Romans 1:17
For in [the Gospel] a righteousness is revealed from faith to faith; just as it is written, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
How do I do righteous things? Not by going to church, giving my money, helping the poor, or fighting against sin. None of these, or any other “good” things, are righteousness in themselves. They are merely acts of obedience that stem from a righteousness a believer already has in Christ. Righteousness comes from and out of the Gospel. As Paul writes above, it’s in the Gospel that righteousness is revealed. This righteousness is “activated” when a person puts their faith (that is, believes) in the Gospel of Jesus.
The Gospel, in its most basic essential form, is belief in the literal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Here’s what you have to believe:
1. All people are unrighteous by nature. This causes them to die (Romans 3:10; Romans 5:12).
2. Our unrighteousness, sinful nature, and death can only be eradicated by believing Christ died in our stead (1 Peter 3:18).
3. When I believe and confess these things Christ’s righteousness will be freely credited to me apart from any “good” deed or religious act I can do (Romans 4:5). I will be saved from my sin and death and given Christ’s righteousness (Romans 5:17).
Philippians 3:9
That I may be found in Christ, not having a righteousness of my own derived from religious deeds, but one which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.
Understanding the true Gospel is critical to a proper understanding of salvation because with out it there is no real power to be saved (Romans 1:16). If a person misunderstands the Gospel they have no power for new life and no real righteousness.
One of two things happens to a person that misunderstands the Gospel, believing that righteousness comes out of their own righteous deeds. They either become guilt-ridden, or self-righteous. The guilt-ridden person is worn out with religion. They strive to do right and participate in as many religious activities as possible, only to come up short of the peace with God they so eagerly desire. They are striving in their own strength rather than realizing that, in Christ’s strength alone (i.e., the Gospel) can their righteousness be discovered. The self-righteous person’s misunderstand of the Gospel does quite the opposite. These usually have a genuine desire for peace with God, but don’t realize they’ve found only a pseudo one. They believe all their religious activities and acts of “good” are achieving righteousness for them. Therefore, their “arrival mentality” causes them to look down on others, judging their weak religious works as not enough. They believe they are doing righteousness while others who don’t do the things they do are not. The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day were very much in this category.
So, back to our original question: How do I do righteous things? I can only do righteous things when those righteous things come out of my belief in the Gospel. I can only do righteous things when I realize I’ve already been made righteous in Christ apart from any thing I’ve done. I can only do righteous things because I’m on my way to heaven, not in order to get there. If I go to church, or give my money, or help the poor, or fight against sin I do it because I’ve been saved by the Gospel of Jesus, not in order to get saved by it. Then my righteous things will be righteous because of Christ, not me. Then God will owe me nothing and I will owe Him everything. Then my salvation will truly be a gift from God, not as a result of works, so that I won’t be able to boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who have truly been called into righteousness see things this way.
