He is our Righteousness
Orientation
True humility cannot be manufactured by striving or obeying a command, as the law of works only produces pride or despair.
- The law, even commanding humility, provokes self-effort which is powerless.
- Seeking humility as a work becomes an occasion for boasting or being crushed by failure.
- Both outcomes leave us bankrupt before God's righteous standard.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. (Romans 3:27)
— Romans 3:27
Clarification
Humility is not a work we perform but the inevitable result of seeing our condition and what Christ has done.
- God excludes boasting not by demanding more effort, but by instituting the law of faith.
- The deeper our faith, the deeper our humility, as faith reveals our desperate need and Christ's sufficient work.
- This humility comes from standing clothed in a righteousness not our own.
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:4-5)
— Romans 4:4-5
Structure
God righteously justifies through Christ's blood to exclude all boasting and make Christ Himself our righteousness.
- The law of works leads to boasting; the law of faith excludes it.
- Christ's blood is the final answer to every accusation from the Law, Satan, or conscience.
- Our standing before God is entirely due to His grace and Christ's acceptable sacrifice.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)
— 1 Corinthians 1:30
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core assertion is that God justifies righteously through Christ’s blood to exclude boasting. This is the definitive Pauline move: establishing the law of faith against the law of works. The blood of Jesus is the propitiation, the acceptable sacrifice that answers every claim of divine justice and the Law. Faith in this blood is not a minor detail but the heart of the gospel. To trust in anything else—even our own repentance or humility—is to deny Christ’s sufficiency and reintroduce boasting. This justification is not merely forensic but constitutes our standing: Christ Himself is made our righteousness. The cause-effect chain is clear: deep faith in Christ’s blood leads to recognition of our deserved condition, which produces true humility. God’s righteous justification through grace provides the basis for our standing, excluding any works-based claim.
Integration
Your assurance rests entirely on Christ and His finished work. He is your righteousness. There is no pressure to manufacture humility or any other virtue. The work is complete. The blood of Jesus has answered every accusation. You are clothed in a righteousness not your own, a righteousness that answers every demand. This is your peace. Your only response is worship and gratitude for what God has done. Rest here. Christ alone is your standing before God.