Acquiesce to Righteousness

The Case Against Both Imputed and Imparted Righteousness
This section is a precis of N. T. Wright's work in "What Saint Paul Really Said".
Wright, one of the best-known advocates of the New Perspective on Paul, teaches that
"righteousness of God" and "righteousness from God" are distinct concepts that have
been confused and conflated in the past. He relates the court-room metaphor, pointing
out that there are three parties in the Hebrew court - two parties in disagreement and
one judge (there is no "Prosecuting Attorney"). The judge decides the dispute between
the parties declaring one to be correct and the other incorrect. The one who is declared
"correct" in court is called "righteous" in the matter that was judged.
The "righteousness of God", referring to God's (the judge's) faithfulness to the covenant
relationship, can be neither imputed nor imparted to anybody but refers only to his role
as judge. "Righteousness from God" is roughly equivalent to "vindication", meaning that
God is pronouncing that particular party to be correct/vindicated/righteous/acquitted in
their dispute with the other party.
The dispute in question in Christian theology is between those of faith (in God's
promises: the covenant, the Messiah), and "the wicked," meaning everyone else. Paul
posited that the people of such faith are vindicated when Messiah returns, being
declared "righteous" (or in other words, vindicated for their stance), which is exactly the
meaning of the Biblical term "justified", in Wright's view.
This means that we do not "receive" the righteousness of God (or as often expressed,
"of Jesus"), as in the classical Evangelical vernacular, nor is it "infused" as in the
classical Roman Catholic vernacular. The "righteousness of God" remains His alone,
and our "righteousness from God" means that we are found to be "of" the people of
God. Paul's argument is that it has always been so, but what has changed is that the
Messiah, in Jesus of Nazareth, has now appeared.
An important verse to note is 2 Cor 5:21, "For our sake he made him to be sin who
knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (ESV), which
has traditionally been interpreted to mean that the Christian has, in some way, become
righteous (by impartation or imputation), in exchange for Jesus' sinlessness.
Moreover, Wright says, Paul is speaking here of the apostles, and pointing out that in
their role as apostles, their activity is effectively God's righteousness (covenant
faithfulness) in action ("we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through
us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" - v 20). This meaning is
natural when taken in context from verse 11 through 21.
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