4 amazing truths about the gift of righteousness

Matthew 5:20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What kind of righteousness do we need to have in order to exceed that of the Pharisees? Especially since the Bible says in Romans 3:10 that there is no one righteous, not even one!

Do you think Jesus was saying you need to try really hard to be righteous and if you perform greater than the Pharisees then you will attain perfect righteousness and be able to go to heaven? Absolutely not! The Bible is very clear that no one is righteous of themselves.

So, what kind of righteousness was Jesus saying we need to possess in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Nothing less than the perfect righteousness of God! Anything less is an inferior righteousness that will keep us out of the Kingdom of God. God has made a way for all mankind to enter his Kingdom and walk in a relationship with him. It’s called the gift of his righteousness that makes us perfect in righteousness and enables us to draw near to God!

Four aspects of this righteousness:

1) Righteousness is a gift we receive not a reward we achieve.

Romans 3:19-22 “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

Romans 5:17 “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”

Righteousness is a gift we receive not a reward we achieve. If it’s a reward for good performance then our righteousness is always based on our performance. If it’s a gift then our righteousness is never based on our performance, but always on the quality of God’s righteousness – which is perfect. Therefore, our righteousness is always perfect! Anything other than perfect righteousness is really no righteousness at all!

2) There are only two kinds of righteousness.

Romans 10:3-4 “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Philippians 3:9 “…and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

There are only two kinds of righteousness. Only one of them is true righteousness. There is self righteousness, which is man’s attempts to be righteous through works of the law, then there is God’s perfect righteousness which is a gift we receive by faith. Our self righteousness is like filthy rags to God and can never make us truly righteous. Not even slightly. It’s an absolute offense to the Cross to believe that we can earn God’s righteousness. The only thing that can make us righteous is the gift of his righteousness and it is simply received through faith and never works.

3) We haven’t become a form of righteousness, we’ve become the very righteousness of God!

Romans 5:19 “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

We haven’t become a form of righteousness, we’ve become the very righteousness of God. Do you know that you are not more righteous than God and God is not more righteous than you? How is it possible to say that God is not more righteous than you? Simple! Because you and God both have the same righteousness – his righteousness! By faith you receive the gift of God’s righteousness.

4) Nothing can make you unrighteous.

Hebrews 10:10 “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Hebrews 10:14 “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

If God has made you righteous then nothing can make you unrighteous. Not even if you mess up and make a mistake and do something stupid. There is nothing you can do to make yourself anymore righteous and there is nothing you can do to make yourself any less righteous! Our ongoing state of righteousness before God is never based on our performance. It’s always based on his perfect righteousness. He has made us perfectly righteousness with his righteousness for all of time and nothing can change that!

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