Devotion #6: That Is a Big Word!

Hey everyone, today we are going to talk about something that can sometimes feel a little mysterious: righteousness. It is a big word that gets thrown around a lot in church, but what does it really mean? It helps to look at Romans 3:27-31 to break it down. 

Paul, the writer of Romans, says in verse 27, “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Basically, he is asking, “Can we brag about how righteous we are?” The answer is a solid, “no.” There is no room for boasting in ourselves because righteousness (being right with God) does not come from anything we do. It is not like we can rack up a bunch of good deeds and say, “Look how awesome I am; God owes me.” Nope. It is all about faith. 

Paul goes on in verse 28, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” This is a huge statement. Paul is saying that righteousness is not about keeping all the rules perfectly. It is not about checking all the religious boxes. It is about faith. It is trusting in what Jesus has done for us, not what we can do for ourselves. 

That is such good news! If righteousness were up to us, none of us would make the cut. No matter how good we try to be, we always fall short. However, the beauty of the Gospel is that God’s righteousness is given to us through faith in Jesus. We are made right with God, not because we have earned it, but because Jesus took care of it on the cross. 

Then, in verses 29-30, Paul asks, “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one - who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.” In other words, God’s righteousness is not just for one group of people. It is for everyone. It is for the Jew, Gentile, religious, and non-religious. It is for anyone who comes to God through faith in Jesus. They are made righteous. That is amazing because it means no one is excluded. Everyone has access to God’s grace. 

Finally, Paul wraps it up in verse 31, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” Paul is saying that faith in Jesus does not throw the Law out the window. Instead, when we truly live by faith, we honor the Law because we are following God out of love, not out of obligation or fear. It is not about rules anymore; it is about a relationship. 

So, here is what righteousness really means: it is not about us being perfect. It is about trusting in the One who is. When we put our faith in Jesus, God sees us as righteous, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. 

As we walk through our day today, let us rest in the fact that our righteousness does not depend on our efforts. It depends on our faith in Christ. That is the beauty of the Gospel - righteousness explained, and it is all about grace.