You are 100% righteous positionally, and yet you are to become more righteous (in your actions) each day.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6, emphasis mine).

It is possible for us to not thirst for it. To not hunger for it. But we are blessed if we do. It is not possible to be totally filled this side of heaven. If it were, this would be heaven. Thank heaven it is not! This fallen world we live in is insatiable for the things of this world. But we who follow Christ are to be satiated only by the things of His kingdom. Righteousness is one of them.

In Romans 9:30–32a, Paul says:

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousnessthat is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. (emphasis mine)

They did not believe Him. They just pursued correct actions as best they could with their own works.

Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3, 5, 9, 11, 22, Galatians 3:6, and James 2:23, all speak of how faith was accounted to past saints as righteousness.

“And he said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light’” (Mark 4:21–22).

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15–16).

“…you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:9–10, emphasis mine).

You are 100% righteous positionally, and yet you are to become more righteous (in your actions) each day.

Positionally, God sees you as the righteousness of Christ, because of what Christ has done for you. So, He sees you as completely righteous! That will never change. Yet, in the eyes of the world, they see you changing daily to look more like whose you are. Righteousness is by faith. Then, it is to be actions (internal and external) which portray the righteous standing you have.

Right about now you are saying, “I’m exhausted having so many different Scriptures in a row thrown at me.” The point here is for this to be a nail-it-down juncture. You must decide with your will that you will ask God to help you see where your actions do not match the righteousness He has given you, and ask Him to help you change your actions. Fasten securely all those verses on your breastplate. You can never know too much about Him! But, where you talk like Him, but don’t look like Him, you’ll look like a hypocrite. No one wants to be labeled that. Strive to have your actionable righteousness start moving toward looking like your positional righteousness.

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