To Be Righteous in Christ

A. The Gospel is the good news about salvation or receiving God’s righteousness. Through

having received the gift of righteousness, we are in a new position to stand in the Father’s

presence with confidence. Our new position is based on a historical event in which a legal

transaction or exchange occurred in God’s court. Jesus offered His blood for us as our legal

substitute. Jesus paid the debt of our sin that was required to legally satisfy the claims of

justice in God’s court. Grace = Gods Righteousness At Christ’s Expense.

For He (the Father) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we (our

spirit man) might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21)

B. Righteous = innocent and holy. Or you can say: being justified. Justification = “Just-as-if-we

never sinned”. God sees us as if we had never sinned. The old record of sin is removed

(Rom. 6:2, Ps. 103:12). We are accepted, without any guilt against us. He sees us as if we

have always perfectly obeyed Him. God sees us as 100% innocent and holy. To be holy

means: we are clean and pure, sacred. We don’t look like it, feel like it, think like it all the

time, but we simply are because God says so. This is who we are in the spirit before Him.

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. (Rom 4:7-8, NLT)

 For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His

sight. (Eph. 1:4)

C. The righteousness of God, or the very quality of God’s righteousness and purity, has been

given freely to all sinners who will come to Jesus in faith and repentance. Free gift: we

receive God’s righteousness freely, fully (100%), and instantly (at our new birth). God

clothes us in the free gift of Jesus’ righteousness. God put His righteousness on us like a

garment on the day we were born again. It can’t be improved on and won’t change in heaven.

He now sees us through His own righteousness. The Father sees us through ‘the lens’ Jesus

He clothed me…with the robe of righteousness. (Isa. 61:10)

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Gal.

3:27)