Enjoy the study notes and links to part six of In Christ, Vol 1.
We are made THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in Christ. Righteousness is not something we possess in a measure but something we have been created to be in Christ. Let’s review the foundation of our righteousness that we established in our previous lesson.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (AMPC)
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
Righteousness Is a Right Standing
We are created in righteousness when we are born again.
Righteousness restores to man all that was lost in the fall plus a new relationship as son with all sonship privileges.
The Believer Stands Complete in Christ
- Jesus is our substitute — our sacrifice.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
- Jesus was made a curse for us.
Galatians 3:13
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
- Jesus was made sin.
1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
- Jesus was made sick with our sickness.
Isaiah 53:4 (YLT)
4 Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains — he hath carried them, And we — we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
- Jesus was made poor with our poverty.
2 Corinthians 8:9
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
The Bible Provides a Description of Our Righteousness in Christ.
Righteousness is a gift that must be received. It gives every believer the same standing with the Father.
Romans 5:17
17 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.
In righteousness, there is no condemnation.
Romans 8:1
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
We are alive spiritually and can live from our born-again spirits.
Romans 8:10
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:10 (NLT)
10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
We are not in debt to our flesh.
Romans 8:12
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
We can choose to yield to God and resist the impulses of the flesh.
Romans 6:12-13
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Righteousness Is Revealed as Faith Develops
Romans 1:16-17
16 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.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Philippians 3:9
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Romans 5:1, 9
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Study Questions
1. Michelle Steele said, “Righteousness restores to man all that was lost in the fall plus a new relationship as son with all sonship privileges.” What are some areas in your own life where the revelation of righteousness challenges you to take your place as a child of God?
2. List the five points that indicate that the believer stands complete in Christ.
3. How does righteousness give every believer the same standing with the Father?
4. Using the Scriptures that provide a biblical illustration of righteousness, write in your own words what righteousness is.
5. Describe the victory a person experiences over the impulses or demands of the flesh as they begin to walk in a revelation of their righteousness.
6. How does the development of your faith affect your understanding of righteousness?
