When we talk about righteousness in the Bible, we need to understand where righteousness begins. It doesn’t begin with our ability to behave perfectly or prove ourselves worthy before God. Biblical righteousness begins with Jesus.

Righteousness means right standing with God. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we receive that right standing by grace through faith. Then, as we understand who we are in Christ and renew our minds with God’s Word, that spiritual reality begins to affect how we live.

That distinction changed my life when I was young, and it continues to shape how I understand the Gospel today.

How Do We Become Righteous Before God?

I was fourteen years old when I experienced a major transformation in my relationship with God. Two things happened during that season. First, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and received my heavenly prayer language. Second, I began to understand who I was in Christ.

One of the first truths that became real to me was righteousness.

Romans 10:10 says that with the heart a person believes unto righteousness. Second Corinthians 5:21 explains that God made Jesus to be sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.

That is righteousness by faith. Jesus made righteousness available through His death and resurrection, and we receive it by believing in Him.

One person said it this way: “The only sin Jesus ever had was ours, and the only righteousness we will ever have is His.”

Why Is Righteousness Important in Christianity?

Righteousness changes our relationship with God and, as we understand it, changes how we live.

I like to say, “Righteous living is a result of the righteous life; however, the righteous life is not a result of righteous living.”

We don’t earn right standing with God by first living well enough. When we believe in Jesus, our inward man is made righteous. As we understand that reality and renew our minds, we begin to walk in righteousness.

First John teaches that Jesus is righteous and that those who practice righteousness are born of Him. Our actions don’t purchase righteousness, but a growing relationship with Jesus should produce fruits of righteousness in our lives.

How Is Righteousness Different From Holiness?

Righteousness and holiness are closely connected in Scripture, but they aren’t interchangeable.

Righteousness describes the right standing with God that believers receive through faith in Christ. Holiness speaks to being set apart for God and living according to His ways.

Ephesians 4:24 brings these truths together by telling believers to put on the new man, “which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Knowing that you’ve been made righteous doesn’t give you a reason to live however you want. It gives you a new identity from which to live for God.

What Is Self-Righteousness According to the Bible?

There’s an important difference between God’s righteousness and trying to establish righteousness for ourselves.

Isaiah describes human righteousness apart from God as “filthy rags.” Self-righteousness according to the Bible depends on our own goodness, works, or judgment of what makes us acceptable.

That can never produce peace with God.

Jesus took our sin and made His righteousness available to us. We don’t have to convince God that we deserve right standing with Him. We believe in Jesus and receive righteousness as a gift.

What Does “Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness” Mean?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

To seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness means that knowing God and following His ways become our priority. Our goal as believers is to know God through Jesus. The more we know Him, the more we want our lives to honor Him.

Psalm 23 says that the Lord leads us “in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Proverbs 4:18 describes the path of the just as a shining light that grows brighter.

These are beautiful examples of righteousness in the Bible because they show that God doesn’t simply make us righteous and leave us standing still. He leads us.

Why Did Jesus Talk About Righteousness?

In John 16, Jesus taught about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He said the Holy Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Jesus connected righteousness with His return to the Father. Through His death and resurrection, He dealt with our sin and made right standing with God available to us.

I believe the Holy Spirit convinces people that Jesus is the righteousness of God and that righteousness is available to everyone who believes in Him.

That is why righteousness is such an important part of the Gospel.

How Do You Live a Righteous Life According to the Bible?

The path begins with faith in Jesus, but it continues as we surrender to Him.

Spend time in God’s Word. Learn who you are in Christ. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Allow Jesus to direct your choices and lead you away from wrong paths. As you understand what God has already done in your spirit, you can increasingly live in the light of that truth.

The righteousness in the Bible isn’t something Christians have to spend their lives trying to earn. It is received through faith and then lived out as we grow in our relationship with Jesus.

If you’d like to go deeper into this teaching, I encourage you to visit Charis Christian Center and explore my book, Romans, the Revelation of Righteousness. Romans is my favorite book of the Bible, and its message of righteousness with God by faith in Jesus Christ comes through loud and clear.

A Prayer for Righteousness

Father God, I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that He died for my sin, and that you raised Him from the dead and made Him Lord. Right now, I surrender my life to you. I will live for you Heavenly Father as you give me strength. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.