The good news (or “gospel”) of Jesus begins with the pronouncement that humans are not right with God. That sounds like the opposite of good news! What are un-right (or unrighteous) people like us to do? We are to call upon Jehovah-Tzidkenu, which means “the Lord Our Righteousness.”
Tzidkenu is from the Hebrew word tsedek. It means “right, righteous, declared innocent.” Simply put, righteousness is rightness—being and doing what is right. Because God is righteousness itself, He always does what is right.
Here’s how that truth (that God is our righteousness) makes a difference in our lives: First, we can glory in God’s righteousness. Because God only does what is right, we can trust Him to keep His word.
We can also count on Him to use His power to protect, strengthen, and bless us. We can expect Him to deal rightly with evil. In short, we can be confident that He will never do what is wrong.
Second, we trust that it is God’s righteousness that rescues us from our own unrighteousness.
Because God is pure righteousness, He can have nothing to do with sin (or unredeemed sinners). This would be a hopeless scenario if not for Jesus.
It is through Jesus’ work on the cross that we are made right with God. By grace, Christ takes our sin; by faith, we receive His righteousness.
Because of His righteousness, we become right with God. This doesn’t mean that we don’t still make mistakes. Yet despite our failures, God sees us as righteous in Jesus.
That is the rest of the gospel. Because none of us are automatically, naturally right with God, Jesus came and lived a righteous life.
Then He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. Those who turn to Him in faith, in a real sense, lose their unrighteousness forever and gain His righteousness.
If you hate to be wrong and love to be right, know that you will never be less wrong or more right than when you are in Christ.
In what specific ways are you grateful for God’s righteousness?
