Today is Christmas morning and, as usual, I’m up early and reflecting on the wonder of Christmas—a day set aside to celebrate the miracle of Jesus. This year, in the midst of a tumultuous world, I celebrate the beautiful promise about our Messiah, the Prince of Peace.

In the Old Testament, God is called Jehovah-Shalom, which means The Lord is Peace. This was the name of the altar built by Gideon to memorialize God’s message of peace (Judges 6:24). There is something special about the many names of God, as each one reveals another aspect of His character. Jehovah-Shalom was used so His people could be confident that the Lord would bring them peace.

Over 400 years before Christ was born, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would also have this attribute and be known as the Prince of Peace, our Jehovah-Shalom. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

In the midst of all of our troubles, God is faithful and brings us peace.

"For in the gospel a righteousness from 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)

This is a profound statement—one that has the ability to revolutionize our lives. But in the same way, it is the most under-taught concept in the entire Bible. This is a key part of the gospel, and yet so many of us have no understanding of what righteousness entails. The gospel we’ve heard is only part of the good news, and when we fail to understand how we are righteous in Christ, we miss out on the transforming power of the gospel.

Paul exclaims immediately after revealing the gospel as the power of God, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last…” This is the way we begin with God and this is the way we finish by being righteous.

Righteousness is the “state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God. Integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting.”¹ This is what God gives to the believer. By faith we accept this as part of our salvation. The forgiveness of sins and righteousness are indivisible. “Here we are shown the inseparability of the two things: God imputing “righteousness” and God not imputing “sins.” The two are never divided: unto whom God imputes not sin He imputes righteousness; and unto whom He imputes righteousness, He imputes not sin.” A.W. Pink.²

Is Righteousness Important?