Righteousness, can we have it? Do we get it?

In the book of Romans, Paul writes in chapter three verse ten: “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one”. Does this preclude anyone and everyone from obtaining it? Can we be righteous?

We are able to be righteous, but not on our own or by our own strength. Anyone can be righteous. Everyone can be righteous, but there are conditions for our ability by itself is not sufficient. How can it be obtained for us? Is it possible for us to be righteous?

Yes, we can be righteous but our own power and will, cannot accomplish this. At least, not to the satisfaction of a righteous God although in many ways He doesn’t condemn our efforts. It’s just that there is nothing that we can do to be good enough compared to His perfection. Our efforts and our own goodness can never be good enough without Christ and His righteousness covering us with His perfect righteousness.

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

Isaiah 64:6

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The apostle Paul wrote again in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

None of us can hope to attain a level of being as some today teach that we can that is comparable to God and His perfect righteousness. The only way that we can be righteous is through the transforming power of Jesus and by accepting Him as our Savior. When He comes into your heart and your life, then you are made a new creation, righteous through Him toward God!

We can’t accomplish this on our own in any way that mankind has devised. Through morality, or charity, or any of the good things that man can do. None of them are good enough, even though the world looks at them as being good. In comparison to God’s perfection, they are not.

Yet, according to Paul in Romans chapter six verse twenty three: “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Again in chapter 5:8, he wrote: “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.

Can we ignore these things that God has done for us even though we don’t deserve any of them? God’s grace and mercy toward all of mankind is more gracious than we could possibly deserve. Truly, God could have just destroyed the earth and started over someplace else but He chose not to. We can’t understand why He did this or what His reasons are for loving us enough to be this merciful, but that doesn’t discount the fact that He does love us, all of us and He will never stop loving us.

What about our love for Him? Do we show that love in service or in dedication to Him? Why not? Doesn’t He deserve our love? If for no other reason, He deserves it because He loved us before we decided to come to Him. He loves you even while you are a sinner and He loved all of us in that way, before we felt the call to give our life to Jesus. God doesn’t require you to “clean yourself up” before you come to Him. Jesus didn’t ask the thief to “clean up” before he would be in paradise. He told him that he would be in paradise that day!

If He can accept someone who has done something bad enough for the Romans to crucify him, then we certainly are able to come to Him at any time in our life. There was no time left to “clean up”, all the thief did was ask Christ to remember him when He came into His kingdom and he did this in faith. Can we do no less than this? Jesus told His disciples that they needed to have the faith of a child but in many ways, that may be why so many can’t or don’t come to Him.

It is too simple and easy and they aren’t required to do or give anything for this grace. That is not exactly true. We are required to give our life to Jesus in exchange for His righteousness and forgiveness of every sin that we have committed or will commit. Giving your life or my life is not an easy thing because we must continually do it on a daily basis. That is what Jesus meant by taking up your cross daily and following Him because in doing so you have to stop doing what you have done before. Giving your life to Jesus is a daily process; it isn’t finished when you ask Him into your heart, it is just beginning!

I know that is not what many people have heard or been taught but it is the truth because that is what Jesus taught. Taking up your cross means laying down your life (your old self) daily to follow Jesus and it is a process that doesn’t stop until you meet Him face to face. As you walk with Him daily through your life, the process of laying down your “old self” will become easier. The beginning of your journey with Jesus will be a little rough because your friends and your habits will still be around and that will complicate things.

I am not saying that you have to get rid of your friends, but you are not the same person once you give your life to Jesus. If there has been a change in your heart, it will show and they will see it. It will shine through your heart and into your character so that the world will see that there has been a change whether you tell anyone or not!

When your friends ask you what has happened to you? All that you have to say is that “I have met Jesus, and I am His and He is mine!” If they want to know more, well, bring them to church with you. Show them some things that you have learned in the Bible. If you don’t have the answers for them, call someone who does and let them answer their questions. Your life in Christ is your witness to the world, but only if you allow Him to change your heart and your life into a reflection of Him. If you decide that you want to go back to what you were doing before, then there may not have been a change. You may have felt an emotional high when you came down the aisle, but that could have been it.

Only God knows the condition of your heart, no one else can discern your spiritual condition except Him. Give your heart to Jesus and He will strengthen you and help you to do His will in your life because you can’t do it alone and you won’t unless you have Him there.