Righteousness is not something which you mentally believe that is yours based on what the Scriptures say. It is an actual condition of “right-ness” in the heart because of the faith which you have in Jesus Christ. It is a work of God in the heart, a miracle of grace through Christ’s redemption which brings you into right-standing with God. Confess these scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to bring revelation into your heart about who you are in Christ.

It’s like going to school and receiving a diploma. The diploma alone does not make you a doctor or a lawyer or a carpenter or a mechanic. You must possess that knowledge of who you are and what’s been done in you. You must embrace it and receive it. You can have a baptism certificate that says you’re right with God, a membership certificate that says your right with God. You can even quote scriptures that say you’re right with God. But when you are right with God, you know it. You must possess the gift of righteousness by faith. Confess and meditate these Scriptures, and ask the Lord to bring them alive in your heart.

Righteousness—(Vines) Dikaiosune is the character or quality of being right or just. As it is used by Paul in his epistles, it primarily speaks of “a gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God. This righteousness is unattainable by obedience to any law, or by any merit of man’s own, or any other condition than that of faith in Christ. . .  The man who trusts in Christ becomes ‘the righteousness of God in Him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)

Strongs OT 6663 & 6666—tsadaq & tsdaqah, to be made right, rightness, moral virtue, figuratively prosperity

Gen. 3:1-10 Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Gen. 15:6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Gen. 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come. . . (Jacob striking a deal with Laben for the speckled and spotted cattle.)

Job 29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was a robe and a diadem.

Ps. 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me whan I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Ps. 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Ps. 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Pr. 3:33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

Pr. 10:3 The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

Pr. 10:28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

Pr. 10:30-32 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth. The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

Pr. 14:32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.

Is. 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (by the knowledge of Him)

Is 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of grise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified.

Is. 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me wiht the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornament, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Note: (Bible Customs) Brides and Bridegroom wore a profusion of jewels and ornaments. When too poor to own them, they borrowed them from another.

Mt. 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Mt. 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mt. 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mt. 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Rom. 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 shall live by faith.

Rom. 3:21-23 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 unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Rom. 3:24-26 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

TS—If there is a justifier, there is a work of justification. Jesus makes us right, not just accounts us right. It’s hard to separate the two ideas, because it is a faith thing. Faith is calling those things which be not as though they were, but then they become what you say they are. God actually changes us. It’s the legal and vital side of redemption. God said “Light Be” and it was. God calls you righteous, and you are.

Rom. 4:2-12 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision. As he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcisied: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcisied; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.

Rom. 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

TS—Righteousness is peace with God.

Rom. 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom. 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Rom. 5:17 For if by one man’s offense 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.

Rom. 5:21 That as sin hath reighned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom. 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

TS—As long as you are trying to justify yourself, you are not free, because you are standing on your only weak, feeble filthy rags righteousness. Give up and let Him be your righteousness. He is your substitute.

Rom. 8:10-11 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Romans 9:30-33 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained tot he law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by tyhe works of the law. For they stumbled at the stumlblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sioon a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Rom 10:3-10 For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one the believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine herat, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, 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.

1 Cor. 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Cor. 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who know no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Eph. 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Eph. 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Eph. 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

Eph. 4:20-24 But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Heb. 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

TS: We can come boldly, because we are (right with God) righteous. We are actually re-created in God’s image spiritually.

Heb. 5:12-13 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.

Heb. 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1 Jn. 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.