Righteousness. “For the kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17. Righteousness is mentioned first because it is the only real foundation on which true peace can be established. This is an eternal law of God’s providence. It applies just as much the first time a person comes to God, as it does after he has been reconciled to Him to live the life of a Christian. Since righteousness, in common with all other things, has several sides, and since it is the most important aspect of our life here on earth, it is important to have an accurate knowledge of its nature and how it works.

Man, who by nature is corrupt and unrighteous through and through because of sin, is justified when he repents and believes in Jesus, without any personal merit or good works whatsoever, but purely by grace. This is God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ. This is how we are reconciled to God and receive hope of eternal life. How­ever, this does not mean that we have entered God’s kingdom, in the sense that righteousness is the element in which we live and have our being in our daily life.

In 1 Corinthians 6:11 we read about some who were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus; yet, in spite of this, they were unrighteous in their personal lives. Verses 5 and 8. “Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly.” Isaiah 26:10. From the above we can see that it is possible to be justified and still commit unjust deeds in one’s per­sonal life. To be righteous in our personal lives we not only need Christ’s imputed righteousness, but by being faithful to the Spirit He gives us, we take up the battle against all our unrighteousness, so we can be taught to be righteous—little by little—as He is righteous. 1 John 2:29. Now is the time when we are chosen and molded for the place we shall have in eternity. If we do not learn to do righteousness here, we will never learn it. For this reason it is foolishness when so many people so lightly reject it all by saying, “Jesus is my righteous­ness, and that is sufficient for me.” In the old covenant, the Israelites were eager to establish their own righteousness, and when Jesus came and offered them His right­eousness, they did not want to have anything to do with Him. Simi­larly, there are many people in these days who do not want to repent and believe, but who seek to please God with their own efforts. This results in the work of man. Imputed righteousness is not the same as personal righteousness. The first is the evidence of God’s grace toward a person, but the latter is the fruit of a life that is lived in obedience to the “teacher of righteousness.” We need to make a distinction be­tween what has been done for us—which is grace; and what is done in us which is righteousness. We realize that God has been unable to do a work in a person when he has been converted for a long time, and yet has not become any more righteous in his life than when he was first converted. It is therefore absolutely righteous of God not to give him any reward, but simply to save him into eternity, naked. However, we read that those who build with gold and precious stones will not only be saved for Jesus’ sake, but that their works which follow them will be to their praise. They receive a reward for their works because they are righteous.

Imputed righteousness is received by grace, but we partake of a per­sonal righteousness when we agree with God’s judgments, and then act accordingly. Isaiah 26:8-9; Psalm 94:15.