Practice Righteousness

Note from today’s Bible reading: 1 John 3

We have a choice to either do what is right or do what is wrong. As followers of Christ, it is important that we choose to do what is right.

However, there are many who have the misconception that if we are Christians, then the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us. This means that even if we do what is wrong, the perfect righteousness of Christ “covers” us so that God only sees that and not our sins.

It is certainly true that one can only be “righteous” if God declares him to be righteous. Yet who is it that God declares to be righteous?

John contrasted two different types of behavior – practicing sin and practicing righteousness (1 John 3:4, 7). Notice what he said about the latter: “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7). Righteousness necessarily involves action on our part. We must do what is right. Or, to use the terminology from earlier in this letter, we are to “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light” (1 John 1:7).

So practice righteousness. We can only be righteous if God declares us to be righteous. For this to happen, we must strive to be like Him by following His will that has been revealed in His word.