The Righteousness of God

The Psalmist reveals a great truth about God when he says, "righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne." (Ps. 97:2) In other words, He is Himself right and true... He is morally and ethically right, and He acts according to what is right. It is necessary to His very being and always distinguishes everything that He does.

But what is that standard of morality to which God conforms? What law is He obligated to? Be careful though... we shouldn't imply that God is bound to some abstract rule outside of Himself. To place Him under any rule outside of Himself is to make Him something less than God. The Sovereign God of the universe does not conform to anything or to anyone. He only conforms to Himself.

That "rightness" to which He is must adhere to is nothing other than His own nature and His own will. It is His nature and will that determine right from wrong. And when the Bible says that God does what is right, it just means that He is faithfully obligated to His own perfections. He always acts and only acts according to the very highest principle of justice… Himself

Righteousness is based on Lordship

• Rom. 11:34-36 says… “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him? [In other words… “And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back?] For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

• John Owen said it like this… "The right, therefore, which God hath to act his righteousness or to act righteously towards others, is supreme and sovereign, arising naturally and necessarily from the relation of all things unto himself."
  
  
• Thomas Manton put it this way… "In this respect God is wholly arbitrary, and hath no other rule but his own will; he doth not will things because they are just, but therefore they are just because God wills them."