One of the most profound truths in Scripture is that God “counts” or “credits” faith as righteousness. This concept, rooted deeply in both the Old and New Testaments, reveals the heart of the gospel: that righteousness before God is not earned by human effort, but received by faith.
When God “counts it as righteousness,” it means God formally declares someone righteous, or right in His sight, not because of their actions but as a gift received through faith, similar to a financial credit to an account. This imputation of righteousness is a key concept in Christianity, signifying a person’s right standing with God through faith in Jesus Christ, which allows them to meet God’s standards and receive His approval.
Key aspects of this concept:
Imputation: The term “counted” or “credited” comes from a Greek word often used in financial contexts, where a positive amount is added to an account. In this spiritual sense, God adds righteousness to a person’s spiritual account.
Justification by faith: This concept is central to Paul’s argument in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Romans. It means that a person is declared righteous by God because of their faith, rather than their own merits or good deeds.
Gift from God: Righteousness is a gift given by God through grace, not something that can be earned. Believers receive this gift through their faith in Jesus Christ.
God’s approval: To be considered righteous means to be approved by God. It signifies that a person meets God’s high standards for righteousness, which include His character, conscience, conduct, and commands.
Based on faith, not works: The example of Abraham in the Bible illustrates this principle, where his faith in God was credited to him as righteousness, establishing a right relationship with God.
Involves Jesus Christ: This righteousness is not merely one’s own but is a type of righteousness that believers receive through faith in Jesus Christ, who fulfills the promises made to Abraham and provides a path to justification.
The Foundational Example: Abraham’s Faith
The clearest expression of this truth is found in Genesis 15:6 (KJV), “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Here, God had promised Abraham a son and countless descendants, even though Abraham and Sarah were far beyond childbearing years. Abraham believed God’s promise, and in response, God counted (or credited) that faith as righteousness.
The Hebrew word translated counted (חָשַׁב — chashav) means to consider, reckon, or regard something as being true. In other words, God regarded Abraham as righteous, not because Abraham had perfectly obeyed, but because Abraham trusted in what God said.
This moment is pivotal because it establishes that righteousness, in God’s sight, is not a result of human merit but divine grace received through faith.
Paul’s Explanation: Righteousness by Faith Alone
The apostle Paul picks up this theme in Romans 4 and Galatians 3, using Abraham as the prime example of justification by faith.
“For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Romans 4:2–3 (KJV)
Paul goes on to explain that when God “counts” righteousness to someone, it is like placing righteousness in that person’s account. The Greek word logizomai (λογίζομαι) used here means to credit, reckon, or impute. It is an accounting term, God transfers righteousness to the believer’s ledger.
Paul clarifies that this righteousness is apart from works, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)
That means even those who have no righteousness of their own can be declared righteous by trusting in God’s provision, ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
The Fulfillment in Christ
While Abraham looked forward to God’s promises, believers today look back to their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Christ lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death we deserved. Through His obedience and sacrifice, He established a perfect righteousness that can be credited to all who believe.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Here we see a divine exchange: our sin is counted to Christ, and His righteousness is counted to us. This is what theologians call imputed righteousness, the righteousness of Christ credited to believers, making them right before God.
“Counting” Is Not Pretending
Some misunderstand this concept, thinking God merely pretends we are righteous when we are not. But Scripture makes clear that God’s reckoning is not make-believe, it is a real, legal declaration based on Christ’s finished work. When God counts someone righteous, He is acting as Judge, declaring their status to be righteous on just grounds: because Christ’s righteousness truly covers them.
It’s not that God overlooks sin; it’s that sin has been fully paid for and righteousness fully supplied through Jesus. Therefore, the believer’s standing before God is secure and real.
The Result: A New Standing and a New Life
Being “counted righteous” changes everything. It means:
- Peace with God:
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) - Freedom from condemnation:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1) - A new identity:
God now sees believers as righteous in His sight, not because of what they’ve done, but because of what Christ has done for them.
This righteousness also leads to transformation. Those who are counted righteous by faith are called to live out that righteousness in daily life, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Summary: What It Means When God “Counts It as Righteousness”
To be “counted righteous” means:
- God credits faith as righteousness apart from works.
- He justifies the ungodly through belief in His promises.
- Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed to believers.
- God’s declaration is legal, final, and real, not symbolic.
- This standing before God produces peace, assurance, and new life.
In short, when God “counts it as righteousness,” He declares that the believer’s trust in Him is the basis for a right relationship with Him, fulfilled completely in Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Were There Righteous People in the Old Testament Who Kept the Law?
The short answer is, yes and no. Yes, there were people in the Old Testament who were called righteous, but not because they perfectly kept the law. Their righteousness was always based on faith in God and His mercy, not flawless obedience.
Let’s look at what Scripture actually shows.
The Bible Does Call Some Old Testament People “Righteous”
The Old Testament refers to several people as “righteous.” For example:
- Noah: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
- Job: God Himself said, “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.”(Job 1:8)
- Abraham: “He believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
- David: Though David sinned grievously, he could still say, “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness.” (Psalm 18:20)
So yes, the Bible describes people as “righteous.” But that word doesn’t mean they were sinless or that they earned righteousness by the law. In every case, their righteousness was relational; based on faith, repentance, and a heart that trusted God.
The Law Could Not Make Anyone Perfectly Righteous
The law of Moses revealed God’s holy standard, but it also revealed human inability to meet it. Paul explains this clearly in Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
The law served as a mirror: it showed people what righteousness looks like and exposed their sin. But it couldn’t give them the power to be righteous.
Even in the Old Testament, the sacrificial system existed precisely because people did not keep the law perfectly. The sacrifices were a continual reminder of sin and the need for forgiveness (Hebrews 10:1–4).
So while some Israelites sincerely tried to live according to God’s commands, their righteousness before God was never based on their perfect performance, it was based on faith and reliance on God’s mercy.
Righteousness in the Old Testament Was by Faith, Just Like in the New
The key passage again is Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Paul uses this verse in Romans 4 to show that righteousness by faith is not a New Testament invention, it’s the way God has always saved people. Romans 4:16 says, “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”
So, Old Testament believers were “righteous” not because they kept the law perfectly, but because they trusted God’s promises, even when those promises pointed forward to a Savior they didn’t yet fully understand.
How the Law and Faith Worked Together
Here’s an important balance:
The law provided a framework for how God’s people should live, but faith was what made their relationship with God real.
- Faith led to obedience. Those who truly trusted God desired to walk in His ways.
- Obedience was the fruit of faith, not the cause of righteousness.
That’s why God could describe someone like Zechariah and Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s parents) this way, “And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:6)
This doesn’t mean they were sinless; it means their lives were marked by faith and sincere obedience, not hypocrisy. Their righteousness came through faith, expressed in faithful living.
The Old Testament Saints Looked Forward to Christ
Every righteous person before Christ was saved on the same basis as we are, by grace through faith. The difference is direction:
- We look backward to Christ’s finished work.
- They looked forward to God’s promised salvation.
Hebrews 11 lists many of these “righteous” people, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and repeats the phrase “by faith” over and over. The chapter concludes, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40)
Their righteousness was genuine but incomplete until Christ came. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection retroactively confirmed and completed their justification before God.
Summary
- Yes, there were righteous people in the Old Testament.
- No, they were not righteous because they kept the law perfectly.
- Their righteousness came from faith in God’s promises and a heart aligned with Him.
- The law was a guide and a mirror, but faith was what connected them to God’s saving grace.
- All true righteousness, then and now, comes from Christ, whose righteousness God “counts” to all who believe.
In essence, the way of salvation has always been the same:
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: But the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4). “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”(Romans 1:17)
That was true for Abraham, David, and Moses, and it’s true for every believer today.
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