God Is Righteous

David understood that the mighty God reigns in righteousness on His throne when he wrote to the Lord in gratitude: “When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before You. For You have maintained my just cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously” (Psalm 9:3-4).

Righteousness is that aspect of God’s holiness that is displayed in the moral equity of His governing of the world. He always acts consistently with His character. It is not technically correct to say that “righteousness requires God to do this,” for that would place some standard above God. He is free to act as He wills, and all He does will be righteous.

God’s righteous character is imprinted on His law.

Jesus addresses the Father as “righteous Father” (John 17:25). Righteousness belongs to God alone (Isaiah 45:24; Daniel 9:7), though Jesus, God incarnate, is called the “Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14). Only God is “righteous in all His ways” (Psalm 145:17). The prophets write that God “will do no injustice” (Zephaniah 3:5) and is the very “habitation of righteousness” (Jeremiah 50:7).

God’s righteous character is imprinted on His law (Psalm 19:9; Romans 7:12), and His wisdom yields the fruit of righteousness (James 3:18). His Scriptures are designed to train His people in His righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), and He Himself will be righteous and will fulfill all the promises of His Word (Nehemiah 9:8).

The revelation of God’s righteous acts provoked wicked Pharaoh to temporarily acknowledge the Lord as “the righteous one” (Exodus 9:27). The proper response to this attribute is to continually give glory to Him (Isaiah 24:16), give thanks to Him (Psalm 7:17), joyfully sing to Him (Psalm 51:14), and to proclaim and continually declare the good news of His righteousness (Psalms 35:28; 40:9).