The Righteousness of God

As I studied and prepared to teach the book of Romans at Church on Thursday nights, I thought it critical for those attending my Bible study, to better understand some of the Doctrinal concepts mentioned by the apostle Paul throughout this letter.  So I've written a few brief descriptions and explanations of these Biblical words and phrases to help us to grasp more fully the content of Paul's message.  I also thought that maybe others out there might benefit from them, so as I put them to paper I will include them in my blog starting with This important doctrine:

The Righteousness of God is that righteousness of which He is the source and owner.  It is a quality or attribute of God, or that of a right standing, which only God can give.  In the gospel it is revealed that God is a righteous God (John 17:25) and that man gets a right standing or a status of being right from Him and Him alone.

We should also notice that the righteousness of God,is said to be "revealed" in the gospel (Romans 1:17).  It is not something that people know about naturally or can find for themselves.  Unless God makes it known to them they will never understand it.

The righteousness of God is in a real sense divine in quality and character.  It is also towards men, from God, it is reckoned unto man on the grounds of Christ's finished work (Romans 4:5).  Further, the righteousness of God is not to be confused with legal righteousness by the perfect law-keeping or even obedience to Christ, for if by vicarious obedience of Christ to the law we are declared righteous, then clearly His death was in vain (Galatians 2:21).

God's righteousness is shown in the gospel, that same gospel which tells us that people must come to God by faith, this righteousness or right standing before God, is ours by faith (Romans 3:26).  Righteousness is the necessary basis of God's dealing with saint and sinner.

There are a number of ways we could look at this important phrase.  I would like to emphasis two aspects of it here, first, as it relates to God Himself and then as it relates to man.

The Righteousness of God as a Quality or Attribute of God:

In the gospel it is revealed that God is a righteous God.  God is righteous, and as such demands righteousness, for without it there can be no fellowship between the creator and His creatures (Hebrews 12:14).  Righteousness can not have fellowship with unrighteousness (2 Corinthians 6:14), God always acts rightly in perfect harmony with His nature in all His actions.  He is consistent with His own nature and character in freely and perfectly judging a sinner who rejects Jesus as well as justifying a sinner who has believed in Jesus.

This divine action of imparting righteousness is not the placing of a quality of righteousness in man, it is simply holding, or regarding as righteous or just, one who is not so, either in nature or in practice.  This brings me to the second aspect.

The Righteousness of God as a Quality of a Right Standing Which God Gives:

In the gospel it is revealed that people get a right standing or the status of being right, from God.  Man has no righteousness of his own with which he may meet the righteous demands of God.  God rejects all that we pride ourselves in.  All our righteousness is but filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6).  It is futile to try to work out, even under the law, a character in which God can or will approve.  The human heart is corrupt, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked and cannot produce righteousness out of rottenness (Jeremiah 17:9).

The sinner, through believing, is given the righteousness of God in Christ, the sinless righteous one.  Christ on the cross was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Now on the throne He is the righteousness of God, that is, the perfect expression of it.  He is the "Lord of Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6), in Him we have a marvelous exhibition of the righteousness of God, and in Him we have become the righteousness of God.

Righteousness is imputed to us when we believe.  To impute means to reckon or account to a person, something that he does not have on his own.  "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness" (James 2:23).  With God, imputation is His gracious act by which He accounts righteousness to the believer in Christ.  Imputation however, does not change a man's character.

Our righteousness then, is not something, but someone, even Him who possessed Lordship.  Righteousness is put to the account of a guilty sinner accepting God's terms for salvation, namely Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-23).


God Bless and Press On
Larry