2 Corinthians 5: 21 (KJV)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Some Christians think they become more righteous when they put in more work or effort, and they kick themselves when they do wrong or couldn’t meet up with obligations. They try to obtain God’s righteousness by establishing their own righteousness by keeping rules and conducts.
Righteousness in the new testament is not the same as righteousness in the old testament. Righteousness in Christ Jesus is not about right doing, but about right standing; it is a matter of our position in Christ, not our condition in this world.
Righteousness is a gift and the nature of God imparted into every believer. We receive this righteousnes through faith in everything Christ accomplished for us on the cross, in his death, burial and resurrection.
When God gave us Jesus, He became our righteousness, thereby by we have the righteousness of Christ Jesus and we have also become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. This first class righteousness. Nothing could be better than this.
This is the gospel, this is the good news. He didn’t not deserve to be made sin, but he was made sin in our place, that we might become the righteousness of God. This is amazing grace! Glory to God!