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voice of
and renders it “let him be righteous,” lit., “let him be made righteous.”
(2)
4
, “righteous judgment” (
, and
), occurs in Rom. 2:5.¶
RIGHTEOUSNESS
1.
$
(
"
, 1343) is “the character or quality of being right or just”; it
was formerly spelled “rightwiseness,” which clearly expresses the meaning. It is used to
denote an attribute of God, e.g., Rom. 3:5, the context of which shows that “the
righteousness of God” means essentially the same as His faithfulness, or truthfulness, that
which is consistent with His own nature and promises; Rom. 3:25, 26 speaks of His
“righteousness” as exhibited in the death of Christ, which is sufficient to show men that
God is neither indifferent to sin nor regards it lightly. On the contrary, it demonstrates
that quality of holiness in Him which must find expression in His condemnation of sin.
“
4 $
is found in the sayings of the Lord Jesus, (a) of whatever is right or just
in itself, whatever conforms to the revealed will of God, Matt. 5:6, 10, 20; John 16:8, 10;
(b) whatever has been appointed by God to be acknowledged and obeyed by man, Matt.
3:15; 21:32; (c) the sum total of the requirements of God, Matt. 6:33; (d) religious duties,
Matt. 6:1 (distinguished as almsgiving, man’s duty to his neighbor, vv. 2-4, prayer, his
duty to God, vv. 5-15, fasting, the duty of self-control, vv. 16–18).
“In the preaching of the apostles recorded in Acts the word has the same general
meaning. So also in Jas. 1:20, 3:18, in both Epp. of Peter, 1st John and the Revelation. In
2 Pet. 1:1, ‘the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ,’ is the righteous dealing
of God with sin and with sinners on the ground of the death of Christ. ‘Word of
righteousness,’ Heb. 5:13, is probably the gospel, and the Scriptures as containing the
gospel, wherein is declared the righteousness of God in all its aspects.
“This meaning of
$
, right action, is frequent also in Paul’s writings, as in all
five of its occurrences in Rom. 6; Eph. 6:14, etc. But for the most part he uses it of that
gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought
into right relationship with God. This righteousness is unattainable by obedience to any
law, or by any merit of man’s own, or any other condition than that of faith in Christ.…
The man who trusts in Christ becomes ‘the righteousness of God in Him,’ 2 Cor. 5:21,
i.e., becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, all that he could never be in
himself Because Abraham accepted the Word of God, making it his own by that act of
the mind and spirit which is called faith, and, as the sequel showed, submitting himself to
its control, therefore God accepted him as one who fulfilled the whole of His
requirements, Rom. 4:3.…
“Righteousness is not said to be imputed to the believer save in the sense that faith is
imputed (‘reckoned’ is the better word) for righteousness. It is clear that in Rom. 4:6, 11,
‘righteousness reckoned’ must be understood in the light of the context, ‘faith reckoned
for righteousness,’ vv. 3, 5, 9, 22. ‘For’ in these places is
, which does not mean
‘instead of,’ but ‘with a view to.’ The faith thus exercised brings the soul into vital union
with God in Christ, and inevitably produces righteousness of life, that is, conformity to
the will of God.”*
* From
Notes on Galatians,
by Hogg and Vine, pp. 246, 247.