Word of the Week - Righteousness

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Psalm 89:14

The Righteousness of God is one of the most powerful attributes of God but it is also one of the most elusive and misunderstood.  Put simply God is Righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu) and only through Him can we be made right and possess godly Righteousness.  By His very nature and essence, God is the standard for Righteousness.  In our culture, we have this idea that Righteousness is some sort of group consensus or personal view on what we think is fair and equitable measured against our own man made rules and laws; or even more concerning, the interpretation of the law by a human judge or court.  It is only through God’s word that we can understand true godly Righteousness, for God’s Word is the foundation of His Righteousness.While the most common Old Testament word for just means ‘straight’, and the New Testament word means ‘equal’, in a moral sense they both mean ‘right’.  When we say that God is just, we are saying that He always does what is right, what should be done, and that He does it consistently, without partiality and prejudice.  God’s Righteousness is the natural expression of His holiness.  He is infinitely pure thus opposed to all sin, and that opposition to sin must be demonstrated in His relationship with us, His creation.  Richard Strauss defines Righteousness in relation to men as our conformity to God’s standard.  Unlike men, God is not subject to anything outside of Himself, He is the standard.The reality of mankind is that we were not capable of adhering to the standard/law of the Old Covenant and thus God in His Righteousness and amazing love and grace sent His son Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be covered by the Righteousness of Christ and have the opportunity for fellowship with our Holy and Righteous Father in Heaven.  We are only made Righteous before God and man by taking on the nature of God and allowing His Righteousness to become alive on inside of us through repentance and fellowship with the Lord Jesus.  Jesus taught that true Righteousness is not that which men regard as Righteous based upon external appearances, but that so judged by God based upon His assessment of our hearts.  “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” Luke 16:15Most importantly, God reveals His Righteousness to redeem us to Himself because He loves us and deeply desires for us all to come to repentance and have salvation.  “The Lord has made know His salvation; He has revealed His Righteousness in the sight of the nations.  He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;  All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.  Psalm 98:2-3.Thank you Lord that you are our Righteousness!!!!!!!!!!Have a great week..-Duane