Romans 1:17 NIV

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Psalm 145:17–21 NKJV

THE LORD IS RIGHTEOUS IN ALL HIS WAYS, gracious in all His works.The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever.

Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV

He is the Rock, HIS WORKS ARE PERFECT, and ALL HIS WAYS ARE JUST. A FAITHFUL GOD WHO DOES NO WRONG, UPRIGHT AND JUST IS HE.

Psalm 33:5 NIV

THE LORD LOVES RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE; the earth is full of His unfailing love.

Proverbs 21:3 NKJV

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Isaiah 53:4–12 ESV

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to His own way; and THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALLHe was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth…Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall THE RIGHTEOUS ONE, MY SERVANT, MAKE MANY TO BE ACCOUNTED RIGHTEOUS, AND HE SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES…He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake He [God] MADE HIM [JESUS] TO BE SIN who knew no sin, SO THAT IN HIM WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

1 Corinthians 1:30–31 ESV

Because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us WISDOM FROM GOD, RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SANCTIFICATION AND REDEMPTION,so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Peter 2:21–25 NKJV

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; WHO HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE, THAT WE, HAVING DIED TO SINS, MIGHT LIVE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS—by whose stripes you were healed.For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Romans 4:20–25 NLT

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous,it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, ASSURING US THAT GOD WILL ALSO COUNT US AS RIGHTEOUS IF WE BELIEVE IN HIM,the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. HE WAS HANDED OVER TO DIE BECAUSE OF OUR SINS, AND HE WAS RAISED TO LIFE TO MAKE US RIGHT WITH GOD.

Romans 4:1–8 NLT

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND GOD COUNTED HIM AS RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH.”When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. BUT PEOPLE ARE COUNTED AS RIGHTEOUS, NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR WORK, BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH IN GOD WHO FORGIVES SINNERS.David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”

Matthew 6:33 NIV

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I Timothy 6:11 NKJV

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

2 Corinthians 9:6–15 NKJV

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever. NOW MAY HE WHO SUPPLIES SEED TO THE SOWER, AND BREAD FOR FOOD, SUPPLY AND MULTIPLY THE SEED YOU HAVE SOWN AND INCREASE THE FRUITS OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Exhortation: Awake to Righteousness

Jesus Christ is Righteous

Jesus Christ is inherently and immutably righteous. It is not just what He does; it is who He is. Righteousness is His essence, and it is impossible for Him to be anything else but absolutely just, upright, and good in everything. Psalm 89:14 states, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You.” Hebrews 1:8–9 NKJV speaks of how God spoke to Jesus Christ, saying,

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A SCEPTER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF YOUR KINGDOM. You have LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

Yesterday, today, and forever, He is the same. God does not have to conform or measure up to any standard of righteousness, for He is righteousness. Everything that issues from Him is perfectly righteous and pure—His nature, character, essence, ways, thoughts, and deeds. God loves righteousness, and He blesses the righteous. His passion and requirement for His Church is to be righteous as He is. The Bible also states,

• The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love—Psalm 33:5 NIV
• To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice—Proverbs 21:3 NIV
• The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry—Psalms 34:15 NIV

The Church Must Awaken to Christ’s Righteousness

In 1 Corinthians 15:34 NKJV, Paul commanded the Corinthian Christians, “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” Some of the Corinthians did not believe in resurrection and were living carelessly and sinning. Paul sternly rebuked them to be ashamed of their sins and wrong beliefs and exhorted them to awaken to righteousness. Today the call to righteousness is even more urgent considering the times we are living in.

The Bible says that all have sinned and there is none righteous, but Christ died for us by taking all our sins upon Himself on the cross. Christ was righteous and without sin, but on our behalf, He submitted Himself to be treated as if He had sinned by both bearing our sins and the judgment for our sins as the Lamb of God. By this sacrifice, all who believe in Him are forgiven, saved, and made righteous in Him.

Righteousness is not inherent in us who believe in Him, but it has been imputed to us as a gift of grace from Jesus Christ, leading to our living righteous lives through the Holy Spirit’s power that is imparted to us. We were sinners by nature but made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven, and Jesus has made us righteous in the eyes of God. Although freely given to us, this gift of grace is not free. It is costly because it was purchased by the blood of the Lamb shed on the cross upon which He was crucified. The Church must awaken to the precious and costly righteousness of Jesus Christ, which He has given us. Nothing and no one can make us righteous except the Lamb’s blood. We must set our hearts to walk carefully in His righteousness and not transgress against it. We must not treat His imputed righteousness as common but incomparable. To live and walk unrighteously is to trample on the shed blood of Jesus Christ who purchased our redemption and made us righteous. Therefore, we are to walk justly, uprightly, and righteously, bearing Christ’s name, character, and testimony faithfully. 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV states, “FOR OUR SAKE HE [GOD] MADE HIM [JESUS] TO BE SIN WHO KNEW NO SIN, SO THAT IN HIM WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.”

Since we have become the righteousness of God, we cannot live unsanctified and sinful lives like the world. In our life, character, and dealings, Christ’s righteousness must flow, testifying of and manifesting His glory. It is the righteousness of Christ that marks us as children of God. When the Church lives and walks in Christ’s imputed and imparted righteousness, the favor and blessings of God will flow wherever He sends us. Lives will be impacted and hearts will be touched by the righteousness flowing from the people of God. Proverbs 29:2 NKJV states, “WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS ARE IN AUTHORITY, THE PEOPLE REJOICE; BUT WHEN THE WICKED RULE, THE PEOPLE MOURN.” As God’s people, wherever we are and whatever place of influence we have, people around us will be blessed and experience good outcomes because of the presence of Christ’s righteousness being manifested.

We must live separated from the world and set apart unto God. By His grace, the Church must live morally, virtuously, justly, and with integrity. As God is true to Himself in righteousness, we must be true to God in His righteousness.

The Church Must Heed God’s Severe Warning Against Unrighteousness

We will reap what we sow. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must not presumptuously think that the grace of Christ gives us the latitude to live unrighteously without consequences. GOD WILL JUDGE ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, BE IT OF A SINNER OR SAINT UNLESS THERE IS REPENTANCE. Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 NKJV, declaring,

DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were WASHED, but you were SANCTIFIED, but you were JUSTIFIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS AND BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD.

The church must awaken to the truth that God will not be mocked by any presumptuous and disrespectful treatment of His grace which He renders us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit sternly warns us in Galatians 6:7–10 NKJV pronouncing,

Do not be deceived, GOD IS NOT MOCKED; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Mocked in Greek is myktērizō, which means to turn up the nose or to sneer, disparage, scoff, or disdain. When we walk in the flesh and do not live up to the righteousness imputed to us, we are scoffing at and disdaining Christ’s righteousness and the price He paid on the cross for us. If anyone who is saved after knowing the truth, but deliberately chooses to continue to sin with no repentance, there is no longer any sacrifice to cover these sins. By this person’s unrighteousness, he has trampled on Jesus Christ, treated His blood that saves as unholy, and insulted the Holy Spirit who brings us God’s mercy. Hebrews 10:26–31 NLT states,

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume His enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have TRAMPLED ON THE SON OF GOD, and have TREATED THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, WHICH MADE US HOLY, AS IF IT WERE COMMON AND UNHOLY, and have INSULTED AND DISDAINED THE HOLY SPIRIT who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the One who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The LORD will judge His own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We are to handle the righteousness Christ has ascribed to us with holy fear and thanksgiving. Anyone who continues to indulge in sin after having received salvation by faith and is a recipient of the imputed righteousness of Christ is deceived to his own destruction. The Church will never be deceived if we stand firm on God’s truth and do not allow ourselves to be persuaded by other voices. The Bible teaches us, and His Holy Spirit protects, leads, guides, and directs us in righteousness. If anyone falls into unrighteousness, it is a personal choice.

HOW DO WE AWAKE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?

Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness

In Matthew 5:6 NKJV, Jesus Christ teaches us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” To hunger and thirst after righteousness means we are acutely aware and painfully feel our need for righteousness. Hunger in Greek is peinaōimplying to crave ardently or seek with eager desire. Thirst in Greek is dipsaō, meaning “to suffer thirst or figuratively those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened.” Both hunger and thirst speak of an acute need and a driven passion to relentlessly pursue until one obtains the object of the pursuit and the need is met. In this manner, the Church must hunger and thirst for righteousness, making it a precedence in life. We must strive for it with the same earnestness as searching for food and water. God promises those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled.

Live as Slaves of Righteousness unto Christ

Romans 6:5–23 NLT:

Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was.We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin…Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace…Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin…but now you are free from your slavery to sin, and YOU HAVE BECOME SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUS LIVING…Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Before we were born again, we were sinners living under the dominion of sin. By believing in Jesus Christ, we have become united with Him in His death and will be raised to life as He was. Our old sinful nature was crucified and died with Christ, and we were set free from the power of sin. We should reckon ourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we do not let sin control us in any area of our lives. We have been forgiven, saved, and consecrated to Him, who has redeemed us as children of God and children of righteousness. Through our faith in Him, Jesus Christ has imparted to us His righteousness. We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves of righteousness. We surrender our bodies to Jesus Christ as instruments of righteousness to do what is fitting for the glory of God. Therefore, by His grace, we are consecrated to Him to live righteously, uprightly, justly, and with moral and ethical integrity, glorifying Him as slaves of righteousness.

Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness

We are God’s children, and we are also soldiers in Christ’s army who are called to wage war against and prevail over the kingdom of darkness. We prevail by being strong in the Lord and the power of His might as we put on the whole armor of God that empowers us to stand and withstand against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this age, and a host of wickedness in the heavenly places. Unceasing prayer is another weapon we must use in this warfare to win and thrive. The armor of God is not only for protection and defense, but it is also for offense as the Church advances against the enemy. It is by God’s power, strength, and armor that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.

One of the pieces of that armor is the breastplate of righteousness. At all costs, we must keep our consecration and righteousness. Our inner being must be protected against defilement and sin by purposing in our hearts to hold on to God’s righteousness steadfastly. The Church must “withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Paul commanded the Christians in Ephesians 6:10–18 NKJV, stating,

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Increase in the Fruit of Righteousness

2 Corinthians 9:9–15 NKJV:

As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever. NOW MAY HE WHO SUPPLIES SEED TO THE SOWER, AND BREAD FOR FOOD, SUPPLY AND MULTIPLY THE SEED YOU HAVE SOWN AND INCREASE THE FRUITS OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God…Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Paul was teaching and encouraging the Corinthian church in the righteous act of giving liberally, not grudgingly or of necessity. The Church can have an abundance of righteousness both in character and good work through the abounding grace of God, which gives “sufficiency in all things” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV. Paul assured that God supplied the seed to the sower and bread for food. Concerning righteousness, we must not stagnate or be careless lest we miss the mark of God because we take the grace of God lightly or wrongfully suppose that grace overlooks slothfulness and presumption. THE CHURCH MUST STAND FIRM IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PRESS FORWARD TO GROW AND INCREASE.