"Now this is His name by which He will be called;
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Jeremiah 23:6
A man asked a friend, "If you died today and God asked you, why He should let you in heaven, what would your answer be?" The man said, "Well, I've never thought of that question, but I guess that I could say that I've tried to live a good life." Then, his friend explained, "The Bible teaches that all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23). None of us are good enough to get to heaven. You must be perfectly righteous to get into heaven." The man responded, "Well, I don't guess there is any hope for me." His friend said, "Oh, yes there is. God gives us His righteousness as a gift, and we receive it by faith."
The righteousness of God is both a demand and a gift. If we break one of His commands, we have broken them all. "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). The commandments of God are like a chain pulling a car. If one link is broken, the chain is broken. Who among us has not broken at least one of God's commands?
There is good news for hopeless sinners. It is called the grace of God, leading us to the righteousness of God as a gift to receive. "The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). Faith receives the righteousness of God in Christ as a gift called grace.
Self-righteousness says, "I try to live a good life, and I'm better than others." Faith says, "As a sinner without hope, by grace through faith, I have received the righteousness of God in Christ." Faith knows how to be right with God.
LORD, we receive the gift of Your righteousness.
