The Goodness of God: His Righteousness
I may be right… but only God is Righteous.
The second dimension of God's moral purity is his righteousness. The righteousness of God means, first of all, that the law of God, being a true expression of his nature, is as perfect as He is. Psalm 19:7-9 puts it this way:
"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous."
In other words, God commands only what is right, and what will, therefore, have a positive effect on the believer who obeys. The righteousness of God also means that his actions are in accord with the law He himself has established. He is the expression in action of what he requires of others. For example, Abraham says to Jehovah in Genesis 18:25;
"Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
The Lord himself says,
"I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for in these I delight." (Jer. 9:24).
Because God is righteous we can trust Him. Do you trust Him?
We cannot trust someone we don’t know. Let me give you some reasons to trust Him…
He never lies or never fails to fulfill His promises.
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 89:34).
Unlike us, He has the power to bring to be what He plans and purposes to do. Isaiah 14:24 tells us,
“The LORD Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.’”
Furthermore, His plans are perfect, holy, and righteous, and He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His holy purpose (Romans 8:28).
If we endeavor to know God through His Word, we will see that He is worthy of our trust, and our trust in Him will grow daily. To know Him is to trust Him. The more we experience His grace, faithfulness, and goodness, the more we trust Him (Psalm 100:5; Isaiah 25:1).
Another reason to trust God is that we really have no sensible alternative. Should we trust in ourselves or in others who are sinful, unpredictable, unreliable, have limited wisdom, and who frequently make bad choices and decisions swayed by emotion?
Or do we trust in the all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, gracious, merciful, loving God who has good intentions for us? The choice should be obvious, but we fail to trust God because we don’t know Him.
Just so we know, God has not made Himself difficult to find or know. All we need to know about God, He has graciously made available to us in the Bible, His holy Word to His people. To know God is to trust Him.
Love to all in Christ,
Pastor Mike
(602) 510-5563
