Whose Righteousness?

This week’s name is The Lord Our Righteousness, Yahweh Tsidqenu. What a beautiful reminder that, although we’re not righteous, he is. That’s what matters.

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. – Romans 8:10 (NASB)

It’s about Christ in us, not our own righteous deeds.

Isaiah doesn’t mince words.

For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. – Isaiah 64:6 (NASB)

The King James version calls our attempt at righteousness “filthy rags.” Gross. Thank God, literally, that righteousness isn’t up to us.

How, then, are we made righteous?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, – Romans 3:23-24 (NASB)

From Genesis 15:6, we learn that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Yet it isn’t faith that saves us. Faith is how we receive the salvation Christ secured for us.

But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, – 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NASB)

The righteous are saved by grace, through faith.

 ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

For someone who’s trying to get it right, to be good enough, those are the most encouraging words you’ll ever hear.

¹¹ Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NASB)

This skit on YouTube says it all.