression, which are both bondage-like conditions.
Being righteous in daily life requires what it takes from our side: faith through Jesus Christ crucified so we may attain a right relationship with God.
Follow these steps to live righteously on a day-to-day basis :
- Have faith in what Jesus did on the cross. The qualification for righteousness is to believe. To receive what God has provided and pass it on.” This means that our part is to
- Next comes response by actively responding to what Christ had done for you; after receiving forgiveness and cleansing, what is our responsibility to do?
- Our faith must be expressed in what we say and what we do. We can’t remain silent about what Christ has done for us, but the Christian life involves more than words or even thoughts of righteousness alone.
- A righteous lifestyle can only come from a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who died on the cross by believing.
Finding Righteousness in Christ
Dear reader, we must discover the truth. The truth sets people free and puts to rest any doubts. Only those who believe God has made us righteous in Christ can believe.
He is not attempting to create us; rather, He has created us to be righteous and holy.
Salvation prepares man’s heart for the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. When this happens, the Holy Spirit takes possession of that person’s life and establishes the life of Christ in them.
Righteousness is Life
According to the Bible, “However, if Christ is in you, your body is dead as a result of sin, but your spirit is alive as a result of righteousness.
“And if the spirit of Him who resurrected Jesus is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal body via His Spirit who lives in you,” says Romans 8:10-11.”
Righteousness is the Holy Spirit-enabled life of a believer, “For it is the Lord who works in us both to will and to act according to His good pleasure.”
So do you believe you are righteous?
In John chapter 1 verse 4, the Bible says, In Him was life and the life was the light of men. This life is what I call the higher life. It is the life of God replicated in man by the power of the Holy Ghost. It is not subject to the “law of sin and death”; it rather operates under the ambit of the “Law of Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”
The Bible records that any man who enjoys this life is exonerated from condemnation; he is adjudged righteous. No one has the right to bring any “Charge against those whom God has chosen. Do not forget that “it is God that justifies’ and He justifies those he called. It is equally He alone who condemns.
Dear Believer, God says you are righteous; our responsibility is to continually reflect in our daily experience what Christ has made us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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