Church: The Community of the Righteous

The church, in relation to the world, stands as the community of the righteous. Not the self-righteous but the righteous. Righteousness does not describe our relationship to our own goodness or moral standing. Righteousness describes our relationship to or standing before God. It signifies right relationship with God. Right relationship subsists in God’s holy grace and our broken repentance or humility. So the church, in relation to the world, stands as the community of those who know and proclaim God’s holiness and grace – the community of those who know and proclaim that righteousness, including their own, subsists not in moral achievement but in brokenness and humility in the face of God’s holiness and grace.