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:

Righteousness is perfection. No one has righteousness in himself, for the Bible says in Ro 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

So today we are going to consider the righteousness of Jesus, since that is the righteousness that every true and genuine believer has in the place of his own righteousness.

Ro 10:3 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.

We need to understand, as our text tells us, that God has made Christ unto us righteousness, or has made him righteousness for us.

1. CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
   1. Ro 10:4 For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
   2. This verse follows the one we just read and explains to us the demands of the Mosaic Law concerning righteousness. It demanded that the hearer of the law understand it and keep it and to be perfect in every point of it before he could have any righteousness.
   3. No one can attain this kind of righteousness, and an imperfect righteousness is not satisfactory to God.
   4. But when Christ came, he met the demands of the strictness of the Mosaic Law, and he worked a work of righteousness before God and attained the perfection of the law. He also became a substitute for the punishment of the law-breakers so they could go free upon his own payment of their sins.
   5. So Christ is the END of the law for righteousness. No longer are we under the curse or penalty of the law but are free in Christ Jesus by faith in him.

2. THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS LIFE BECAUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
   1. How else could the Holy Spirit be sent to do a work in a sinner= s heart without the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
   2. He would have nothing to give to the sinner. He could not save a sinner or intercede for the sinner if he did not have a righteousness to give to him through the work of grace that Jesus did when he died, was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
   3. The Spirit of God is life. We cannot bring life out of non-life despite what our evolutionist friends tells us. What is true in the physical is try in the spiritual.
   4. We are all dead in our sins and trespasses, and life cannot come from death. But the Spirit of God is life through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which allows him to impute that righteousness to us through faith and to give us a new life and make us a new creature in Christ Jesus.

1. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST IS IMPUTED TO US WITHOUT ANY EFFORT ON OUR PART
   1. Turn to Romans 10:6-9 (READ)
   2. We cannot with our own efforts go into heaven to bring Christ down from above, and we cannot go down into his grave and bring him up from the dead.
   3. In other words, we cannot be saved by our own efforts, but God must send him to earth, and God must raise him from the dead according to verse 9.
   4. We must believe in our hearts that this was done by the power of God and not by our own efforts.
   5. Php 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
   6. Php 3:9 & And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

1. WE MUST OBTAIN OUR FAITH THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
   1. 2Pe 1:1 & Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
   2. There is no other way to obtain it but through the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
   3. Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

1. GRACE REIGNS THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
   1. Ro 5:17 For if by one man= s offence 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.)
   2. Ro 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

God has made Christ to our righteousness. Thanks be to God for that righteousness, because we do not have any of our own.

That righteousness is imputed to us by faith, credited to our account so that we do not owe anything to God for the penalty of our sins, although we do owe him all of our allegiance and obedience.

If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, today might be the day the grace of God comes to you and makes you a new creature. Trust him and be saved.

Then live for him. Dedicate your entire life for him and be serious about your service. Too many today are not really serious about serving the Lord.

Remember, grace will reign through righteousness unto eternal life (Rom 5:21). If grace reigns in your life, then you will show forth that righteousness.

That literal eternal life is coming soon for every believer. Today are you a believer?