Righteousness (Bible)

Occurrences in Scripture

Righteousness appears throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Representative passages include the following:

• Genesis 15:6: When Abraham believed the Lord, Scripture records that "he counted it to him for righteousness."
• Amos 5:24, Isaiah, and other prophetic books: These call for justice to be practiced in society.
• Habakkuk 2:4: "The just shall live by his faith."
• Matthew 5:20; 6:33: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees and teaches, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."
• Romans 1:17; 3:21–26: Paul explains "the righteousness of God" revealed through faith apart from the law.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9: These passages speak of the righteousness that comes from God in Christ.
• James 2:21–24: James emphasizes faith working together with works.

Meaning and Background of the Term

The Old Testament Hebrew terms tsedeq and tsedaqah denote conformity to a standard, or rightness, and refer in particular to acting faithfully within a covenant relationship. The New Korean Revised Version renders these terms as either "righteousness" or "justice," depending on the context. Amos 5:24 is an example: "Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." The New Testament Greek term dikaiosynē inherited this Old Testament meaning by way of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). The cognate verb is translated "to justify," and from it comes the theological term justification.

Meaning in Scripture as a Whole

In the Old Testament, righteousness is first of all an attribute of God's character. God is righteous, and He displays His righteousness by rescuing the weak and keeping His covenant. At the same time, righteousness is the way of life required of His people, encompassing fairness in judgment and care for the poor. In the New Testament, Paul cites Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4 to teach that a person is justified not by the works of the law but by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:6–11).

Interpretation and Debates

How to understand "the righteousness of God" has been a major point of debate in church history.

• The Reformation tradition: Following Martin Luther, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches have held that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer. To impute is to reckon what belongs to another as one's own, and this tradition understands justification as a forensic declaration.
• The Wesleyan tradition: Methodist and Holiness churches, among others, accept imputed righteousness while also emphasizing sanctification, in which the Holy Spirit actually transforms a person into one who is righteous. This emphasis is regarded as a hallmark of Wesleyan theology.
• The Roman Catholic Church: It holds that righteousness is infused into a person by grace, so that the person actually becomes righteous.
• The New Perspective on Paul: N. T. Wright and others read the righteousness of God primarily as God's faithfulness to His covenant. Defenders of the traditional interpretation criticize this view.

The relationship between James 2 and Romans 4 has also long been debated. Many Protestant interpreters explain that the two passages address different misunderstandings.

In Korean Churches

In sermons and Bible studies in Korean churches, expressions such as "to be justified" and "seek the righteousness of God" are frequently used. On Reformation Sunday, Romans 1:17 is commonly read as the sermon text. The emphasis given to preaching that connects righteousness with social justice varies by denomination and congregation.