Holiness expresses itself in right living and right doing. This expression of holiness is called righteousness. Righteousness begins as an attribute of God. God is holy; therefore, this finds itself being worked out in His dealings with human beings, and as an expectation for His people.
The Bible says that God’s law reflects His righteousness (Psalm 19:7-9), and that His law is a true representation of His nature. God commands that which is right. God Himself acts according to His own law, and conducts Himself by the same standards He sets for others. Therefore, He does what is right. C.C. Ryrie says, There is no action which He takes that violates any code of morality or justice” (Basic Theology, p. 42).
God commands His people to live righteously. This simply means to live in right relationships with God and others. In accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour, in speaking the truth, in backing up our words with our actions, in treating others fairly and justly, in obeying God’s laws, we live righteously.
In attempting to live right, we must take care not to set our own notions of conduct or morality and then expect others to live by our ideas. This is called “self-righteousness ,” and is properly condemned by both God and the world. Instead of using God’s law as a pattern, the self-righteous person makes his own law or standard, often without regard to God, and uses that personal law to justify himself before God to earn salvation. Yet the Bible says, “All our righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). True righteousness, God’s righteousness, is only possible by trusting moment by moment in Christ and allowing Him to live through us.
Real righteousness means that we should conform ourselves to God’s righteousness. We are to adopt His laws and precepts as our standards of living. God’s righteousness tells us that we can expect God to deal with us in a fair, right, and just manner. We need not fear that God will act with partiality or that His standards are constantly changing. The Bible reminds us that God’s Law and God’s Word are “forever settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89). Oh, that God’s people would live righteously according to that Word!
May/June 1993