Righteousness | Daily Devotional

“Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,

You who have done great things. 

Who is like you, God?”

Psalms 71:19

The answer to that question, who is righteous like God, is an easy one. No one. The fact that God is righteous means that He will always do what is morally right. He has not only created a law to rule the universe, but He is also able to perfectly follow it. Righteousness can be understood as living up to the standard set by God’s own person and nature.

Righteousness revealed

God’s law contained in the Bible is an expression of His righteousness. In Psalms 19:7-9 we read:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; 

the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; 

the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 

the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; 

the rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” 

Righteousness transferred

We find that none of us can live up to God’s standard of righteousness. Even Abraham, who is often considered the father of our faith, fell short. We know that Abraham lied on more than one occasion and did not always follow God perfectly. Yet in several places, the Bible says that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. We cannot hope to be morally perfect enough to earn righteousness, but if we believe God, He credits us with righteousness. J.A. Ziesler says, “Imputing the righteousness of Christ to the believer is not an actual infusing of holiness into the individual. It is a matter of declaring the person righteous, as a judge does in acquitting the accused.” 

In this, God still maintains His perfect righteousness. The same word translated “righteous” is sometimes translated “justice,” showing that these two concepts are intertwined. God does not negate his justice by giving us a free pass on breaking His standards. Instead, He pays the price for us, therefore adhering to His law but still showing us mercy by paying the price for our sin. As Romans 4:5 states, “And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”

God, we thank you that you are righteous. We praise you. Your law is a guide to us and makes us wise. We are thankful that you credit us with a righteousness that we can never earn. We pray that we will reflect your righteousness and justice to the world around us.