True, godly righteousness comes from God, not from ourselves. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 states, "For our sake He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
At the heart of self-righteousness is a lack of faith, especially a lack of faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of relying on what Jesus did for us, self-righteous people rely on themselves.
In the book of Galatians, Paul addresses a form of self-righteousness promoted by the Judaizers. These were Jewish Christians who insisted that all Christians, whether Jewish or Gentile, must follow the Mosaic Law, including eating kosher, observing feasts, and undergoing circumcision.
The passage from Galatians 2:15-21 teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ, not adherence to the law or self-righteousness, leads to life. Self-righteousness replaces the Gospel with human standards and leads to division and confusion. True righteousness is a gift from God through faith in Christ, who died for our sins and lives in us.
As believers, we must stand firm in the truth of the Gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of those around us. We should avoid compromising our faith to accommodate false teachings and instead live a life of love, empowered by faith in Jesus Christ.
Let us remember that faith leads to life, and through Christ, we are justified and made righteous before God.
