Righteousness Of God
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25)
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. (Psalm 19:7-9)
To be righteous, or just, is to have that character that leads one to always do that which is right. God’s righteousness (or justice) is the natural expression of His holiness. If He is infinitely pure, then He must be opposed to all sin, and that opposition to sin must be demonstrated in His treatment of His creatures.
However it is important to distinguish between the righteousness / justice of God from His holiness or His goodness
Goodness –
The goodness and love of God are the attributes that He has which act as the anchor or ‘litmus test’ for His other attributes; goodness and love are the features that authenticate every other attribute of God. God is good; God’s mercy is good; God’s grace is good; God’s holiness is good; God’s righteousness is good; God’s immutability is good; God’s justice is good; God’s sovereignty and self-existence are good; God’s eternality is good; God’s omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience and Immanence are good; God’s transcendence is good – AND THEY ALL ARE AS A RESULT OF HIS LOVE: BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE
Holiness-
This is the pure loving nature of God separate from evil. This is our goal, to pursue this great attribute of God –
“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16–25).
For “this then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5).
“Wherefore we labour that . . we may be accepted of Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9)
“We Labour” – against the instigations; then followed by the accusations of the enemy of our soul; we labour in this 21st century, where the enemy daily perfects his devices to make us walk in the opposite direction to the holiness and righteousness of God; but our loving Father, instead of unleashing His wrath, the manifestation of His holy, moral character against sin upon us at a time when we fall short (unlike man’s unholy anger, it is neither impersonal nor acts on impulse); gives us the opportunity to consider our ways and confidently take hold of His word and confess that:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).
Justice –
The mercy and justice of God have never contradicted each other; just as the mercy of God encompasses pity, clemency, forgiveness, kindness, sympathy, understanding, leniency, benevolence; same also goes for His justice – for those who walk on its (Justice of God) path:
I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice. Bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full. (Prov. 8:20-21)
In fact, our perfect Creator balances the two qualities with precision. Here again His transcendence and accompanying attributes make it possible for Him to do this easily: Justice is God’s fair and impartial treatment of all people. The justice of God is a necessary connect of His holiness or moral excellence. Since God is infinitely and eternally perfect, He must be impartial in His judgments and always treat His creatures with equity:
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:9-11)
Here (in Psalm 7:9-11) we see how Good blesses and rewards they that do good; and His judgment the righteous and vents His anger on the wicked. So where do we place this balance between God’s Righteousness/Justice and His Goodness/Holiness? As it is very likely that our experiences of life, spiritual experiences or exposure to certain erroneous teachings can naturally make us to tilt to one end of the spectrum or the other:
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith”. (Romans 1:17)
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Romans 11:22)
it is by faith (substance of things hoped for and evidence of things we cannot see) that we have God’s righteousness manifested to us
GOD’S GOODNESS
His protection and deliverance from the adversaries. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)
The surety of His promises. Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous. (Nehemiah 9:7-8)
The reward He gives us for our faithfulness For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. (Hebrews 6:10)
His provision of propitiation when our sin was forgiven. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26)
His justifying the person who has faith in the substitute, Jesus.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith”. (Romans 1:17)
His forgiveness of our sins when they are confessed If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
CAUTION
BEHOLDING HIS GOODNESS ONLY – As much as we have the righteousness of God manifested to us as we behold His Goodness, it is spiritually unhealthy for us to only behold His goodness, protection, rewards, forgiveness as it will surely make us fall into the bondage of arrogance, conceited grace, unholy mercy and ultimately ship wreck.
GOD’S SEVERITY
His love of righteousness and perfect hate of sin –
The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. (Psalms 11:4-7)
His punishment of sins – And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.(Revelation 16:5-6)
CAUTION
BEHOLDING HIS SEVERITY ONLY – As much as we have the righteousness of God manifested to us as we behold His severity. it is unhealthy for us to just only behold His wrath and punishment as this also will surely make us fall into the bondage of becoming ‘sin bashers” denying oneself and others of the goodness of His Grace.
Heavenly Father we pray that you will multiply Your glorious riches in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to us; and fill us with the knowledge of You will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; so that we may be empowered to balance our perception of your righteousness