“He made Christ, who knew no sin, to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified)
Righteousness means living by the standards set within a given domain.
Righteousness is evaluated by the source of strength for that righteousness; the authority that sets the standards for that righteousness; and the motivation (end goal) for that life of righteousness.
With the exception of God’s righteousness, all other forms of righteousness are standards built by humans, with strength and motivation (end goal) rooted in something else other than Christ.
God’s righteousness is Christ. The nature, teaching, life, redemptive work, and promises of Christ are the Standard. The strength to live like Christ is sourced from the Holy Spirit through repentance and prayer. The motivation and end goal for living like Christ is the glory of God in Christ. The glory of Christ means many people coming to faith in Him and beholding His beauty. This is true righteousness.
So yes, we may be righteous in our own eyes or in the eyes of our spouses, children, family, community, society, culture, institutions, religion, and nation, but the big question is: Do we have Christ – the Righteousness of God? Are we living to please any entity other than Christ?
Is our life like Christ? Is the Holy Spirit of Christ the source of our strength? Is our motive (end goal) for living right centered on the glory of Christ alone? If our answers to these questions are “Yes,” then we are saved – we have Christ, the Righteousness of God (Jehovah Tsidkenu) – and are therefore on course for a sustainable “Pentecost Experience” on a daily basis.
If our answers to these questions are “No” or “Not sure,” then the righteousness we possess remains filthy rags before God. Like Joshua, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to remove those filthy garments and clothe us with Christ – the Righteousness of God.
“Now Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel. So. the angel said to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have removed your iniquity, and I will clothe you with splendid robes.” – Zechariah3:3-4
Jesus also said in Matthew 5:20:
“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Apostle Paul caught this revelation of Christ and discarded the legalistic righteousness of the Pharisees in order to lay hold of Christ – the True Divine Righteousness.
“If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith inChrist—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” – Philippians 3:5b–9
Paul recognised that every blessing he received from God was not a result of his “CV”— that is, his past achievements, credentials, or background — but purely the result of his faith in Christ. Through this faith, he was granted the righteousness of Christ, which became the passcode to every good thing he received from God in Christ. No wonder, Paul ceased boasting in his achievements or in human credentials and chose instead to boast only in Christ. Just as Christ said, Paul, in working for Christ, saw himself as an unworthy servant who had only done the will of God. He consistently attributed everything he accomplished to the grace of God, which comes through righteousness by faith in Christ.
“For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” — 1 Corinthians 15:9–10
“So you also, when you have done everything, you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” — Luke 17:10
Using the model of the earth’s atmospheric layers, we can illustrate the various forms of human righteousness that exist outside the righteousness of Christ—the highest of which is religious, legalistic righteousness. This was the kind of righteousness Paul once possessed, where he believed he was accepted by God because of his strict adherence to Mosaic Law. However, when Paul encountered Christ—the True Righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu)—he regarded all other forms of righteousness, including his former legalistic righteousness, as loss and refuse.
The Model of Human Righteousness (Atmospheric Illustration)
- Personal Righteousness – the Earth (sea level baseline)
- Family Righteousness—the Troposphere (0–12 km above sea level)
- Community/Sociocultural Righteousness—the Stratosphere (12–50 km above sea level)
- Institutional Righteousness—Mesosphere (50–85 km above sea level)
- National Legalistic Righteousness – Thermosphere (85–600 km above sea level)
- Religious Legalistic Righteousness – Exosphere (beyond 600 km above sea level)
- Divine Righteousness – Outer Space (beyond the Exosphere)
Righteousness, in essence, is living according to the standards established within a given domain. It is measured by the source of strength behind it; the authority that defines its standards; and the motivation or the end goal driving it. With the exception of God’s righteousness, all other forms of righteousness are standards built by human – powered by human effort, defined by authority, and motivated by human goals other than Christ.
Jesus declared in Matthew 5:20:
“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The only righteousness by which we are accepted before God is His righteousness in Christ—received not by works, but by faith in Christ. In simple terms, we hear the word of Christ (the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation) and respond in faith by trusting, obeying, praying, and yielding to the Spirit in alignment with His Word. In this state of faith, God credits us with His righteousness and opens to us the door of His Promise – the Holy Spirit of grace and glory – bringing us into a sustainable “Pentecost Experience.”
Abraham stands as the greatest human example of this truth. He is divinely appointed the father of many nations because he received righteousness by faith, not by works.
“What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’ …It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.” — Romans 4:3, 13
Any other form of “righteousness” is, before God, like filthy rags. The idea, that God accepts us or grants divine inheritance based on our works reflects a legalistic mindset– which the Holy Spirit expects us to lay down at the foot of the cross. Our past achievements, good deeds, morality, may produce earthly recognition, but they are filthy rags before God.
“…When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags…” — Isaiah 64:6b (NLT)
“If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.” — Romans 4:2
Yes, “…not before God.” We are not called to possess our own righteousness but receive the righteousness of Christ. Paul describes this divine righteousness as the “True Righteousness.”
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24
The work of the Holy Spirit includes clothing us with Christ—the Righteousness of God. Every moment of prayer becomes an opportunity to lay aside all self-derived righteousness and to be clothed afresh with Christ (Jehovah Tsidkenu)—the Righteousness of God.
Repentance, therefore, is the turning away from dependence on self-righteousness and to receive the righteousness of Christ by faith – the passcode into a life of sustainable “Pentecost Experience.”
Enter now into a realm of rest—where the Spirit of Christ works through us.
“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” — Philippians 2:12-13
Written by Apostle Seth Fianko–Larbi, Resident Minister, PIWC Sakumono, Ghana
