The Righteousness of God and the Righteousness of Man

by GAT written 10/23/2025

Righteousness means to have a right relation to moral or legal standards; to maintain a prescribed standing or to uphold and carry out justice is to practice righteousness. God established the Law, statutes and ordinances as a standard for Israel, a standard of justice based upon His character. God's commandments were summarized by the statement that man should love God (Deu 6:5) and his neighbor (Lev 19:18), a standard known and accepted in New Testament times (Luke 10:27). It is right to love God, to fear Him reverentially, to trust in Him, to believe and act upon His words. It is also right and necessary to punish unrighteousness.

Having passed over previous sins God demonstrated His own righteousness when He publicly displayed Jesus Christ crucified for the expiation of sins (Rom 3:25-26), and God displayed the righteousness of Jesus Christ when He raised Him from the dead, the Innocent One for sinful men, the Just who died for the unjust (1Pet 3:18; see the righteousness of Jesus Christ Isa 9:7, 11:5, 53:11, 59:17, Zec 9:9). "and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous 1Jn 2:1.

A man can be righteous and do righteous things in God's eyes. God recognized Noah's righteousness (Gen 6:9, 7:1) and accounted righteousness to Abraham because of his faith (Gen 15:6, Rom 4:9). However, a man's righteousness is not an everlasting righteousness, nor is his own a saving righteousness because men continue in some degree to trespass and misplace faith. Now, when someone believes God and confesses Jesus Christ then God accounts righteousness to the believer (Rom 3:22-24, 1Cor 1:30), the righteousness of God in Christ (2Cor 5:21), even an everlasting righteousness brought in through Jesus Christ (Dan 9:24).

and may be found in Him not having my own righteousness derived from Law, but instead that by means of Christ's faith, the righteousness from God upon faith Php 3:9.