Pastor Cheri
Righteousness is the nature of God which was imparted into your spirit when you gave your life to Christ. It is a gift, a free gift from God to you.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Romans 5:18.
At the New Birth, when you became born again, you were born as righteous as God Himself. Your righteousness doesn't grow or diminish, you don't become more righteous as you grow spiritually. A baby doesn't become more human as he grows, he is as human as any human being. Same way, your righteousness doesn't increase as you grow spiritually, it's already 100% excellent which is the same righteousness as God has.
Righteousness is the ability to stand in the presence of God, without guilt, inferiority or condemnation. This is called right-standing. In this light, satan cannot accuse you because of this very nature of God in you. You stand bold and declaring all that Jesus did for you on the cross and how He paid for you so you don't need to pay anymore. Hallelujah!
Righteousness produces the rightness or character of God in the human spirit. It gives you the ability to do right. Righteousness is a nature which you already have in your spirit. Without this nature, you cannot live or do right no matter how good you are, you are still not righteous because you have the sin nature in you, you are not born again, God is not yet your Father, so you don't have His nature, His righteousness nature.
No matter how nice or good a person is, he cannot be righteous; but God does something, He keeps prgramming that person to come in contact with the gospel until he receives salvation and when he is born again, receives the nature of righteousness.
This nature is what causes you to do and live right. You do the right things because you have the righteousness nature in you, it causes you to do right. So your right living is not righteousness but a product of righteousness. Your actions may still be imperfect, but as far as God is concerned, you are as righteous as He is because His nature of righteousness has been imparted into your spirit. You have to therefore, grow up to maturity, that’s what God wants so you can dothings perfectly.
The quality of your life depends on your understanding of your righteousness in Christ. Your faith would remain at the level of your understanding of righteousness.
Turn to James 5:16-18
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and He prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And He prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."
Elijah held rain for three and a half years until the whole nation repented of their evil deeds. He was cognizant of his right standing with God, he triumphed against impossible odds and ruled over Kings and kingdoms.
Let's read 1 Kings 18:19-40.
"Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for He is a god; either He is talking, or He is pursuing, or He is in a journey, or peradventure He sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And He repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones He built an altar in the name of the LORD: and He made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And He put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And He said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And He said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and He filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there."
Our Scripture above in Romans 5:17 says, "...they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." With the nature of righteousness, you reign on life.
If you are ignorant of your righteousness in Christ, you can’t rule and reign in life. Therefore, make a quality decision to study the Word of God like never before, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as you study. Romans 1:17 says,
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
Lift up your hands and worship the Lord!ee