THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4.

Righteousness, which means right standing with God, is not always easy to receive, primarily because we, even as believers, rarely “feel” righteous. Our actions, words, and attitudes seem to be regular roadblocks to receiving righteousness. And while wrong acts, words, and attitudes have consequences, those things do not affect a person’s standing before God. God sees us through the filter of the Blood of Jesus. Once we take our focus off our shortcomings and focus on God, we can receive the “gift” Jesus died to give us by faith.

According to the scriptures, there are two types of righteousness. The first one is my works or works of righteousness. In life, we are used to getting what we earn, which explains everything from our grade point average in school to our paycheck. In this type of righteousness, someone or something else is the problem, and I am the solution to fix that problem. Isaiah 64:6 points out the wrong in that thinking: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,  and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

According to the prophet Isaiah, our self-righteousness is a filthy rag. But God’s righteousness is not influenced by our acts or deeds. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This righteousness is not dependent on your right doings but on the truly righteous one, Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:1 says, “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” Righteousness is a gift that anyone who believes in Jesus has received. It does not depend on our works or the efforts we put into doing things. It is a free gift

So remember that Jesus Christ paid for this rare, one-of-a-kind gift, which was given by your Heavenly Father and delivered by the Holy Spirit. You can’t buy this gift. And there is no other gift available anywhere else that makes one righteous.

So, during this Christmas season, remember that the price of this gift required the death of Jesus so you can spend eternity with Him.

Discussion Questions:

1. When you hear the word righteousness, what do you think of?
2. What can we do this Christmas season to thank God for the free gift of righteousness?