Meet Katie Hernandez

Romans was the first book I read after learning to study my Bible in Equipped Disciple at Watermark. I remember I kept circling righteous(ness). I realized I didn’t fully understand righteousness and was trying to make it on my own merit.

I believe our journey through Romans thus far has led to these three verses. Paul just spent the first part of his letter explaining how not a single one of us measures up to God’s standard. If the book ended at Romans 3:20, it would be an incredibly depressing and incomplete read. Thankfully, Paul is just getting started. Here, he drops the mic on those who claim they can be righteous on their own. He’s purposely led up to this moment to talk about the righteousness of God. He also reminds us that all of Scripture was a loud and obvious crescendo leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus, the exact occasion by which it became possible for us to be righteous.

Righteousness is defined as the state of being in the right. When it comes to having good standing with God, there can be nothing in the “wrong” column. The Old Testament Law was put in place to show us what absolute perfection would look like and to be a reminder that we need God.

If I just consider that thought quickly (that I’m not good enough), my pride wants to say otherwise. But if I meditate on the truth of these verses, I am reminded of how terribly broken and sinful I am, and yet how incredibly whole I’m made in Jesus. It is impossible for us to be righteous, no matter who we are, how we were raised, or where we are from. And that is some of the best news you will ever hear. No matter how good or unworthy you think you are, being righteous is only possible through faith in Jesus. Come as you are. God asks you to change nothing. He will transform your dirty rags of sin and shame into white robes of righteousness. Through Jesus, we're made clean!