rose colored glasses?

Around Easter we rightfully talk a lot about the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross. This year I have been thinking about that question a lot. I have heard people and churches say that because of what Jesus did on the cross, God now sees you (if you put faith in Him) as righteous. As I look through the pages of scripture I cannot find anywhere that it says that God sees me as righteous. What I find as I look through scripture is that Jesus' atoning sacrifice on the cross has made me righteous. There is a BIG difference.

When we state that God now sees us as righteous, it's almost like we are saying that he's wearing rose colored glasses when he looks at us. It's true that we are now hidden in Christ, but we are seen as righteous because we are righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He (Jesus) became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God." He sees us as righteous because Jesus has washed us clean and made us pure... righteous. 

If we really start to believe this truth, I think it will greatly impact the way that we act and live. Maybe its just semantics, but I think it has more theological undertones than we would care to admit. Because of what Jesus did 2,000 years ago... you can be made righteous, pure, cleansed.