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Righteousness before the Law
by A.J. Wilson

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,” Romans 3:21

“And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith.“ Genesis 15:6 NLT

 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?” James 2:21-22

If you ask the question, “What makes someone righteous?” or “What does a righteous person look like?”  I would say, someone who does not sin, or follows all the laws.  Webster’s says “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin.”  We know that there is no one who can achieve that perfectly (Rom 3:23,6:23).  Yet perfect righteousness (Deut. 18:13) is what a holy God requires to enter His Heaven.  The only one to ever achieve perfect righteousness on his own was Jesus Christ, however the great thing is that God used Jesus’ perfection and provided a way for us to be righteous also. 

Romans 3:21 (above) awakened a new understanding of righteousness for me.  First, the verse said “the righteousness of God.”  The righteous quality we need is not our own, but we need God’s righteousness.  The rest of chapter three in Romans shows how God provides His righteousness for us.  Second, verse 21 declares that righteousness is “apart from the law.”  Verse 20 shares that the purpose of the law is to point out sins, and the law proves the impossibility of relying on our own righteousness.  Lastly, verse 21 says the Old Testament testifies of this righteousness.  Abraham is often referenced in the New Testament concerning righteousness and justification.  Yet he lived before the Law was given to Moses.  He was declared righteous (justified) by putting works to his faith in God.

The daily process of living this new life (righteousness) in Christ is called "sanctification" (Rom 6:22). Whereas justification is God's declaration of righteousness, sanctification is our development in righteousness. Justification is our position in Christ. Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ. (John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible.)

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