What does it mean that Christ is a righteousness higher than the law?
Orientation
Many assume righteousness is something we must achieve through our own effort or by keeping rules, which leads to condemnation and uncertainty.
- The law is holy and good, but it cannot make us righteous.
- It reveals God's standard and our inability to meet it.
- This exposure is meant to point us away from ourselves and toward Christ.
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
— Romans 7:12
Clarification
Christ's righteousness is not a better set of rules, but a living person given to us as a free gift, apart from our works.
- Righteousness is not a procedure but a person—Jesus Christ.
- It is received by faith alone, not earned by obedience.
- This gift establishes our justification and reconciliation with God.
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
Structure
God's righteousness is revealed in Christ, who fulfills and transcends the law's demands through sacrificial love, establishing a new ground for our standing before God.
- The law commanded love; Christ demonstrated divine love by dying for enemies.
- Christ's work accomplishes reconciliation, which the law could not.
- Believers are united to Christ, receiving His righteousness as their own.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
— Romans 5:10
Weight-Bearing Prose
The law’s function is diagnostic, not justificatory. It bears witness to the righteousness of God but cannot impart it (Romans 3:21). Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4). This is the core Pauline move: righteousness is now manifested apart from the law, though the law and prophets bore witness to it. Justification is therefore by faith in Christ, entirely apart from works of the law (Galatians 2:16). Any attempt to establish a righteousness of our own through law-keeping is a rejection of the righteousness that comes from God (Philippians 3:9). This is not a minor error; it nullifies grace, making Christ’s death of no effect (Galatians 2:21). The gift of righteousness reigns in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). Christ Himself is made unto us righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). Our standing before God is secured in union with Him, not in our performance.
Integration
Your standing before God is settled. It rests on Christ’s righteousness, given to you as a gift the moment you believed. There is no higher righteousness to attain, no deeper level of acceptance to earn. Christ is your righteousness. This is not a challenge to strive harder, but a reality to rest in. The pressure to perform is removed because the work is finished. You are reconciled, justified, and secure in Him. Let this truth anchor you. Christ is your life, your sanctification, your redemption. He is your all. There is no condemnation, only communion founded on His perfect work.