The Gift of Righteousness

As I teach the concepts of spiritual identity, one of the greatest roadblocks I encounter is a reticence in many people to see themselves as righteous. This is particularly difficult for people who, like me, were raised in church. Most of us have been told so often how sinful we are that we feel very uncomfortable, almost blasphemous, affirming our righteousness in Christ.

In truth, however, though we may not be the quickest to accept it, we should ultimately gain the deepest understanding of it. Why? Because I believe the first prerequisite to an understanding of the gift of righteousness is a clear grasp of just how necessary that gift is.

To appreciate the gift, we need to know how much we need it, and those of us who have been called "sinners saved by grace" all our lives should certainly grasp our need for righteousness. The problem lies in what I believe is the second prerequisite: an understanding that by nature, the gift is completely independent of our performance.

We cannot change our own righteousness, not even for an instant. We can no more diminish our standing with God now than we could improve it before our conversion. Righteousness is a gift. Our role in it is simply to accept it and wear it. We can't damage it; all we can do is fail to enjoy its benefits.

Big Jesus

To understand the gravity of our identity in Christ is first to understand the enormity of the One in whom that identity rests.

Consider the implications of the title, "Him who fills everything in every way."

Consider the implications of the title, "His fullness."

Fathom the depth of deity expressed in the phrase, "...all the fullness of the God-head in bodily form."

Fathom the depth of endowment expressed in the phrase, "And you are complete in Him..."

Few of us have a hard time seeing Jesus as big...almighty, majestic, all-consuming; but somehow we believe a different Jesus lives in us, so we short-change our own identity in Him.

To get a clear picture of ourselves, we must come to terms with the fact that it is this Jesus, this glorified, majestic, preexistent and almighty, all-consuming and all encompassing Jesus, in Whom we have our being, and Who has come to live in us.

References: Ephesians 1, Colossians 2

Feeling Righteous

"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."

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.