God is Righteous
A Closer Look at 1 John
We are weighed down by the haunting question posed by Job and its equally horrifying answer: “‘Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?” (Job 4:17). Both reason, experience, and revelation scream a resounding “No!”
How can we ever be right? How can we ever stand before the God of heaven in a “right” relationship with Him?
Let’s take a closer look at 1 John to answer this question…
GOD IS RIGHTEOUS:
A definition of “righteous” found in The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology defines “righteousness” as: “that attribute by which God’s nature is seen to be the eternally perfect standard of what is right.”
John begins his letter by saying that “God is light” (1:5). This statement reflects the righteousness of God, His moral purity. In God, there is no unrighteousness, no darkness, at all.
In contrast to God, man is not righteous.
MAN IS UNRIGHTEOUS:
In 1 John, the apostle of love plainly writes that man cannot say that he has no sin. 1:8-10: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
So, man is unrighteous. There is none that does good, no not one. So, how can a man be right in the eyes of the Lord? Where do we find the answer to Job’s haunting question?
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Let’s see what 1 John teaches. 2:1-2 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Jesus is the righteous Son of God. He is the “Righteous One” – Acts 3:14. He had no sin (3:3).
WE ARE MADE RIGHT IN CHRIST:
So, we can be made right in Jesus Christ through the process known as obeying the Gospel. We have already read 2:2 – “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
But jump down to verse 29 of chapter 2: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” So, we are obligated to practice righteousness. Whatever God has commanded, that is right. When we do the right, then we’ll be right with Him.
So, how can we be made right through the blood of Christ?
First, you need to hear that message – 1 John 1:2-3.
Second, you need to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the righteous Son of God – 1 John 3:23.
Third, you confess your conviction that Jesus is the Son of God – 1 John 4:15.
Fourth, you repent of your unrighteousness – 1 John 1:6-7.
Fifth, you are buried with Christ in the waters of baptism to be born again – John 3:3, 5; 1 John 5:1.
God is absolutely righteous. We must follow His word closely in order to benefit from the righteousness of Christ.
–Paul Holland
