The Gift of Righteousness
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Righteousness by Faith
Being justified, or made righteous, is a gift given to believers in Christ through God’s grace, or His undeserved favor, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forth publicly as a propitiation, a satisfaction for sin, through faith in His blood.
The gift of righteousness is a promise of God that the Bible gives us. And that righteousness is not received because of our good works, but by faith, by believing in Jesus and the power of His shed blood to cleanse us from sin. A sin free person is, by definition, a righteous person. This righteousness is called the righteousness that is by faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:6 But the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF FAITH speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Romans 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Whosoever believeth on him, that is, on Jesus, for the forgiveness of sin, shall not be ashamed, or, that is to say, shall not be guilty before God. Why? Because his sins, his guiltiness, his shame before God, have been taken away. If we are not guilty of sin before God, then we are righteous, or right with God.
By One Man’s Obedience
Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Let’s break this down. Because of one man’s sin, the man Adam, death came upon and reigned over mankind, causing them to be condemned before God. In the same manner, by the righteousness, or the obedience, of one man, Jesus Christ, the free gift of righteousness has come upon mankind producing righteousness before God, not condemnation.
A Gift Must be Received
Now, a gift must be received before a person has it. A gift can be offered but not be received, or, that is, rejected. The gift of righteousness is received by extending faith in the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from unrighteousness. Through faith in Christ the gift is accepted. It is not based on faith in Christ, and not on how many good things we can do in our lives.
Not by Works
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
By grace, God’s undeserved favor and mercy, we are saved, through faith, through believing in Jesus; and it is not of ourselves, not of us, but of God, it comes from Him, and it is not the result of the good things that we do, lest anyone would have something to brag about.
Faith versus Works
Many well-meaning Christians do not understand the free gift of righteousness. In our natural minds, we have difficulty believing that righteousness is not based on the good things we do, or, that is, our good works.
Many struggle to base their standing before God on all the good things they can do. And it is good to do good things. The Bible says to trust in the LORD and do good, But the truth is that we can never do enough good works to become righteous before God. Men have attempted it for ages and were unsuccessful.
All have Sinned
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The Bible has declared all to be under sin, so that all would be eligible to receive the free gift of righteousness.
Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Righteousness cannot be attained through doing good works. The promise of the free gift of righteousness is given to them that believe in Jesus Christ to deliver them from the sin that is upon all mankind.
What if I do something wrong?
God has made provision for us to remain blameless before Him, even if we sin. Now, the goal, of course, is to stay sin-free, but in life unfortunately sometimes we fall short of that.
But we know when we have messed up. The Bible says that if our heart condemns us, then God is greater than our heart. He knows it and we know it. But, by His mercy, the same mercy that made us righteous, we have a remedy.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we go to Him in prayer, and confess our sins, and repent, then He will forgive us and cleanse us once again.
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.