"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."
Righteousness is not a feeling we internalize like peace or joy. Righteousness is a reality we experience through relationship to the one from whose character it flows. No, it's not a feeling, but it sure feels good.
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Do you feel righteous? I seldom do, if ever. I know I'm righteous in Jesus. I know beyond any conscious doubt that nothing can ever diminish my standing before God. I know that I am in Jesus and that His righteousness is mine forever. However, do I feel righteous? No. In fact, if I felt righteous, I'd be very suspicious of that feeling.
I don't feel righteous, but there are many feelings associated with a realization of the gift God gave us in His righteousness. Primarily, when I catch a glimpse of that gift, I feel grateful. It's overwhelming to look at myself in the mirror and say, "I am the righteousness of God." At times, it also makes me feel a bit of fear to say something like that, but then again, not to say it would be to reject a very costly gift from God.
The best feeling, though, is peace. To know that I can't do anything to spoil my relationship with God literally saturates me with a sense of assurance. Saturates...that's the best word I can come up with. My good days, bad days, my celebrations and my battles, my ambitions, successes and failures, are all soaked in a sense that none of it can significantly increase or diminish me. I think the New Testament calls it an "anchor to the soul."
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