Righteous, dude!

“Since, then, we are made righteous through faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1

“Righteous, dude!” Yes, the surfer slang doesn’t come close to what the Scriptures mean by “righteous”. But, on second thought, maybe it conveys the feeling one has upon realizing they have absolutely been “made righteous” in God’s sight.

How can one come close to knowing they are accepted by God? It seems the utmost in arrogance to simply assume God receives everyone, carte blanche, without blinking an eye. We dumb God down to our level with such notions. We make Him some sort Casper the Friendly Ghost who occasionally frightens us, but is really toothless and harmless in the end.

God is wild beyond our imaginations, controlled by nothing and no one, playing by His rules alone. He sets the weather patterns for the day, paints the sunrise differently each morning. That same sunrise is a completely different masterpiece depending on where the viewer lives as well. Each person, because of their vantage point, receives a slightly different array of hues and windswept brushstrokes. God’s artistry is displayed throughout the entire universe, from the elegance of the tiniest atomic units to the grandeur of spinning galaxies billions of light years away.

And, as God’s magnitude is beyond all measure, so are His moral qualities. He is perfection itself. He decides life and death based upon perfect justice and perception. He is holy, unlike anything in His universe. He is unmade, and without beginning or end. Thus, His perfections never change, and He is always acting out of goodness. His holiness and unblemished love meet and we realize we have never even conceived of what meeting such a One would be like.

He, being fully “Other” than us is unapproachable. Being so different than we are, we are more likely to be mistaken about who He truly is than to be correct in our assumptions.  This unapproachable nature is not some sort of divine aloofness, but rather a product of complete holiness meeting with unassailable love. We mortals have no idea how to respond to someone of completely pure motivations who loves us without expectation.

But God, being full of compassion, made the way to know Him clear and without doubt. Though we fall short in every category, our motivations tainted by the sheer weight of self-interest, God has paved a pathway out of the canyons of our darkness straight into the light of His heart. He sent His Son into our own human form, with all His glory hidden, yet His moral qualities undimmed. He, knowing no sin or imperfections, had the beauty of His relationship to the Father stripped from Him as He bled out and died on Calvary.

Jesus, who knew no sin, and never was separated from His Father’s side, instantly experienced what each of us do day in and day out. Our sin, our utter lack of resolve to be continually righteous was forgiven in the moment Jesus gave Himself up for us.

So, in that moment, truer than a judge’s gavel signifying a “Not Guilty” verdict, the God who lives in unapproachable light opened the way to Him forever for all who simply believe. We are truly “made righteous” when we believe.

It does not say, “we make ourselves righteous”, or even that “now we can become righteous.” It says, clearly, unequivocally, we are “made righteous”! “Righteous, dude, indeed!” God gives me the gift to believe it, I trust Him that I am now able to come to His presence, and, in that moment I am truly righteous.

So, the Scripture says, “let us enjoy peace with God…” It saddens me how many people who say they know Christ don’t seem to enjoy it that much. And, sometimes, they make it harder for others to enjoy it as well. What, in all of creation is more glorious than knowing everything is ok between the King of the Universe and my small soul? What could motivate me more to live out a wild, open, life with the peace of knowing God has taken care of the big questions for me?

God’s deepest desire is to love each person on this planet. He sacrificed His Son, anguished over His death, all so the wall that separated God and humanity could crumble once and for all. Child of God, the war is over! The fighting is done! Love, love, God’s wonderful love has won the day.