I Found God: The Righteous God
I Found God: The Righteous God
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. Psalm 145:17
One of the most common cries you will hear from a child is; ‘It isn’t fair ..”. These words were put to song by the Australian band Moving Pictures: “What about me? It isn't fair I've had enough, now I want my share. Can't you see, I wanna live But you just take more than you give.”
It seems the need for justice and ‘fairness’ is one of our most basic human desires. People recoil from the idea that they have been treated unjustly. But who decides what is fair or just. Against what do we measure fairness? What is the plumb-line by which we can measure what is right and what is wrong?
Righteousness is one of the moral attributes of God. It is His very nature to be righteous and true. One way of understanding what the Bible means by ‘righteous’ is to look at how the ancient Hebrews would have understood it.
The concept of righteousness was based on the idea of a fair measurement. In ancient markets, unfair weights were a problem. Unscrupulous sellers would use false weights that were lighter than what they were labeled. They would deceive buyers into thinking they were buying more produce than what they were getting. The practice must have been quite common because the Bible strictly forbids it. People who were known to use fair and honest weights became known as ‘just’, ‘trustworthy’ or ‘righteous’.
The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness. Prov 16:11 NLT
God has revealed Himself to be the righteous God. Always honest, always fair, and the standard by which all other ‘rightness’ can be measured. This means we can be assured that all of God’s actions and judgments are fair. The oft-heard cry of the child in each of us- “That isn’t fair…” can never be applied to God.
Not only is God righteous and just, but He also sets the standard for righteousness and justice.
We measure weight by calculating the force of gravity on mass. One kilogram is the force of gravity exerted on 1 liter of water. Likewise, one gram compares to one milliliter of pure water. If we were to measure 1kg to a liter of old car oil, we’d get a different measurement - we wouldn’t get a true standard. It would not be a just or righteous judgment.
To what do we compare moral righteousness? If we are to be morally righteous we cannot compare ourselves to a tree, trees are not moral beings. Can we compare ourselves to each other? As nice as one person may be, they are not THE standard of morality.
Proverbs 16:11, says the standard of righteousness is set by God. He is the standard by which everyone is compared.
This is one place where atheists come unstuck. Their moral standards are relative to other’s opinions. For the atheist, who determines what is right or wrong? In the end, right or wrong is just an opinion. Evolutionists have a similar dilemma. If an act, however cruel it may be, works towards their survival- then by an evolutionary standard, it is the correct action.
However, those of us who believe in God, a righteous God, are also faced with a dilemma. How can we be righteous, if being righteous is to be as God? But wait- it’s got more serious. Righteousness is justice and justice is righteousness. In fact, in the Bible, the two words are used interchangeably. To be righteous, God must judge sin and sinners.
In our heart of hearts, we know this to be true. We know it is not right when a child murderer or a war criminal gets away with their crime. That is not just, that is not righteousness.
Romans 3:10-11, describes our condition apart from God, as a result of Adam’s disobedience. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
God is righteous, to be righteous He must judge sinners. If the atheist has a dilemma and we have a dilemma- God was faced with the greatest dilemma of all time. How can a just and righteous God, love, and fellowship with sinners for all eternity?
How gracious, how forgiving, and how incredibly wonderful is our righteous God. God, Himself became one of us, lived a perfect life, and in the most loving act of justice ever conceived, bore our righteous judgment on the cross.
Romans 3:21-26 (TPT), says;
The righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus … there is no difference between us, for we all have sinned … Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness … because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin!
Jesus’ destiny was to be the sacrifice to take away sins, …because of his death on the cross. There was only one possible way for God to give away his righteousness and still be true to both his justice and his mercy—to offer up his own Son. So now, because we stand on the faithfulness of Jesus, God declares us righteous in his eyes!
In Jesus Christ, the righteousness of God has been perfectly displayed. God is right, to declare us righteous!
