A Truth to Believe

What does it mean that God is righteous?

God's righteousness includes his moral perfection, perfect justice, and an unwavering commitment to always do what is right, of which he himself is the standard (Isa 45:19). To say that God always acts rightly means that everything he does is perfectly consistent with who he is (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 119:142). He never acts contrary to his holy, wise, and perfect character, nor to his highest end––the glory of his own name (Pss. 89:14; 11:7). God’s righteousness, therefore, is his unfailing commitment to act for and uphold the glory of his name in all that he does.  

Throughout Scripture, God’s righteousness is displayed in several ways. The story of redemption reveals a righteous God (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 145:17) who requires perfect righteousness from his creatures (Lev. 19:2; Matt. 5:48; Rom. 2:13), graciously provides righteousness through Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21 26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9), and promises to reward those who stand before him clothed in Christ's righteousness (Heb. 11:6).

God displays his righteousness in judgment and salvation. In judgment, he demonstrates his righteousness by neither ignoring evil nor compromising his holiness, but by justly punishing sin (Rom. 2:5). In salvation, God upholds his righteousness by forgiving his people without overlooking their sin (Rom. 1:17). At the cross, where his justice and mercy meet (Rom 3:21–26), God satisfies his justice through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17; 1 Cor. 1:20). Thus, God is both just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26).

Through faith in Christ, believers receive Christ’s righteousness as a gracious gift (Rom. 5:17). God declares them righteous not because of their own obedience but because he credits Christ’s righteousness to them. In this way, justification magnifies God's righteousness. God remains perfectly righteous while graciously declaring the unrighteous to be righteous through union with his Son.

God put forward [Christ Jesus] as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:25–26

Something about Living

There are some doctrines of the Christian faith that propel us to act or live more fiercely in our faith or for Christ. Other doctrines tend to stop us in our tracks and cause us to gaze in awe upon the brilliance and beauty of God and his ways. God's righteousness is one of those spiritually jaw-dropping realities. 

God's righteousness, as well as his gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ, is at the heart of the gospel.

Read and dwell on some of these verses and the reality behind them:

Philippians 3:8–9: Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

Galatians 2:16: Yet we know that a person is not justified (made righteous) by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified (made righteous) by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (made righteous).

Romans 1:16–18: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

2 Corinthians 5:20–21: Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Titus 3:4–7: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified (made righteous) by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Romans 3:21–26: But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified (made righteous) by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The gospel is the story of how a perfectly righteous God righteously makes the unrighteous to be righteous through the righteousness of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Life is marked by constant motion, ongoing trials, and continual heartache. Maybe you are in a season of asking the Lord to lead you to greater clarity about what to do next or where to pour your time and energy. Maybe things feel a bit foggy, and following God's will is confusing. At these moments especially, it is important not to become so narrowly focused that we lose sight of doctrines such as the righteousness of God.

Take heart that the good news about who God is and what he has done for us in Christ is complete and final. If you are in Jesus Christ, God has accounted you righteous based on the righteousness of Christ. 

Trust that he who worked for your good and secured the most important and necessary reality in the entire universe will also work where you are waiting or struggling right now.

A Quote

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

Francis Chan

A Resource

John Piper has written many well-known books. One that you may never have heard of but is a deep dive into the topic of God's righteousness is The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1–23.