Living From God’s Rightness

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” — Romans 1:17 (NIV)

If I were to ask whether you like being right, I’m pretty sure I’d get a near‑unanimous yes. We like being right about silly things—who remembered the lyrics correctly, who predicted the weather, who called the winner of a game. And we especially like being right about the things that matter—our choices, our values, our sense of direction in life.

But there’s “being right,” and then there’s being spiritually right. One is about winning an argument or proving a point. The other is about standing in a relationship of trust with God. One is about our effort; the other is about God’s grace.

In today’s verse, Paul talks about the “righteousness of God,” and he doesn’t mean moral scorekeeping. He means God’s own right‑ness—God’s faithfulness to set things right, to heal what’s broken, to restore what’s lost, to draw us back into relationship. In Jesus—his life, death, and resurrection—we see that right‑ness revealed. We see God’s heart on full display. We see that righteousness isn't a standard we climb toward, but a blessing God hands to us with open hands.

Paul says this righteousness is “by faith from first to last.” Faith here isn’t about having perfect beliefs or airtight certainty. It’s about trust—leaning the load of your life on God’s goodness. We begin in trust, we continue in trust, and we finish in trust. There’s no point at which we graduate into self‑reliance.

And when we know that God’s rightness—not ours—is the foundation of our lives, something changes. We stop trying to prove ourselves and start resting in grace. We stop measuring our worth by comparison and start seeing ourselves as beloved. We stop living anxiously and start living responsively—open to the Spirit’s nudges, willing to grow, willing to love. This is what it means to “live by faith.” Not perfection — though we’re always moving toward it. Not certainty. Trust. Dependence. A daily leaning into the God who has already made things right.

Living by faith means awakening each day and saying, “God, I trust your rightness more than my own. Shape me today. Lead me today. Love through me today.”

Righteous God, thank you for revealing your heart to us in Jesus. Free us from the pressure to prove ourselves and teach us to trust the grace that makes us whole. Help us to live each day by faith—resting in your rightness, formed by your love, and open to your Spirit’s work within us. Make our lives a witness to the goodness you have already begun. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim