Righteousness -- Man's Greatest Need

"I do not need righteousness. I just need to know that I am safe."

Righteousness is the fancy word of "acceptance", and the greatest fear of mankind is "rejection."

We wanted to be wanted. We need to be needed.

In Christ Jesus, we find the answer to both.

Jesus Christ taught that righteousness is the  most important thing for us to seek:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6: 33-34)

We do not have to worry about tomorrow or the next day or ever again because this "righteousness" carries with it all the blessings of Abraham:

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. " (Genesis 15: 6)

Then all the grace of God flowed in Abram, who became Abraham. The same blessings will flow in our lives as we trust in His favor.

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54: 14)

and

"Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked." (Proverbs 10: 6)

God invites us to keep receiving this perfect standing of righteosness, one which puts to death our flesh and a sin conscience within every person:

"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." (Romans 5: 17)

The Youngs Literalt Translation amplifies the continuity of righteousness in our lives:

"for if by the offence of the one the death did reign through the one, much more those, who the abundance of the grace and of the free gift of the righteousness are receiving, in life shall reign through the one -- Jesus Christ." (YLT)

This righteousness draws us out of our fallen bodies and minds and brings us into remembrance that we are now perfectly accepted in the eyes of God the Father because we are in His Beloved Son (Ephesians 1:6)

Alcoholics Anonymous just points members back to themselves, and every day men and women enter the rooms of AA and chant "I am an alcoholic", when instead they need to rejoice and claim: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ":

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)