The righteousness of Christ is
the perfect obedience and moral purity
of Jesus Christ,
which is credited (imputed) to every believer
at the moment of justification.
It is the sole ground of
the Christian’s acceptance
before a holy God.
Because of this righteousness,
the believer is declared righteous in God’s sight.
Scripture teaches that sinners are not justified by their own righteousness but by the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Christ:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” (Philippians 3:9)
Paul also speaks of “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:22) and of Abraham being counted righteous by faith (Romans 4:5-6).
The righteousness of Christ includes both:
Both are necessary. By His death He paid the debt of sin; by His perfect life He provides the positive righteousness that is credited to the believer’s account.
Imputation means that God counts or credits the righteousness of Christ to the believer as if it were his or her own. This is a legal (forensic) transfer:
This exchange is the heart of the gospel. The believer stands before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ, not in personal merit.
The righteousness of Christ is essential because:
The righteousness of Christ is the believer’s only hope of standing before a holy God. It is perfect, complete, and unchanging. When God looks at those who are in Christ, He sees not their failures but the flawless obedience and beauty of His Son. This truth frees the Christian from self-reliance and fills the heart with lasting peace and joy.
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