Since I learned that the devil is trying to ruin my reputation, God gave me a fresh revelation of righteousness and where it comes from.
To be righteous means to be made right with God. It is sometimes interchanged with the word holy.
How do we become righteous?
Romans 3:20 says that we cannot become righteous by keeping the law. Verse 22 of the same chapter says that we are made right with God by placing our faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 4:5 confirms that our righteousness comes from God when it says that people are counted as righteous because of their faith in God.
Clearly, the Lord is our righteousness (see Jeremiah 23:6)
When we accept Jesus as savior, we get a clean slate and God declares us to be righteous. He exchanges our sins for his righteousness. Righteous character is therefore the fruit of salvation (see Philippians 1:11).
Zechariah 3 shows Satan accusing Jeshua, the high priest, before the Lord's angel. Jeshua was sinful, but the angel removed his sin and changed his dirty clothing into new clothes. This explains 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation because old things have passed away.
In short,
You+Jesus=Righteousness
You-Jesus=Righteousness
However, God's righteousness is not an excuse to sin. We have to maintain our righteousness. We are called to be living epistles to the world so that we can win others to Christ. Romans 2:24 says that when unbelievers see Christians living in sin, they blaspheme God's name.
Don't allow God's name to be blasphemed because of your sin!
Moreover, in Romans 8:33-34, God tells us that Satan's accusation and condemnation are useless. "No one can accuse those whom God has chosen because God has given us right standing with himself. No one can condemn us because Christ died for us and was raised to life for us."
RESOURCE:
Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen
The Pursuit of Holiness
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