“I am the righteousness of God!”
I hear these words quite often. It is one of the most quoted scriptures in the Bible today.
Are we the righteousness of God? The word of God says we are.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says; For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Today, as I meditated on this scripture, a few of the words jumped out at me.
Become means to begin to be or to come to pass. Could it be that being made the righteousness of God is often a process? One that begins with making Jesus Lord of our life. It is only through Him that we can be made righteous.
Righteousness is defined as integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting. It is one whose thinking, feeling and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God.
The word in denotes a fixed position.
If we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and we are, then our thinking, feeling and acting should reflect that truth. True righteousness is reflected in our thoughts, our emotions and our actions. I believe the key to this scripture lies in the phrase in Him.
Think about it this way. When you put on a jacket or a coat, those items can only do what you do. Why? Because you are in them. So it is with us when we are in Christ. We can only do what He does because we are in Him.
Romans 13:14 says; But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
If we are going to walk as the righteousness of God, we must be in Christ…that fixed position of staying in Him. And we must put on His nature. His way of thinking, feeling and acting.
As we do this, we will find we become more like Him day after day. Our thoughts, feelings and actions will become like His. Then the righteousness of God will be evident in our life.
Ephesians 5:8-10 says; For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
As I have said recently, we are in a time of great harvest. I also believe we are in a time of great pruning. Those who are walking with God and following His word will see and partake of a great time of harvest. Those who have been playing church will not.
Those who have been shouting “I am the righteousness of God” without their thoughts, feelings and actions lining up with the word of God will have a rude awakening. They will see the great move of God, but not eat of it.
It is as it has always been, from the beginning of time. It is about relationship. You cannot walk as the righteousness of God without having a relationship with God. It is in Him that our lives are drastically changed. They will not be changed without relationship.
Matthew 5:6 says; Bless are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
I love this scripture! You will never have a relationship with God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit until you hunger for one. When you begin to hunger to be more like Jesus, the word of God says, God will fill that hunger.
To bless means to empower to prosper. When you begin to hunger for righteousness, for your thoughts, feelings and actions to conform wholly to God’s will, things will change. God will empower you to conform wholly with His word. You will walk, talk and act like Jesus! Doing the same things He did and as He said, even greater things will you do.
Let’s remember, and not forget, what it truly means to be the righteousness of God. First of all, we must be in Christ. Secondly, our thoughts, feelings and actions must wholly conform to God’s will. We will walk, talk and act just like Jesus. For in Him, and in Him alone, we are the righteousness of God.
May the vision of your heart replace the limitations of your eyes. – K Potter
