The Righteousness of God

the prophets, the sayings of Jesus, and the letters of the apostleswe hear the note of righteousness-the righteousness of God himself, the righteousness which he requires of men. What does it mean? Mere formal definitions do not greatly aid us. If it be said: It is the rightness of God, the harmony of his will with his nature, his correspondence with what he ought to be, we have still to ask: What is his ethical nature ? What does his character require ? The common view of God's righteousness has been that it was a name for the law and penalty side of his nature, in contrast with his mercy or grace-the retributive, vindicatory aspect of his character, from which his love is to be sharply distinguished. But it is quite certain that this is not the biblical conception. The righteousness of God stands in no contrast to his mercy, but rather includes it. There is no such thing as a rivalry in him between punitive justice and forgiving love. Forgiveriess and salvation, as well as his just judgments upon sin, flow forth from the divine righteousness. He is "a righteous God and a Savior." "Thy righteousness," says the Psalmist, "is like the mountains of God; thy judgments are a great deep; thou savest man and beast." So far is righteousness from denoting an unconditional necessity to punish that it often denotes exactly the contrary. "Deliver me from guilt, O God of my salvation," prays the penitent, "and my tongue shall sing of thy righteousness." "Answer me in thy righteousness, and enter not into judgment with thy servant." Here righteousness means exemption from judgment; that is, the exact opposite of the common popular and dogmatic conception of it. God's righteousness is equitableness. It is seen no less in protecting the innocent than in condemning and punishing the guilty. It is the foe of partiality, cruelty, and oppression. It is absolute