Declared Righteous
In Romans 4:6 and 24 we see that God declares us righteous. In the King James Version of the Bible, the word used is “impute,” and in the Amplified Bible the word used is “credit.” I like the word “declare” because it is a very descriptive word of what God has actually done for us.
It is not our worth but the worth of Christ deposited to our account and is ours, even though we didn’t earn it. We did nothing to justify righteousness being added to our account with the Lord. It is all by His own desire and doing. He has deposited righteousness to our account. It is in there like an amount of money someone would deposit in our bank account because they wanted to do it. We did not work for it or deserve it from the standpoint of earning it. It is simply there, placed by our wonderful Lord God. Righteousness has been declared to our account, even though we did not earn it.
The greatest news is that this righteousness is an unending supply which has been deposited to our account. It will never run out or be “in the red.” God has made a never-ending deposit because He loves us.
When we accept that deposit by accepting Jesus as our Savior, we are signing our name on the dotted line and saying that we accept the unending supply. Isn’t that the greatest news you ever heard in your life! I think it is.
Let’s make sure we all understand what righteousness is. It is the ability of God to do everything right. It is being in right standing with God as though we have never sinned. Think about that. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see a sinner; He sees His child. It is God’s rightness. It is being right. This privilege is available to every person on the face of this earth. All anyone has to do is to accept God’s terms and live His life by those terms. They are spelled out very clearly in this manual He has given us. It is called the Holy Bible, the Word of God, the scriptures. He has shown us exactly how to live successfully here on this earth. What a God we serve! I love it!
I know you could find many scriptures on righteousness, but I want to point out several to you.
We will start with 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who has reconciled (brought us back to) us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation
To wit (know) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing (holding against them) their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.
And we quote Romans 4:6 and 24 to which we referred earlier.
Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes (declares) righteousness with works.
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed (declared), if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.
And finally, we look at Ephesians 2:8,9.
For by grace are you saved though faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
We can boast in our God and the righteousness that He has given us.
It is not our worth but the worth of Christ deposited to our account and is ours, even though we didn’t earn it. We did nothing to justify righteousness being added to our account with the Lord. It is all by His own desire and doing. He has deposited righteousness to our account. It is in there like an amount of money someone would deposit in our bank account because they wanted to do it. We did not work for it or deserve it from the standpoint of earning it. It is simply there, placed by our wonderful Lord God. Righteousness has been declared to our account, even though we did not earn it.
The greatest news is that this righteousness is an unending supply which has been deposited to our account. It will never run out or be “in the red.” God has made a never-ending deposit because He loves us.
When we accept that deposit by accepting Jesus as our Savior, we are signing our name on the dotted line and saying that we accept the unending supply. Isn’t that the greatest news you ever heard in your life! I think it is.
Let’s make sure we all understand what righteousness is. It is the ability of God to do everything right. It is being in right standing with God as though we have never sinned. Think about that. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see a sinner; He sees His child. It is God’s rightness. It is being right. This privilege is available to every person on the face of this earth. All anyone has to do is to accept God’s terms and live His life by those terms. They are spelled out very clearly in this manual He has given us. It is called the Holy Bible, the Word of God, the scriptures. He has shown us exactly how to live successfully here on this earth. What a God we serve! I love it!
I know you could find many scriptures on righteousness, but I want to point out several to you.
We will start with 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who has reconciled (brought us back to) us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation
To wit (know) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing (holding against them) their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.
And we quote Romans 4:6 and 24 to which we referred earlier.
Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes (declares) righteousness with works.
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed (declared), if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.
And finally, we look at Ephesians 2:8,9.
For by grace are you saved though faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
We can boast in our God and the righteousness that He has given us.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 7:34 PM
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