May 2026
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” God has a righteousness, or a way of doing and being right. The word “righteousness” in Greek means: equity, character, and an act of justification. Righteousness is a vested interest God has in us. Righteousness is a position or place in God, and we are placed there ONLY by Him.
Proverbs 24:16 says, “For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” As the righteousness of God, you and I should have to let our “sin consciousness” go, and begin to realize that we have been placed into a place of righteousness by God. You and I have a right to be righteous because God placed us there!
The Apostle Paul understood this righteousness of God given toward the Believers. He wrote in Romans chapter 5:15-17, “But not as the offence [sin], so also is the free gift. For if through the offence [sin] of one [Adam] many are dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded to many. And not as it was by one who sinned [Adam], so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences to justification [being declared righteous]. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one [Adam]; much more they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Righteousness is what gives us the right to reign as a king in this life. This gift of righteousness is received by faith and not something you have to earn and beg God for.
Paul further said in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it [the Gospel] is the power of God to Salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it [the Gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” The Gospel is the Good News of the anointing of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel or Good News, the righteousness of God is revealed. Every time you see a demonstration of the anointing, it is the righteousness of God being revealed. Being established in righteousness is ONLY done by faith.
Paul goes on in Romans 3:10-24, “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous, no, not one, There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable; there is no one who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their ways, And the way of peace have they not known, There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ Now we know that what things soever the Law says, it says to them who are under the Law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified [declared righteous] in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets, Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all and on all them who believe: for there is no difference, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, Being justified [declared righteous] freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” What Paul is trying to convey to the Believers in Rome is that no one is or can be righteous in themselves, it is always God’s doing.
And the last verses I want to leave you with are found in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, where Paul writes, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; and all things have become new. And all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To know, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did plead with you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, that you be reconciled to God. For He [God] has made Him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
Our righteousness is not dependent on anything we have done, but rather what God has made us in Christ. I want you to say right this very moment, “I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST!”
No matter what you may be facing today, you are righteous because of what God and Chrisy have made you. I want to encourage you to stay in faith, stay in prayer, stay in the Word every day, make you daily confession, pray in the spirit for our nation, our leaders, and all who are in authority, pray for the peace of Jerusalem; and remember “God loves you; we love you and JESUS IS LORD!”
In The Service of Our King,
Darrell G. Harrelson