R is for redemption.

E is for eternal life.

S is for the Spirit of God.

U is for unity.

R is for restoration and reconciliation.

R is for righteousness.

How important is righteousness to our Christian faith? In the NASB version of scripture, the word righteous or righteousness is mentioned 580 times. In the New Testament, Romans is by far the book that speaks of righteousness the most (35 times in 13 chapters). Romans is a book of doctrine, a deep dive into the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course, righteousness is a major theme!

Another word that is closely related to righteousness is justification. In Romans 4, Paul uses the faith of Abraham to illustrate that righteousness is a gift, not something earned. God made a promise to him, and he took it on faith, believing and trusting that God would do what He said He would do. What was the result?

Romans 4:22-25 – Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

The death of Christ on the cross was the perfect once-for-all payment for the sins of the world. His death removed the power and sting of death that sin caused, and His resurrection signified that God accepted that payment, and in the place of death, gave us eternal life. When we put our faith in Christ, He justifies us on Christ’s behalf – He declares us righteous. He was raised because of our justification.

Sin brings death, but righteousness brings life. The righteousness of Christ applied to our account, making us righteous, brings life in two ways.

First, we are granted eternal life.

Romans 5:17-21 – For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through Adam, we inherited our sinful nature bringing physical and spiritual death. Through Christ, we are granted eternal life. Our sin has been placed on Christ and is paid in full through His death. Because He has been raised, we now, too, will be raised to eternal life, declared righteous in the sight of God, who now sees us as cleansed, perfect, holy, and blameless through the blood of Christ.

While we look forward to entering our eternal life when our unredeemed fleshly bodies die, we experience a taste of eternal life through the new life Christ gives us to live here, right now.

Romans 8:9-11 – However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit is given to us as a pledge of our inheritance to come (Ephesians 1:13). The righteousness of Christ becomes tangible and practical in our everyday lives here, as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, forming us more and more into the image of Christ. The resurrection of Jesus has placed the power of God in us, to live righteously.

What we are in position before God becomes practical. The righteousness of the living, resurrected Jesus becomes visible to the world as we live out His righteousness.

We believe that because Jesus died and rose again, we are made righteous in the sight of a holy God. This is our hope for entering heaven – the very foundation of our faith and salvation. We freely accept Christ’s righteousness for heaven, but do we embrace His righteousness quite so enthusiastically as it pertains to our life here on earth?

The resurrection of Jesus means we are declared righteous. As followers of Jesus, let us make it our daily ambition to allow this gift of righteousness to be clearly seen in us.

Romans 6:4 – Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.