But now a righteousness from God, apart from law has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (Romans 3:21 NIV).
‘Righteousness’ is a word many use without a proper understanding of what it means. The world can’t define righteousness; it must be understood from God’s perspective. How can a man who isn’t righteous describe righteousness? It’s impossible to define what you’ve never known or experienced.
For many, righteousness is reduced to moral uprightness, often an exaggerated view of personal conduct. Some consider themselves righteous in their work; others in their families or communities. But these are human attempts to define something divine.
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The Scriptures tell us something important about man’s righteousness and the different kinds of righteousness that exist in the world: they’re as filthy rags: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).
That means every form of righteousness that originates from man, every standard built on human effort, and every confidence grounded in personal conduct falls short before God. No matter how morally upright one may appear, it doesn’t make him righteous before God. What then is righteousness? How does a man become righteous before God?
Romans 3:21 (NIV) gives us an idea; it says, “But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known….” This shows that there’s a righteousness from God and it isn’t based on performance or adherence to the Law. It’s something divine; it comes from God Himself.
Righteousness Study Guide
Romans 5:17 declares: “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.” The righteousness from God, therefore, is a gift. It’s not achieved; it’s received.
Pastor Chris Books
This changes everything. You don’t try to be righteous before God; you receive His gift of righteousness. It’s not about your efforts; it’s about what He has made available in Christ. This is the righteousness that qualifies you, empowers you, and brings you into right standing with God. We’ll explore this some more in our next study.
…Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father… (Revelation 1:5-6).
God has ordained you to reign and rule in life as a king. Not only does He want you to know you’re a king, He also expects you to live as one; it begins with having a consciousness of royalty. When you look at yourself in the mirror, tell the one on the other side, “You’re a king!” Learn to walk, talk, pray and live as a king, because when God looks at you, He sees a king! Remember, the Bible calls Him the King of kings; He is the Mighty King, but we’re kings under Him. Refuse to see yourself as a helpless, needy person; you’re royalty.
As a king, you’ve been divinely mandated to exercise authority and dominion over the devil and the negative forces of darkness. Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, “Where the word of a king is, there is power.” Your words are backed with inherent power to change any negative situation, and put the devil to flight. Kings talk bold; they’re not at the mercy of anyone, and it’s not in their nature to be apologetic. So, when you issue commands to Satan or decree a change in any negative situation, do it with boldness.
The Bible says you shall decree a thing, and it shall come to pass (Job 22:28). The Kingdom of God to which you belong is a spiritual kingdom where we reign and rule with words. Therefore be bold to make decrees; be bold to speak in line with the Word of God, and whatsoever you say shall be established unto you (Mark 11:23).
Living daily with this consciousness will have a positive impact on your prayer life.
Rather than “beg” God in prayer, you’ll pray like the righteous—with authority and power! The reason is that you know that by grace, He has called you to reign through righteousness: “…they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17).