Does being made righteous refer to a status or a process?<\/b><\/p>\n
The short answer is <\/span>both<\/span><\/i>. Let\u2019s take a closer look at this great word, starting with its background in the Old Testament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In both Hebrew and Greek, the basic meaning of <\/span>righteousness<\/span><\/i> is \u201cconformity to a norm.\u201d In its biblical context, the norm that righteousness aims for is God\u2019s own just character and will for His people. For both God and Israel, then, righteousness (or justice) amounted to covenant faithfulness. Psalm 11:7 sums up its priority well: \u201cThe <\/span>Lord <\/span>is righteous, He loves righteousness.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But even as YHWH called Israel to righteousness, He warned her not to boast in it (Deuteronomy 6:24, 25; 9:4-6). Israel\u2019s unfaithfulness to the covenant underscored the gulf between God\u2019s righteousness and hers. Psalms praises, <\/span>\u201cI will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only,\u201d but confesses \u201cIn Your sight no one living is righteous\u201d (71:16; 143:2). It is God\u2019s righteousness and faithfulness that the psalmist trusts (40:10). As for human beings, \u201cThere is none who does good, no, not one\u201d (14:3).<\/span><\/p>\n The prophets record the same. \u201cAll our righteousnesses are like filthy rags,\u201d Isaiah laments (64:6). Daniel too: \u201cO Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face\u201d (9:7). But these same prophets predicted the restoration of righteousness by God\u2019s own. In Isaiah 59, God looks for righteousness but finds none, so \u201cHis own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him\u201d (vv. 9-17). In Daniel 9, the prophet repents for Israel\u2019s unrighteousness while rejoicing that God will set things right and \u201cbring in everlasting righteousness\u201d (v. 24).<\/span><\/p>\n Coming to the New Testament, we see these promises realized: God\u2019s righteousness is revealed in Jesus Christ. This is what Romans 3 is all about. Paul quotes some of the scriptures we\u2019ve noted above in teaching the gospel: \u201c<\/span>There is none righteous . . . <\/span>\u00a0all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God\u201d (vv. 10, 23). But in Christ, God\u2019s righteousness has been demonstrated for salvation, and through faith in Him, we are justified (declared righteous, set right with God; vv. 21-26).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Justification is our righteous status in Christ. Because we are united to Him, our righteousness is derived from and dependent on His. <\/span>Not I, but Christ<\/span><\/i> (Galatians 2:20). Sounding like the prophets, Paul sees his own righteousness as rubbish in comparison to that \u201crighteousness which is from God by faith\u201d (Philippians 3:8, 9). This righteousness was prefigured all the way back in Abraham: \u201cAnd he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness\u201d (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3).<\/span><\/p>\n But like Father Abraham, this righteous status is transformative. <\/span>A lived faith does righteousness too<\/span><\/i> (Genesis 18:19). This is the ongoing, conforming process that believers experience in Jesus Christ: \u201cBy one Man\u2019s obedience many will be made righteous,\u201d the \u201crighteousness of God\u201d (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Being righteous <\/span>in Christ,<\/span><\/i> we pursue righteousness and practice it <\/span>in Christ<\/span><\/i> as well (2 Timothy 2:22; 1 John 2:29; 3:7).<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 Jason Overman<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Have a question you’d like answered? Submit it here:<\/strong><\/p>\n [contact-form-7 id=”23927″ title=”Submit a Question”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Does being made righteous refer to a status or a process? The short answer is both. Let\u2019s take a closer look at this great word, starting with its background in the Old Testament.\u00a0 In both Hebrew and Greek, the basic meaning of righteousness is \u201cconformity to a norm.\u201d In its biblical context, the norm that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":26129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1222],"tags":[233,826,891,1013,134,1170,1289,1290,252,591,1288,1291],"yoast_head":"\n