Many think righteousness equates to following the law, but this is a religious mindset. Living under the Law leads to death. If you live by the Law, the Law will require righteousness from you that you are unable to fulfill on your own, putting you in a position where you will be judged by that Law, and the Law is an unforgiving judge. But the good news is that Jesus came so that you may have life and life more abundantly.
Romans 8:3-5 tells us that God sent His only Son in the form of sinful flesh to condemn sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Matthew 5:17 tells us that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets, He came to fulfill them.
"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:21-24, NIV)
Righteousness does not come from our good deeds; our righteousness comes from our faith in the blood of Jesus and what it bought for us -- righteousness is our right standing with God.
Jesus + nothing else = salvation. Not Jesus + striving, or Jesus + how good we are = a religious mindset. Does this mean that as a child of God you can live however you want then? No, it simply means we shift from obeying the law to allowing Jesus to live His life through us -- we are ;living our life through Jesus' righteousness. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Romans 8:3-5 tells us that God sent His only Son in the form of sinful flesh to condemn sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Matthew 5:17 tells us that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets, He came to fulfill them.
"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:21-24, NIV)
Righteousness does not come from our good deeds; our righteousness comes from our faith in the blood of Jesus and what it bought for us -- righteousness is our right standing with God.
Jesus + nothing else = salvation. Not Jesus + striving, or Jesus + how good we are = a religious mindset. Does this mean that as a child of God you can live however you want then? No, it simply means we shift from obeying the law to allowing Jesus to live His life through us -- we are ;living our life through Jesus' righteousness. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).
