Salvation and righteousness are two sides of the coin called GRACE. One liberates, the other deifies*. Union with God is the purpose, the highest revelation of the Gospel. Complete, unhindered union with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Naked and unashamed in His presence, confident in His Return and steadfast in his love. This union can only be accomplished through salvation and righteousness. These two are necessary in order to experience a real, living union with God.

To look at yourself and to make a judgment as to whether or not you are pleasing to God is to identify with the first Adam. To look at Jesus and to allow his proclamation of love, acceptance, judgment and freedom to become our own is the FAITH of the Gospel. To receive salvation from your sins yet retain the ability to judge yourself evil is to condemn yourself to a life of bondage and torment in your soul.

STRONG FAITH REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING THESE THREE QUESTIONS

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?

dikaiosuné – justice, justness, righteousness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, but practically: a divine righteousness.

dikaiosýnē (“divine approval“) is the regular NT term used for righteousness (“God’s judicial approval“). 1343 /dikaiosýnē (“the approval of God”) refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes.

in the broad sense, the state of him who is such as he ought to be, righteousness; the condition acceptable to God.

This is rightness in our spirit, soul and body. Righteousness is the absence of sin and corruption and the simultaneous presence of God’s character and likeness. Put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4)

HOW DOES HE GIVE US THIS GIFT?

Just like salvation…by grace, through faith….

Romans 5:15…this gift of righteousness is given by grace. Righteousness comes through faith, not works. So in order for my behavior to become righteous, I have to first have faith that I have become righteous through what Jesus has done. I have to give up what Adam and Eve took in the garden…the divine ability to judge myself evil based on what I see. Now through the Gospel, now that I see Jesus, I must receive the gift of righteousness which renders us incapable of contradicting His judgment and assessment of ourselves…which is that He loves us, he has saved us and he has caused us to be born again of the Spirit.

WHY DOES HE GIVE US THIS GIFT?

He makes us righteous so we can come into His presence, bold and unashamed, no longer ABLE to judge ourselves evil. He desires union with us and the only way for us to ABIDE in Him and Him in us is if we receive and walk in the gift of righteousness. For the Christian to judge himself wicked is to deny the gift of righteousness. It is to identify the first Adam and not the second Adam.

Think about this...

1. Are you comfortable being the righteousness of Christ? Why, or why not?
2. How would you feel if you knew that you were as righteous as Jesus? How would you pray? How would your approach to life change?

*By using the word deify we do not intend to suggest that humans are exalted to a place of worship or glory that God alone deserves. We believe there is one God, distinct in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) yet one in substance. By using the word deify we are pointing to the promise of the Scriptures that show that the divine nature is given to us through the complete saving work and life of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). This gift of righteousness allows us to identify with God's nature above our fallen human nature (John 1:12-13). The purpose of this gift is not to exalt us in pride, but to allow us to commune with God without hindrance and to serve and love the world with the same divine love that Christ possessed.  

The purpose of this gift is not to exalt us in pride, but to allow us to commune with God without hindrance and to serve and love the world with the same divine love that Christ possessed (Phillipians 2:5-7).