The title alone sounds scandalous but let me explain.

First and foremost, we become righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. He died for our sins on the cross and has made an eternal covenant with us of righteousness for those who trust in Him. Before God, in Christ, we are righteous.

But there’s another aspect of righteousness and that is sanctification. It is growing into holiness and into His likeness. When Jesus gave us His righteous, it’s as if we are given a pure, white, huge coat to put on. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we grow into that coat. This is what sanctification looks like.

We are covered in his righteousness, but we also grow into it becoming more like Him. And this is the righteousness and holiness that I’m talking about when I say, “we do not carry our righteousness alone.”

God calls us to be holy. This is plain through many Scripture like the following:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, (Titus 2:11-12).

But how do we say no to worldly passions and live self-controlled, upright and godly lives?

We do so together.

The truth is, when I’ve tried to live and walk in holiness by myself, I fail. I’m not strong enough.

We are at war and soldiers do not fight wars alone. They fight as a team. They fight knowing others fight. They fight knowing that there are others in their corner somewhere working to help them.

What does this mean as a Christ follower?

1) It means when I am in sin, sometimes I need someone to confront me as it makes me face my sin.

I’ve had this before. One time in particular I was drifting down a dark and unholy path when a fellow co-worker and Christian confronted me. I don’t think the motivation of that confrontation was pure. It was more complex than that. Regardless, I was confronted.

And you know what? I turned from my sin immediately. She saved me from going down a path that would have brought unspeakable harm to myself and many others. It would have been awful.

I did not have the emotional strength to get out of this situation. But her confronting me gave that spark to turn the corner.

I am forever grateful.

2) We fight for one another.

During the same time that this woman confronted me, I realized I needed to make things right. So I went to an authority that really, had he not handled the situation with grace and wisdom, could have brought great damage. I was giving him the keys of my life basically. It was scary.

I confessed my sin to him, he heard me, and responded. At first he was going to escalate the matter. Had he done so it would have been devastating. But if this is what he thought was best, I was going to submit to it. I would rather be made right with Christ and suffer than stay in my sin.

Miraculously he changed his mind mid-conversation. He decided to believe in me. To give me a chance to change.

His belief in me gave me the strength to stay the course. To not return to feeding on the food of pigs.

I am forever grateful.

3) We stay holy by living in humility with one another.

Many years later, there are several people who know my failures and weaknesses, especially stemming from this time. I have not hidden my sins but confessed them openly. Because of that confession and embarrassment, I have greater strength and a desire not to turn down that road again.

Confession. Is. Painful.

More than that, I know that if I am ever tempted and find myself in a compromising situation again, I can send them a quick text to tell them to ask me what I’m doing and hold me accountable. I can’t escape them if I tell them to ask me.

They know my sins and still love me.

I am forever grateful.

The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16).

We confess our sins to one another for two main reasons.

First, what we bring to the light loses its power. Especially when we “pray for one another” in the context of that confession just as the above Scriptures states. We need the power plug pulled on our sins.

Second, there is potential for healing. Things that are kept in secret grow. When something comes into the light it can be stopped, cleaned and there can be healing. We need healing.

This is what it means, then, to not carry our righteousness alone. It means

• Receiving confrontation by those who say something when we are in
• Confessing our sins to one another, walking in the light with one another and
• Praying for one another, caring for each other’s spiritual restoration and healing

When I do these things, I do not carry my righteousness alone. Nor do my friends. We carry our righteousness together as we together grow into the likeness of Christ.