Ezekiel Kimosop

Grace is the unmerited favor of God which we have received in Christ. The Bible teaches in Romans 5:8 that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is the highest expression of grace and mercy. We never deserved redemption but God in his loving grace found it worthy to redeem us from sin and death.

Righteousness is a divine gift that Christ has placed on all those who choose to yield to him in saving faith. 

Job declares in Job 29:14 "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem." Psalm 132:9 says "let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 

All these scriptures associate righteousness with garments that are worn. In Hebrew thought, to cloth a priest in righteousness is to declare them holy unto the works of God. They are set apart for the ministry of the Temple. In themselves, these men are sinful but by the ritual of cleansing, they are declared clean and holy and therefore acceptable to God in His service.

In the same manner, Jesus has clothed his saints with the righteousness of God which is the spiritual veil that covers our sinful nature. When God looks at the believer, He sees the righteousness of God in Christ. He will therefore not count us worthy of the punishment that He has reserved for the wicked. 

This righteousness is the basis for our justification before God so that we stand without condemnation though sinful. 

Romans 8:1-4 says "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 

Notice that the righteousness of God is imputed in us through Christ and is not inherent or innate in us. It is Christ's indwelling that makes all the difference. He alone has removed us from the grip and fear of condemnation so that we have a right standing with God even through we are not perfect. 

It is our relational position that underpins our righteousness and not anything that we can do or omit to do. Every child of God in Christ is therefore righteous.

How can we synchronize these two scriptural concepts? 
Romans 3:22-24 says "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" 

Once we accept God's grace and mercy and have yielded to Christ in saving faith, we are automatically declared righteous in God's sight no matter how sinful or wicked we were before. This gracious provision opens the way for a loving relationship to be built between us and our heavenly Father through Christ as we grow in sanctification so that we are conformed more and more to the image of His dear Son (Romans 8:29-30)

This is a powerful scriptural truth that confirms that believers have obtained the righteousness of Christ by His grace. This righteousness permits our eternal union with Christ in a manner that no human words can sufficiently describe.

April 14 2015 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Terrie Ensley Christ-centered counselor, licensed clinical social worker

Grace is the undeserved love our Father showers on us which is evidenced by the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sins. Righteousness is how God sees us as he looks at us (believers) through the blood Jesus shed for our forgiveness. So in summary: 1) God's love brought about grace. 2) Grace in action brought about our Savior Jesus' death and resurrection. 3) Jesus' death and resurrection brought about forgiveness of our sins. 4) Forgiveness of sins brought about our righteousness before God. 5) Faith is the only requirement for these gifts and that is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. HE DID IT ALL FOR US!

April 16 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Vicki A Bearden Supporter

Grace is the unmerited favor of God which we receive the moment we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as or Lord & Savior. It is a gift. Not one of us deserves God's grace, but because of Jesus' sacrifice, we have His grace. II Corinthians 5:21 says, For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. NLT. Righteousness is what we are made the moment we accept Jesus, if we're made something it's what we ARE. God sees us as perfect through the veil of Jesus' blood when we stand before Him. One is a gift, the other is what we are made.

April 19 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Eliezer Mensah

Righteousness of the gospel is transformative, not just a pronouncement. Righteousness of the gospel is God's saving action on behalf of his people and should not be limited to a forensic declaration. Righteousness is God’s transforming power. Grace reigns through righteousness (Rom. 5:21), of the service of righteousness (Rom. 6:18–19; 2 Cor. 3:9), and of submitting to God’s righteousness (Rom. 10:3). God is the king of righteousness. Think of righteousness like the heat, light, energy from the sun; God is the sun.

July 08 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Thomas K M A retired Defence Scientist from Indian Defence R&D Orgn.

Reigning in life is not a struggle. Receiving abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness are not a struggle. Let us therefore,keep on receiving. Righteousness is a free gift. A Gift cannot be earned. Anything that you try to earn cannot be a gift. The best response to the gift of righteousness is to say a big Thank you to Jesus Christ. This is to make you righteous. Don’t try to deserve His Gift through your own self effort to become a heir of the world. The promise is yours because you are in Christ. It is your inheritance. Like a gift, an inheritance can only be received. God wants you to receive your inheritance of all the blessings, promises and benefits. This has been accomplished by the blood of Jesus and His finished work at the cross. 
Rom4:13
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Access to the blessings of Abraham is not through our performance or our ability to keep the Ten Commandments. But through believing that we are righteous by faith in Christ. If you are not seeing the manifestation of blessings (in health,finances, relationship or career). It is because you are trying to earn God’s blessings though the law and your own performances. Our performance as husbands,wife,parents,employees is a result of believing. Right living is a result of right believing. When you focus on external behavior like 
o	Becoming more holy, fearing God more, reading the Bible more, 
o	serving in Church more, giving more money for charity

You are focusing on external behavior alone and dealing with superficial elements. Righteousness cannot be earned by good works. It can come only as a gift if you have to work for it. God gifts are unconditional. Righteousness is a gift because of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross for you. All your sins have been washed and cleaned by his precious blood of Jesus. You have been made righteous not through your behavior,but faith in Him and His finished work on the cross 
2Cor.5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
You are clothed not with your own righteousness. It is a gift that He purchased for you with his own blood. That blood is very special. Righteousness cannot be earned. What is righteousness? It is right standing, right believing and right living before Him. How we can have victorious life? Victorious life can have through God’s grace. Sin is evil and sin loses its appeal when you encounter with the person of grace. Wake every morning and give thanks that you are the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. The revelation of the finished work of Jesus will get stronger and stronger. Man will begin to enjoy the full benefits of the new covenant of grace. What is redemption? It is a part of salvation accomplished by Christ. Redeem literally means to buy with a price. The price here is Jesus Himself
This word "abundant" in the Greek is perisson, meaning "exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate." In short, Jesus promises us a life far better than we could ever imagine, a concept reminiscent of 1 Corinthians 2:9: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." The apostle Paul tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and He does it by His power, a power that is at work within us if we belong to Him (Ephesians 3:20).
Abundant life is eternal life, a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as Savior, and goes on throughout all eternity. The biblical definition of life - specifically eternal life - is provided by Jesus Himself: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). This definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, or occupation. As a matter of fact, the only thing it does mention is knowledge of God, which is the key to a truly abundant life.
What is the abundant life? First, abundance is spiritual abundance, not material. In fact, God is not overly concerned with the physical circumstances of our lives. He assures us that we need not worry about what we will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-32; Philippians 4:19). Physical blessings may or may not be part of a God-centered life; neither our wealth nor our poverty is a sure indication of our standing with God. Solomon had all the material blessings available to a man yet found it all to be meaningless (Ecclesiastes 5:10-15). Paul, on the other hand, was content in whatever physical circumstances he found himself (Philippians 4:11-12).

Second, eternal life, the life a Christian is truly concerned with, is not determined by duration but by a relationship with God. This is why, once we are converted and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are said to have eternal life already (1 John 5:11-13), though not, of course, in its fullness. Length of life on earth is not synonymous with abundant life.

Finally, a Christian's life revolves around "grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). This teaches us that the abundant life is a continual process of learning, practicing, and maturing, as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, and overcoming, because, in our present state, "we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror" (1 Corinthians 13:12). One day we will see God face to face, and we will know Him completely as we will be known completely (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will no longer struggle with sin and doubt. This will be the ultimately fulfilled abundant life.

April 15 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report