God's righteousness imputed to us

One of the amazing news that the gospel offers us is that sinners are not just forgiven, that they are not just acquitted and then have to merit a righteousness good enough to please the Lord, it goes further than that. God demands that as creatures made in his image that we should be righteous, but what is this righteousness that we are to have? what does it mean for a human being to be righteous? and even more what is God's righteousness? John Piper helps us here with a clear definition of what God's righteousness is and what it would mean for us to be righteous.

'God's righteousness is his unwavering allegiance to do what is right, that is, most ultimately, to uphold the infinite worth of his glory. The same holds true in principle for our moral righteousness. We are created to have this same unwavering allegiance to uphold the infinite worth of God's glory in all we do. That is what it would mean for a human being to be righteous', J.piper, The future of justification pg 78.

This is the righteousness that God demands that we have, that is that we uphold the infinite worth of His glory. This is why its no surprise when the bible declares that there is no one righteous, no not even one... no one seeks for God. We have failed miserably and we have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images. We are all guilty of sin and deep unrighteousness. We do not have the righteousness that God demands so how does the gospel help? Remember I said earlier that the gospel is more than just the forgiveness of sins, its more than being acquitted, the amazing news is that in Christ Jesus God is favourable towards us and imputes the perfect righteousness of Christ unto us, so that when I stand in front of the Holy God, I stand with a perfect and true moral righteousness. God counts me righteous and this is not nonsense, but it is true and God justifies the ungodly.

So I beseech you to meditate on God's righteousness and at the same time knowing that this righteousness is also yours. You are righteous, stand in that truth and you can approach God at any time because you are no more ceremonially unclean but clean, without blemish, spotless because the Lamb is spotless. You are now a justified son or daughter of God. Therefore walk in holiness and be worthy of your calling. This should cause to to rejoice because you are free from the demands of the law but now you are in Christ Jesus.

k.oni