What is righteousness?

Righteousness comes only from salvation in Jesus Christ. (See Romans 3:22). When a person is saved, Jesus, in a sense, is making a trade with us. He is taking our sin from us and giving His righteousness to us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” On our own, our righteousness is nothing, filthy rags at best. (See Isaiah 64:6). However, when we become Christians, His Holy Spirit lives within us, sealing us and clothing us in His righteousness. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that causes the Christian to hunger and thirst after righteousness. The wonder and beauty of this is that, on our own, we would never desire righteousness, never pursue it. However, due to the work of the Holy Spirit within us, as Christians, we ever grow in that desire and pursuit. And once we recognize that Jesus righteousness is available to us, and intentionally go after it, He not only gives it, but He also blesses us with more revelation of Himself and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (See Psalm 23:3.) Think about it: Holy God and Savior graces sinful humans with His righteousness and continual presence and then chooses to use us to make His name great—the unrighteous receiving His righteousness to accomplish His will for His glory.