"In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, The LORD Our Righteousness." [Jer 23:6]
In Jeremiah, by inspiration of The Spirit, the prophet reveals another name/title of The Messiah: “The LORD Our Righteousness.” [Jer 23:6; 33:16] This reveals one major function of The Messiah, that is, of Jesus: that He is our righteousness. It is in Jesus, from Jesus, and through Jesus, that a man obtains righteousness. There is no other way. To this, the New Testament agrees, when Paul tells us, “but of [God] are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us…righteousness…” [1 Cor 1:30] Yes, Jesus is our righteousness, and it is through Him exclusively that we are made righteous. Again, as it is written, “for He hath made Him, [Christ Jesus], to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” [2 Cor 5:21] In Jesus alone a man is made righteous; this cannot be over-emphasized – as Paul wrote regarding certain truths, “to write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.” [Phil 3:1] Further, this righteousness is as Paul writes, “being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” [Rom 3:21-22] The righteousness which is in Jesus is the only acceptable righteousness, one that was witnessed by God even in the law, as it is said, “in The LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified;” [Isa 45:24] and again, quoting the Old Testament, “but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, ‘the just shall live by faith.’” [Gal 3:11]
This truth is exceedingly good for us who are saved. For it reminds us and confirms to us that it is not of our own merits that we enter heaven or please God, but through Jesus’, for again, He is our righteousness. When The LORD looks at us, He sees us through the lens of Christ, whom we are in. As it is written, “as He is, so are we in this world.” [1 Jn 4:17] The person that Jesus is before the Father presently in heaven, is exactly how God sees us, His children. We are in Christ, and Christ is in us: we are joined to Him, and when The Father looks at us, He sees His Son. Through Jesus, we are presented to The Father as “holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.” [Col 1:22] We are presented to God as the Israelites were through the high priest: “Holiness to The LORD.” [Ex 28:36]
Imagine that you were given an assignment by your boss. Imagine that your job depended on it: if you failed the assignment, you would lose your job. Now imagine too that the assignment was impossibly hard; and not just that, but that you were unqualified and inept at the position. Time passes, and the day comes when you must present your work to your boss. Afraid and trembling you sit before your boss, expecting punishment; but instead, you are applauded and rewarded. Your boss praises you for a job well done; when you receive back your papers, to your surprise it is not your work: it is the work of another, far more qualified and good employee, which your boss has attributed to you.
This is similar to what Jesus has done for us. For our judgment does not arise due to our own obedience or disobedience; rather, our judgment is based solely on the work and merit of Jesus. It is His righteousness that we are granted; and for no merit or qualification of our own, we are gifted the life, righteousness, and inheritance of Christ. Yes, we are attributed with, though we have not done so in practice, a perfectly righteous life: perfect obedience. Even as it says in Romans,
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after The Spirit.” [Rom 8:1-4]
And regarding the fact that we shall inherit that which Jesus rightfully earned, though we have not deserved it, we are promised too, “that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” [Rom 8:16-17] And again, Jesus prays The Father, “the glory which thou gavest me I have given them.” [Jn 17:22] So then, all our misdeeds and all our sins, all our transgressions – intentional and unintentional – in Christ Jesus are all utterly annulled, and we are granted, in contrast to our level of obedience (“for all have sinned, and are falling short of the glory of God.” [Rom 3:23]), the reward of a perfectly righteous life: of Jesus Christ. For He is our righteousness.