One of the more important phrases in our English Bibles is the phrase, “The righteousness of God.” Martin Luther claimed that a proper understanding of this phrase led to his salvation. But a word or phrase has no power unless we understand what it means. There are at least three ways the Scriptures use this phrase: 1) God’s essential righteousness that directs all His works. In all God does, He is righteous, for righteousness is among His essential attributes. When He condemns, He is righteous. When He saves, He is righteous. His wrath is a righteous wrath and His love is a righteous love.
2) The gift of righteousness that comes from God to all who believe. This is the righteousness of the Gospel and is set forth as distinct from the righteousness of the Law. In the Law, we must render righteousness to God; in the gospel, we receive righteousness from God. In the book of Romans, this righteousness is seen primarily as the righteousness of justification. That is, it describes the righteousness imputed to every one of God’s elect which makes them accepted by God and legally secures to them all the blessings of God.
3) A righteous nature given to every one of God’s elect. The “legal” righteousness of God makes every elect accepted by God. But salvation goes beyond making us accepted; it also includes fellowship with God. “Fellowship” means “to have in common.” For a man to know, love, believe and communicate with God, he must have a nature in common with God’s. 2 Corinthians 5.21 says that all for whom Christ died are made to be the righteousness of God in Him. The word translated “made” is the word the Scriptures use for the creation of the universe, and is also the word Satan used when he tempted Christ with, “Make these stones into bread.” This word goes beyond what a thing is merely declared to be and touches the very being or essence of a thing. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, every believer’s essential nature is changed: At regeneration, every one of God’s elect is created in Christ with a new and sinless spiritual nature which is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. It is from this new nature that we know, love, believe and communicate with God. In the flesh, we can do none of these things, but from a regenerated spirit, every one of God’s people does all of these things. In time to come, this work begun in us in our spirits will be brought to perfection as even our bodies will be made like Christ’s glorious body, and will no longer be a hindrance to our regenerated spirits. In that day, we will no longer feel compelled to cry out, “O wretched man that I am,” for in that day, we will be, body and spirit, like Christ. –Joe Terrell
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