Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
There are Christians today who are confused about Jesus' gift of righteousness.
They have been raised under the theology that we were saved by grace at the time of salvation, but following salvation, we now need to start changing the way we live and our behavioral habits to be called righteous. New Christians are taught they must now keep the laws of God - (the Ten Commandments), to continue to grow in this righteousness.
This is the mindset that the Apostle Paul is speaking about in Romans 10:3; seeking to establish your righteousness through good works and obedience to rules and regulations. It doesn't understand God’s free gift of righteousness that comes fully through Jesus' finished work on the cross.
Romans 10:3 declares there is only one righteousness of God that we submit to – the righteousness that comes as a gift through Christ.
As soon as we think righteousness comes through our own ability to live upright and morally, we no longer submit to God’s way of righteousness which is gifted to us by Jesus. Look at it like this – there are so many unbelievers in the world today who can live very good, upright, moral lives and they can do it by not even believing in Christ.
The reason God wants you to focus on the righteousness that comes through Christ is that it glorifies what He did for you upon the cross. A righteousness that comes through your own good efforts doesn’t glorify Christ – it actually glorifies self.
God wants us to see ourselves “clothed” in Jesus' righteousness.
This means by faith we see ourselves as righteous based on what Jesus did for us on the cross, not based on our behavior. You might be a new Believer and there is very little change in your behavior – you still find yourself doing things that you did before knowing Christ. Does this mean that you are not righteous? No! Your righteousness comes through Christ, not yourself.
In fact, I remember when I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I used to swear so often and as soon as I received Christ, nothing changed and I continued to swear! But over the course of time, something began to change deep within me. I now know it was the work of grace transforming me but I began to change from the inside out. I don't know when it happened, but I found my swearing had ceased.
I did not intentionally set out to change my behavior including my language, my thoughts, and even deeds, but over time God’s grace began to transform me from the inside out.
See yourself clothed in Jesus' righteousness. See your righteousness based on Christ and not your own behavior – this is what glorifies Jesus. The more you see yourself with a righteousness consciousness, the more you will see grace transforming you from within.