JOHN SHIRK – To be righteous is to be morally upright.  The human race, however, has a significant problem.  Romans 3:10 tells us “there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

The Bible goes on to explain that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  If righteousness were strictly defined by moral perfection, there is no way we could wear this garment.  Thankfully, there is another way to be considered righteous, and that is to be declared “not guilty” through faith in Jesus Christ, who was morally perfect and died on a cross . He bore our guilt so that we might be forgiven. The Gospel is the message of how we can receive the righteousness of Christ through faith in His name to save us from our sins. Romans 1:17 says, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.”  Because of Jesus, we can be made right with God again with a heart that is devoted to trust and obey Him. 

Righteousness is a character quality that enables us to represent Jesus in the world today.  

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com