Genesis 15:6
And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

This is one of the great verses in all of Scripture.

It is so important that Paul builds on it in Romans 4 and Galatians 3. Why? Because it tells us plainly how a man is made right with God. Abram believed the Lord, and God counted him righteous.

That is breathtaking in its simplicity.

God gave a promise.
Abram believed it.
And God said, That man is righteous.

Not because Abram had lived flawlessly.
Not because he had earned anything.
Not because he had reached some higher level spiritually.

He was counted righteous because he believed God would do what God said.

That is still the issue.

The word translated “righteous” carries the idea of being rightly clothed. I love that, because it takes me all the way back to the garden. When Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked. Ever since then, man has been trying to cover himself somehow, to fix himself somehow, to make himself presentable somehow.

But man cannot rightly clothe himself.

That is why God clothed Adam and Eve. And that is why, ultimately, He sent His own Son for us. What was pictured in Eden was fulfilled at Calvary. Jesus was sacrificed so that we might be covered.

Isaiah 61:10 says,

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my soul shall be joyful in my God;
for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

That is what righteousness is. It is not me impressing God. It is God clothing me.

Abram simply took God at His Word, and God counted him as rightly clothed.

That blesses me deeply, because it means righteousness is not something I stitch together for myself. It is not self improvement. It is not religious polish. It is not me trying to make up for my failure. It is God placing on me what I could never produce on my own.

And that is why salvation has always been by faith. Abram looked ahead in trust. We look back to the finished work of Christ. But in both cases, the basis is the same. A man is made right with God by believing Him.

I also love how clean this verse is. Abram believed in the Lord. Not merely believed something about Him. Not merely believed a doctrine in the abstract. He believed in the Lord.

That is where righteousness is found. In trusting Him. In leaning the weight of my soul on Him. In saying, Lord, if You said it, I believe You.

And when that happens, the Lord does what only He can do. He clothes the naked soul.

So yes, righteousness matters.
But thank God it is His righteousness.

God thought it.
Jesus bought it.
The Spirit taught it.
Satan fought it.
But by grace, we have it.

Beloved, that is the wonder of the gospel. We are robed in His righteousness.