For the Christian, the most important one to be righteous before is God. It is the sincere desire of every practicing Christian to have a right standing with God, to be accepted of God. The only problem is, man is not capable of making himself righteous before God. Man’s ways and man’s thinking are not quite up to the level of God’s ways and God’s thinking.

Isaiah 55:8, 9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s standard for righteousness is beyond man’s reach. Man continues to fall short in his own endeavors to be righteous before God.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

The word “all” includes me, ministers, employers, family, peers, etc. ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So how can anyone ever be righteous before God?

Since man is not capable of making himself righteous before God, being righteous before God has to be attained some other way, if it is to be at all attainable. The way for man to be righteous before God is to have the righteousness of believing.

Romans 9:30 (The Bible in Basic English) What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith [Greek word pistis = believing]:

Man does not need to go after righteousness and make himself righteous, man needs to believe; for God made available righteousness of believing. But the big question is, “what is it that man is to believe to have this righteousness of believing?”

Romans 10:6a, 8-10 But the righteousness which is of faith [believing] speaketh on this wise,… But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith [believing], which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

To have righteousness of believing, we need to believe regarding Jesus Christ. We need to confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead.

Man can never make himself righteous before God. But God did something fantastic in Jesus Christ that made it available for man to be righteous before God. God made available to man what man could not achieve for himself. This righteousness is the righteousness of believing. And this believing is the believing regarding the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith [believing] of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith [believing] of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith [believing]: II Corinthians 5:21 For he [God] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his [God’s] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: I Corinthians 1:30 But of him [God] are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his [God’s] righteousness: that he [God] might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

If you are seeking to be righteous before man (minister, employer, family, or peer), you need to do what is acceptable to them. If you are seeking to be righteous before God you need to do what is acceptable to Him, and that is to believe regarding Jesus Christ.

We sometimes confuse being righteous before God with being righteous before man. My being righteous before God is not dependant upon what group I belong to, who is my minister, what Bible I use, what classes I’ve taken, etc. These things may help remind me of my righteousness before God, but only by believing regarding Jesus Christ am I made righteous before God.

Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith [believing].

Because it is righteousness of believing, boasting is excluded. It is not what I’ve done that means anything but it is what Jesus Christ did that means everything. There are no works involved on our part for righteousness before God because Jesus Christ did all the works needed. The only thing anyone needs to do for righteousness before God is to believe regarding Jesus Christ.

Anyone who thinks they are righteous because of what they do, are acting contrary to God’s Word. Anyone who thinks anyone else needs to do anything (besides believe regarding Jesus Christ) to be righteous before God is acting contrary to God’s Word. Righteousness is not something to be worked for or boasted about, but it is to something to be enjoyed.

Romans 1:16, 17 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 [righteous] shall live by faith [believing].

We are not made righteous by believing and then our righteousness is maintained by our works. The righteous are to live by believing. We need to continuously remind ourselves and believe that we are righteous in Christ Jesus.

If we honestly believe we are righteous in Christ Jesus, what we do will not be with the attitude that we are trying to attain or maintain righteousness; but rather, what we do will be with the attitude that we are righteous.

Not a boastful attitude of righteousness but a thankful attitude of righteousness; thankful for what God has made us in Christ Jesus. If we honestly believe we are righteous in Christ Jesus we will never doubt our righteousness before God, even if others treat us as unrighteous.

Whenever you feel unrighteous just remember and believe regarding Jesus Christ; that he is your lord and savior, that he died for you, and that God raised him from the dead. Then deal with life in that righteousness of God which is yours by believing. Eventually you will remember and believe regarding Jesus Christ before you even start to feel unrighteous. People will think you have great self-confidence, but you and I will know that it is righteousness of believing.