God is Righteous

Lingqun QuJune 1, 2025

We often emphasize the truth that God is love—and rightly so. However, as we look through the Scriptures carefully, we find the righteousness of God has been revealed from Genesis to Revelation.

It’s vital that we meditate daily on this—our loving Father is also a righteous God. To display his righteousness, God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement. Because of Jesus, we, who were once sinners, are now called saints.

Some might say, “Jesus is my righteousness, so I can live however I want.” But that’s a distortion of the truth. We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.

Jesus is coming again as Judge. If you’ve been wronged, don’t take revenge but instead commit yourself to God who judges justly. And if you find yourself entangled in sin, now is the time to repent, believe the gospel, depart from evil, and do what is good.

His righteousness

Exodus 34:6-7

6The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, 7keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.”

Nahum 1:2-3

2The LORD is a jealous God and avenges. The LORD avenges and is full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he maintains wrath against his enemies. 3The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. The LORD has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Psalm 11:5-7

5The LORD examines the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and him who loves violence. 6On the wicked he will rain blazing coals; fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7For the LORD is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see his face.

Romans 2:6-8

6Who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” 7to those who by perseverance in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; 8but to those who are self-seeking and don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath, indignation,

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

6For it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, 7and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,

Romans 3:25-26

25Whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; 26to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time, that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.

1 Peter 2:23-24

23When he was cursed, he didn’t curse back. When he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds.

2 Corinthians 5:21

21For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Job 37:23

23We can’t reach the Almighty. He is exalted in power. In justice and great righteousness, he will not oppress.

Psalm 140:12-13

12I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the needy. 13Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name. The upright will dwell in your presence.

Praise his righteousness

Psalm 7:17

17I will give thanks to the LORD according to his righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 89:14

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loving kindness and truth go before your face.

Deuteronomy 32:4

4The Rock: his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he.

Psalm 33:5

5He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.

Isaiah 30:18

18Therefore the LORD will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you, for the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.

Revelation 19:11

11I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.

He commands us to repent and act justly

Mark 1:14-15

14Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”

1 John 1:9

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Micah 6:8

8He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

2 Corinthians 5:9-10

9Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. 10For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Isaiah 1:16-17

16Wash yourselves. Make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. 17Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Defend the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”

Psalm 37:27-29

27Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever. 28For the LORD loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.

Romans 12:19

19Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”

Leviticus 19:35-36

35“‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity. 36You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Romans 6:13

13Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Illustrations

God judges evil, but shows favor to the righteous (Genesis 6:5-8)

5The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.

6The LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

7The LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”

8But Noah found favor in the LORD’s eyes.

Jesus will judge all the nations and separate the righteous and the wicked (Matthew 25:31-46)

31“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

32Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

35for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in.

36I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?

38When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you?

39When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

40“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;

42for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;

43I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’

45“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’

46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Prayer

Father God,

You love righteousness and justice, and the earth is filled with your unfailing love. All your ways are just and perfect—we find rest and confidence in your ways.

Our Lord Jesus,

Thank you for your sacrifice. You, who had no sin, became sin for us so that in you we might become the righteousness of God. What a great salvation, given to us by grace alone! You are coming soon—not as a sacrifice, but as Judge. True and Faithful is your name!

Holy Spirit,

Thank you for always teaching, correcting, and encouraging us. Search us, O God, know my heart. Try us, and know our anxieties. And see if there is any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting.

In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen!