Do you believe that your good behavior justifies you before God?
Religion teaches that doing good and cleaning up your act will put you in right standing with God. But if you look at what Jesus taught, you’ll find that true righteousness is not dependent upon your goodness. Cleaning up your outward actions doesn’t necessarily mean your heart is right. The Pharisees made this mistake. They believed that following a list of rules could make them righteous.
Matthew 23:25-26 says, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” (NIV)
A transformed heart, (an inner change) is what truly affects your outward actions. Understanding where the change took place and then renewing your mind to the truth of who you are in Christ is what produces real and lasting change at the spirit level.
The word “righteous” means, “right standing” with God. And it is achieved through relationship with Jesus and having total faith in His obedience. As a believer, you are fully dependent on Jesus’ completed work at the cross. Adding your goodness to His righteousness is NOT the Gospel, but religious tradition and doctrines of men.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” (NIV)
Righteousness is a gift from God. It is a result of believing on Jesus by faith.
Romans 5:1-2 states, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (NIV)
You see, your spirit had to change. The sin part of you that was dead and separated from God had to be made new. When this change occurred, you instantly left the position of a sinner and became the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! As a born-again believer, you have a new nature—the nature of God—and it is righteous! Praise Jesus!