From Jim McGuiggan... God's righteousness and ours (1)

God's righteousness and ours (1)

God’s righteousness may be said to be the quality of his character (Psalm 11:7, 45:6-7, Romans 3:3-5). It is his holy nature from which flows all his righteous acts and purposes. His deeds are all shaped as they are and have their moral texture because of this changeless holy character (Isaiah 57:15). In this sense when we say God is righteous we mean his personal character.

But because God’s deeds flow from his holiness as righteousness and express his righteous character his deeds may properly be called God’s righteousness. When God acts to save Israel from her enemies his righteousness is said to draw near when salvation in on the way (Isaiah 51:5, 56:1). It’s true that prophets and psalmists would almost always have covenant righteousness in mind. That is, God made a covenant with Israel and his holy character means he will be faithful to that covenant and when, with that in mind, God acts righteously it is covenant righteousness—righteousness that is a response to his covenant commitment.

Just the same, God’s righteous character is prior to the making of any covenant so we’re not to say that because the Bible writers usually have covenant righteousness in mind that they exclude the notion of God’s eternal holiness and righteousness. We will be correct if we say that God’s covenant righteousness is a specific expression of his eternal character righteousness.

The deeds of God are called the righteousness of God because they are his personal righteousness expressing itself and they are the result of his keeping his word and the covenants he makes. The righteousness of God revealed in deeds can show itself as blessing. He makes promises to various people in scripture and acts to fulfil those promises and those acts produce blessing. But that righteousness of God that shows itself in deeds may also make itself present in judgement (Psalm 48:4-11). God calls various people and nations to turn from evil and it is often the evil of those that are oppressing defenseless nations or marginalized groups in some given society. When they don’t repent God in righteousness delivers the oppressed by judgement, by punishing the oppressor. In these cases the judgement is the holy righteousness of God expressing his eternal opposition to evil in specific temporal punishment Revelation 16:7). In these cases God is keeping faith with the promises he made to humankind.

In keeping faith with Israel or other nations in fulfilling promises to bless and in keeping faith with the oppressed against the oppressor God is keeping faith with himself. He is acting in character against evil (and he can be depended on to do that, said Abraham in Genesis 18:25) and expressing his will for good for humankind.

In one case his righteousness is made present when he enriches the earth, multiplies the flocks and herds, makes the crops grow abundantly and does all the things necessary to benefit humanity and make life pleasant. Imagine our looking out on golden fields of wheat, lakes and rivers teeming with fish, healthy and joyful people living in peace and asking God, "And what is all this?" If he said, "My righteousness," we would know what he meant.

Imagine our looking at local warlords that have been feeding on the people and seeing them go down under the punishing hand of God and our asking him, "And what is this?" If he said, "My righteousness," we would know what he meant.

Food, health and joy understood as gifts from God are more than material and social blessings; they are also God’s righteousness made visible because they are expressions of his personal integrity and faithfulness in keeping his word.

Judgement on the local warlords (or international gangsters) is more than pain and distress inflicted it is God’s righteousness made visible and present in the form of pain and loss inflicted because it is the homage God pays to his holy righteousness.

The existence of the blessings given and the judgement rendered point beyond themselves to another and underlying reality—the righteousness of the giver and the judge.

It’s conceivable that blessings could be given as a bribe and that inflicted pain and distress could be bitter spite and sheer vengefulness.

If we knew that this was the case we’d have learned something sinister about God, something that isn’t flattering to him. It would follow that the existence of the blessings and pain made God’s unrighteousness visible and present.

If we know that it’s impossible for God to be merely spiteful or to engage in bribery then we wouldn’t interpret the blessings and affliction in those ways.

Something about God himself is expressed in the blessing and judging! The blessings cannot be isolated from the giver and the judging cannot be isolated from the judge. All things being equal we would thank God for the blessings because the blessings are from him and they express his righteousness. All things being equal we would be angry with or protest against or thank God for his judgement because it comes from him and expresses his righteousness.

I wish to stress a single point here and it’s this: Punishment is the righteousness of God making itself present as inflicted pain or distress. It is not merely pain or loss inflicted; it is expressed righteousness in the form of pain and loss. It isn’t simply that sinners transgress and God responds by inflicting pain, it is that God pays homage to holy righteousness by inflicting pain and loss. The holy righteousness to which he pays homage is his own so that he is maintaining the integrity of his character; he is being true to himself before the eyes of his creation.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.