 Righteousness for us is about relationship primarily and behavior (morals) secondarily. To be righteous is to be a covenant member and to live by the covenant behavior.
 Righteousness for God is about his saving power and covenant faithfulness. It also includes God’s “rightness” his moral perfection and faithfulness. But this is never said to be the defining bar that we must achieve. God’s righteousness and our righteousness are not the same thing. We are never told in scripture that we are given this righteousness but rather that we are made righteous (covenant members with the Spirit that enables us to live the covenant behavior).
 Justification is not about Christ making a full satisfaction to his Father’s justice on our behalf – it is not about moral standards being met (perfection) – it is, rather, about one’s status of membership in God’s people. Christ remains at the center, the living Lord uniting the nations under his banner, but the imputation of his personal and perfect obedience is not at the center of justification.
 The Reformed view of legal justification is individualistic. This covenantal or familial view of justification we’ve put forward is more in line with the text which talks about groups and not individuals. The west has tried to make it about individual salvation and the verdict about salvation that is pronounced in Christ… this is just not in the text.
 Justification is about new life in Christ rather than a judicial verdict of being forgiven or acquitted. Forgiveness of sin is an aspect or characteristic of this new life, but it is not the primary focus of justification.
 The letters of Romans and Galatians (and Ephesians) are addressing issues of fellowship between Jewish and Gentile Christians. This is where we see the justification language come up. These are not systematic theology letters telling us how to get saved. Paul’s focus is on “table fellowship” and covenant membership in the church, not the legal or forensic nature of salvation and forgiveness.