—RIGHTEOUSNESS—
Righteousness can be simply understood as the credit
or merit for having “done right” in the past. Just
as a man is called a “good man”
who practices “goodness.” The Jews told
Moses “And it shall be OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, if we
observe to do all these commandments before the LORD
our God, as he hath commanded us”(Deut
6:25). The Bible states that John the Baptist’s
parents “were both righteous before God,”
How? “walking in all
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless”(Luke 1:6). This was the plan of
salvation during most of the Old Testament.
This obedience had to be kept until death or it
would be erased (see Ezek 18:23-24), and at best, it
could only get a man as far as Abraham’s bosom—
the
place of comfort (Luke 16:22-25). For centuries men
tried and failed.
Indeed, the prophet Isaiah had declared “all OUR
righteousnesses are as
filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Peter would later
confess that the Jewish law was “a yoke…which
neither our fathers nor we were able to bear”
(Acts 15:10). Before a pure and holy deity who can
measure up?
The law was a “schoolmaster to bring us to
Christ” (Gal 3:24), and to show our imperfection
alongside his absolute perfection (Rom 3:10, 20).
Christ’s righteousness is perfect because he faced
the same temptations as us “yet without sin”
(Heb 4:15). A believer’s hope is in Christ’s
righteousness being credited to him by faith (Rom
3:21-26, II Cor 5:21).
“And being found in him, not having
mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith.” (Phil 3:9)
Show me how to get saved!
Bible Baptist Church International
448 N. Virginia Ave. Ontario, CA 91764
(213) 448-4456
Korean Pastor: Kyeong W.
Kim English Pastor: Michael Schreib
www.believers.net
BIBLE BELIEVERS BOOKSTORE
12235 Beach Blvd. Suite 3B, Stanton, CA 90680
