“As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (Psalms 17:15).

If ever there were a reason for believing, for walking in the light, for making every effort to do what pleases God, it would be this: beholding the very face of God, being made in the very likeness of God.

This is the future of all God’s believing children.

It is by faith, and by faith alone, that a man is made righteous, and this in a threefold manner. But first, allow me to describe as best I can this happy state that Christians find themselves in.

Righteousness, or as some translations put it, being right with God, is that condition in the sight of God where you appear to God as though you had never sinned. It is like the Garden of Eden all over again. Sin was out there, yes; but you are not a participant in it, it has not yet tainted you, separated you from God. You are utterly and absolutely innocent, pure, unadulterated, and holy. If you wish to see a picture of original righteousness, look at Adam and Eve; they were naked and unashamed.

Believers in Jesus Christ are to God as though they had never sinned; no, not once.

We know from Scripture that Jesus Christ never sinned; He was always and completely obedient; never once did He cave to temptation. He was utterly without sin. Righteousness is that act of God whereby that holy state of Jesus Christ is conferred upon the believer. There is this transfer, if you will, from what Jesus Christ deserved by reason of the life he lived, to us who do not deserve it because of our sin. The victory over sin that Jesus won is by God credited to our account. The gold medal which was hung about His neck is taken from Him and hung on ours. We get the credit for what He did. This is righteousness.

It is written that He, Jesus, became sin so that we might become His righteousness. The point is, as He was–and is, so are we in this world (cf. 1 John 4:17).

Imagine never having sinned. That is righteousness. Think of Jesus Christ; holy, innocent, just; that is how God sees us. He, Jesus, is our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).

It is written in Scripture that God calls those things that be not as though they were (cf. Romans 4:17). So it is with righteousness.

A man is made righteous in three ways, or three steps if you will.

First, he is declared righteous. When a person puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ, God the Father declares that person righteous. They may be the worst sinner in the world, but God declares them innocent; He credits their account (ie., the account of their lives) with the righteousness of Jesus.

Then, there is this ongoing action where God, by His Holy Spirit, actually makes that person righteous. In real time, mind you; not just legally speaking. No, the person who is not at all righteous but is declared by God to be so, actually becomes that righteousness. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). So you see, there is this becoming that follows the declaring.

A person faithful to God and to Jesus Christ, as he proceeds through life in faith, actually becomes, in a progressive way, like the One in whom he believes.

Yet not one of us experiences the fullness of that righteousness until that day on which we come face to face with the Living God. Then, and only then, will we be fully fully righteous, experientially so. “I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” That is to say, when I awake from the sleep of death.

There comes a day, on which all those who have believed will realize the final outcome of their faith: they will behold the face of God in absolute holiness and purity. They will be as righteous as the Son of God Himself. And, as such, they will be completely like Jesus in body, soul, and spirit.

John tells us about this in his first letter. He writes, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

We will be like Him. Imagine that! This is something worth believing for, waiting for. This is reason enough to be living a holy life right now, constantly ridding ourselves of the things that defile us, of things that displease the Lord.

One day, perhaps soon, we who believe will see the face of God. When we do, we will be just like Him: righteous, completely and utterly so. This is what awaits us. In the meantime, we have the privilege of living as if it were true right now–because it is. This is the righteousness of God.