The Righteousness Of God

But now a righteousness of God apart from the norm is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. (Rom. 3:21).

The ‘righteousness’ of God includes just treatment of others and moral uprightness of character. For example, if a sinner pays the just penalty of his sin because God punishes him, then this is the righteousness of God. The sinner is being justly treated according to God’s righteousness. Or if a person loves his neighbor, because God created him to exhibit His righteousness in life, and does what is right, then this moral uprightness is also the righteousness of God.

Paul speaks of ‘a righteousness of God apart from the norm”; by this he means two things. First, the righteousness that comes from God sanctifies the believer in Yeshua to a degree that raises the believer above the ‘norm’. The norm is defined by the world’s standard of ‘goodness’; The true follower of Messiah is enabled to rise above this, because he or she receives the righteousness from God which is above the norm. The Greek word for ‘norm’ is nomos. It can mean a ‘norm’ for anything – any status quo in society that one may wish to think of can be nomos.
Second Paul speaks of a righteous treatment from God that is not according to the norm. How would God treat us according to the norm? The norm for the sinner or the norm for justice in the Scripture is that the sinner should be judged and condemned for their sin. If the sinner is judged, then God’s righteousness will have been done to the sinner. That is the norm. It is the status quo treatment of God for the sinful human race.

However, God is merciful and does not treat us according to the norm if we faithfully trust in Yeshua the Messiah. He forgives our sins and does not treat us according to his judgments on unrepentant man. God is merciful toward those who are willing to love him (Exodus 20:6).

What about the norm of his righteousness then for the sinner?
There is another extraordinary righteousness of God that is apart from the norm of His righteousness, which is also revealed in the Law and Prophets. By this righteousness, God allows a substitute to satisfy the penalty of sin for the sinner who repents and faithfully trusts in God. When Yeshua pays our penalty we are ‘done righteousness’ in God’s sight. He reckons the penalty paid by Yeshua to our account because He mercifully allows a substitute to pay it for those who are in Messiah. Therefore, God’s righteousness is reckoned to be done to us apart from the norm.

God’s righteousness is revealed in the Law and Prophets. The Torah defines what righteousness is. It defines what upright behavior is and it defines both God’s righteousness according to the norm for the sinner, and God’s extraordinary righteousness for the one who repents and faithfully trusts God. We should think of ‘righteousness’ as both uprightness and right treatment. A synonym for right treatment is ‘justice’. The ‘justice of God’ is apart from the norm for the believer in Messiah, and this justice is revealed in the Torah. Likewise, the ‘justice’ that God gives the faithful allow them to live above the norm. This ‘justice’ that comes from God allows us to treat others rightly and to do righteousness. It is apart from the norm for the sinner, because God does not give this righteousness to the unrepentant.

In Spanish they would say that the “justicia” of God is apart from the norm, or in French, they would say the “justice” of God. This is because, in Messiah – Christ, we receive an extraordinary justice. This is a substitutionary justice allowed for those who will trust God and repent from sin. God gives us this justice in the death of Yeshua, and then he gives us this justice by making us upright apart from the norm. We are not perfected yet, but the Holy Spirit gives us power to live better. We need only ask Him and seek Him.

Not only this, but this kind of justice and righteousness is revealed in the Torah and the Prophets! The sacrificial system in the Torah demonstrates God’s righteousness or manner of justice for the repentant that is apart from the norm. And in Isaiah 53:8, 10, the prophet shows us how this kind of justice operates with Messiah. In Deuteronomy 30, God says he will give us justice apart from the norm. He will circumcise our hearts and make us righteous with his kind of righteousness. We will receive the righteousness of God – the Torah written on our hearts (Jer. 31:31-34). So the righteousness of God is revealed in the Torah and Prophets – a righteousness that is not according to the norm.