Chapter 7

The Essence of Righteousness: God's Character Within Us

It is nothing short of incredible what God has given to us. And yet, how difficult it is to see sometimes as Satan makes every effort to disguise his lies as the truth. For this fight, I believe our confidence must be firmly established in the scriptures to the point where there is no doubt in our minds that everything I've said so far about the gospel is true.

Unwavering conviction about what the Bible says regarding my salvation, my identity, my relationship with Jesus, the nature of repentance, the substance of grace, etc., has played a vital role in my ability to continue in the faith without falling into the same defeating cycles of my past. This is not to say that I haven't struggled with sin since learning these truths, nor that my life is perpetually peachy. It is to say, rather, that my Christian experience has a completely different flavor than it did before. Despite the trials, temptations, and struggles of all sorts, I am no longer so easily tossed to and fro by double-mindedness, and there is a clear trajectory of my spiritual life and transformation that is upward and onward — victory guaranteed. Most of the time, I have rest. And when I don't, I know how to access it. I don't rely on feelings anymore, so my faith is active, working, and growing all the time — the result of which is spiritual fruit. I credit this, in large part, to God helping me to understand the scriptures, which help me to discern the difference between his voice versus the enemy's voice in my life.

This being the case, the next large portion of this book will be devoted to helping you gain greater clarity and conviction in your own heart about what the Bible says regarding these things, beginning with the fact that you are righteous.

The Righteousness of God

The issue of righteousness is central to both our salvation and the church's misconceptions regarding the gospel. What is it, where does it come from, and why do we need it? Let's start by answering the less controversial questions.

First, why do we need righteousness? According to the Bible, we need righteousness because we cannot have eternal life, salvation, or right relationship with God apart from it. Sin (or unrighteousness) hinders our fellowship with God, who is incompatible with sin and who is the source of life itself. Thus, the Bible constantly connects the ideas of righteousness and life, or similarly, sin and death (see Genesis 2:17; Deuteronomy 30:15–16; Proverbs 7:2; Romans 5:21; 5:17-18; 6:22-23; 7:9-10; 8:10).

This "life" we receive as a result of righteousness certainly has a future component regarding life after death. And yet, it must have a present and spiritual component, as well, since we have already been "brought from death to life" (Romans 6:13), and "even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ…" (Ephesians 2:5). Here we see that whether one is dead or alive goes deeper than whether they appear to be dead or alive physically on this earth (see also Luke 9:60; Ephesians 5:14; 1 Timothy 5:6).

Jesus is life (see John 14:6), and to know him is eternal life (see John 17:3). So because he lives inside of us, and because we know him (see 1 John 2:13-14), we Christians are alive in the truest sense, in the only way that really matters, which will culminate in glory and immortality (in the physical/bodily sense) when we are resurrected. For, "although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness… [and he] will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:10-11).

Next, how do we obtain righteousness? Again, we have an answer that should not be too controversial. While righteousness was once thought to be obtained by obeying God's commands, it is revealed in the gospel that it can only be obtained one way — by faith in Jesus Christ. This was one of the most important (re)discoveries that occurred during the Protestant Reformation and was no doubt connected to the Bible being translated into a common language, allowing the rank-and-file Christians to read and see for themselves that this is the message presented throughout the New Testament. According to the scriptures, righteousness (and therefore our salvation) is a gift from God that we can receive only through faith, "so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:9). The fact is, there is only one way in which a person can stand before God approved and justified. If they rely on their own works, they will stand condemned and cut off from the source of eternal life, for all have failed to obey God at some level (see Romans 3:20, 23).

Got it.

But now we must ask the more controversial question: what is righteousness? Let us think of the word "righteousness" as a gift box containing something amazing for us inside. The word is just the box; the meaning of the word is the actual gift inside the box. We can all see in the scriptures that the thing we call "righteousness" has been given to us, but do we know what it holds inside? And this is where I will assert that the church has an unopened gift. We rejoice (rightly) in the fact that it was given to us. We thank God for it as we marvel at how beautifully he wrapped it. And then we never open it. But perhaps we should take a peak inside.

To get a quick definition out of the way, generally speaking, one who is "righteous" in the biblical sense is one who lives in accordance with God's standard for good. It is that simple. With this definition, though, it would appear (on the surface) that righteousness is based on works, flying in the face of that to which we've already agreed — that it is based on faith. So, what shall we do with this problem? Well, I'll tell you what the church has done. It has kept its works-based idea of righteousness and subsequently concluded that our righteousness must be based on Jesus' works. So, while it asserts that we are righteous by faith (which is true), it also continues asserting that righteousness, in general, is by works (which is false) — only making the distinction that the works that make us righteous are Jesus' works and not our own. Our righteousness, then, is not really ours; it is Christ's. And it is simply "credited" or "counted" to us in some nebulous way.

Particularly in Reformed traditions of Christianity, but also broadly among Protestants, the term for this is imputed righteousness. It is then held that righteousness is imparted to us gradually through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, meaning that we begin to behave more righteously as we grow spiritually. Imputed righteousness is about Jesus' works. Imparted righteousness is about our works (though still the grace of God producing them). But recognize, again, that works define both. And all this is so close to the truth that it is very difficult to discern the error, but it is fundamentally flawed.

To understand the substance of true righteousness — defined by God's standard for good — we need to look at what makes God himself good. For we are made to bear his image and, thus, will be measured by the same standard. Consider some of the following passages that mention the righteousness of God, or otherwise, God's righteousness:

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" (Romans 1:17)

"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 3:21-22)

"For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness." (Romans 10:3)

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

"…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…" (Philippians 3:9)

"…for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:20)

Again, the question is: What is the difference between righteousness of God compared to any other kind of righteousness we have imagined? It is evident in scripture that God intends for us to be righteous as he is righteous, and not only that he intends for it to be so but that it is so (see 1 John 3:7). We need to understand what his righteousness entails.

So, how is God himself righteous? Is God righteous because of what he does (i.e., works)? I have asked this question to many people in real life, and the only answer I have ever gotten is no, which is correct. God is righteous, not because of what he does but because of what/who he is. In other words, God can only do righteous things because God is only righteous. As John said, "[I]n him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5). Therefore, he cannot sin.

Now, consider what this means regarding certain aspects of God's righteousness. Take, for example, patience. I used to think of God's patience only in terms of something he performed "outwardly" (in action) as opposed to something he experienced or felt "inwardly" (in emotion). So my view of God, concerning me and my sin, was that he was inwardly frustrated, bothered, or angry, but outwardly, he chose to exercise patience since it is the "right" (or righteous) thing to do. It may sound silly or foolish to you that I thought this way, in which case, I praise God that you view it as such. It is ridiculous; it is ludicrous; it is patently absurd. And, quite honestly, it is death. One will never see or experience the heart of God while applying this type of works-righteousness to God.

The truth is, when the Bible describes God as patient, it is describing his nature, his character, his heart, his disposition, and/or his feelings, not merely his actions. It is describing his inward state of being, not just his outward doings. So, if God is exercising patience outwardly (which I generally believe he is), it is because God is feeling all the feelings we could associate with patience. He does not need to restrain himself because, in the deepest sense, he is not irritable or discouraged. He is calm, unbothered, unchanging, steady, hopeful, and consistent toward us. Otherwise, he would not act so. We can apply this principle to virtually anything pertaining to godliness and see that behind every good action God performs is a state of being that drove him to act.

For years, when I thought of the love of God, I thought about it almost entirely in terms of his actions toward me, the greatest of which was sending his Son to die on a cross. I saw the act of love but not the passion that drove him to do it. This was only supported by the idea I learned early in life, which says that the greatest acts of love are those you perform when you don't feel love for the person. One example is the wife who cooks dinner for her husband every night without complaining outwardly (because she knows she isn't supposed to complain) despite inwardly resenting him. But wouldn't it be far greater love if she cooked for him not out of obligation but with true contentment, desiring to bless the husband regardless of how he treated her, not being needy or holding any offense but gladly giving her life for him that he might see and know the love of God in her? In fact, it would. This is the love of God.

The way I used to see it, God did the "right" (or righteous) thing by forgiving me, but this was in spite of how he felt toward me. Yet it says, "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world…" (1 John 4:9, my italics). Jesus' life and death (his works) were not the love of God but a manifestation of the love of God. Something compelled God to send his son for us, and that was love — which is, first and foremost, a feeling, an emotion, a passion, a force, or something along those lines, not an action.

The Bible says, "If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). Therefore, we should not regard love as the action itself, for a person can do the job, having the appearance of love, all the while lacking the real thing. Love is essentially something inward, a state of being, such that we can say, "God is love" (1 John 4:8, my italics).

Now understand that this kind of righteousness — the righteousness of God which begins inward and flows outward — is what has been given to us, according to the scriptures. It is not defined by works, not even Jesus' works, however necessary those were. It is defined by character — that is, the character of God, whose Spirit we are now one with.

Don't get me wrong. Did Jesus obey the law? Of course, he did. But he wasn't righteous because of his outward obedience; rather, he obeyed outwardly because he was righteous inwardly. Being himself the Word of God, Jesus is the perfect law. The law of God, expressed in commands and ordinances, which focuses on outward behavior, is simply an expression of who Jesus already was. Hence, the law is "a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ" (Colossians 2:17; see also Hebrews 10:1). None of this is to diminish Jesus' perfect obedience on earth. Quite the opposite, it provides us with greater insight and appreciation for those works, knowing what compelled them — love. Moreover, it explains how we are now righteous like he is. More on that in a minute.

Going back to the idea of imputed righteousness (the kind we all get when we first believe), many theologians today will say that it is like being declared "not guilty" in a courtroom (which is true), reflecting your legal standing with God. But all the while, they'll insist that you are technically guilty of sin (which is false) and you've only been forgiven. Whether they say it this way or not, it is the proper stance of their theology, hidden beneath all the acrobatics they employ to evade the obvious — that you are either (1) innocent or (2) guilty and forgiven, but you cannot be both innocent and forgiven. Even a child can understand that there is a major difference between the two. This deserves deep consideration.

Guilty But Forgiven, or Justified?

There is a term that Paul uses often in his writings, which most modern Bible translations render as "justified." It means to be pronounced righteous, proven right, vindicated, etc. It holds the connotation of a courtroom decision where the verdict is not guilty. With this in mind, it is quite interesting to me how quickly the theologians will say we have been pronounced righteous while implying that we still are not actually righteous. But we all know that in a courtroom when someone is declared righteous (i.e., justified), it is only because they are found to be righteous. It is because the judge and the jury have examined all the evidence and concluded that the defendant is not guilty. They are innocent. They did not do the thing that they were being charged with doing (see Romans 8:33-34).

This being the case, isn't it quite shocking that Paul uses the word "justified" so often to describe what God has done to us (see Romans 3:20-24; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 2:16-17; 3:8, 24; Titus 3:7)? Isn't it evident that forgiveness does not warrant the use of the term "justified?" One could even argue that it does precisely the opposite, as forgiveness implies guilt. My point here is not to downplay the importance of forgiveness but to point out that, out of all the words Paul could have used to describe our position in the divine courtroom, his choice to use "justified" is far more profound than we may have originally thought. It forces us to ask more important questions, like, "If I actually committed the sin, how can I be justified?"

Read the following verse:

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4-7)

If our righteousness were by Jesus' works, then I suggest Paul may have written it like this: "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but because of works done by Jesus..." But Paul does not say it this way. Instead, he says we are justified by the "washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." Both of these phrases imply that newness is the essence of his grace by which we are justified, which actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Put any of us on trial for sins committed, and no sin will be found. Why? Because the old sinner has, in fact, already been put to death (through the body of Jesus), and a new person, born of God, stands before the jury, whose righteousness is as true and substantial as God's. There is a reason that Paul says Jesus was "delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25). His death dealt with the old sinner, the old man. His resurrection gave us new life, in which we find justification. "[I]f Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:14).

This “renewal of the Holy Spirit” that Paul speaks about does not mean that Jesus is merely "with" us now, though we are still the same. No, it means we are a new person, a new creature, made in God's true likeness (see Ephesians 4:24). His heart is our heart. His desires are our desires. His will is our will. His character is our character. His righteousness is our righteousness. Through and through, our identity is Jesus, with whom we are one.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?… And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, my italics).

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