Justice, holiness. The righteousness of God is the absolute and essential perfections of his nature; sometimes it is put for his justice. The righteousness of Christ denotes not only his absolute perfections, but is taken for his perfect obedience to the law, and suffering the penalty thereof in our stead. The righteousness of the law is that obedience which the law requires. The righteousness of faith is the righteousness of Christ as received by faith. The saints have a threefold righteousness.
1. The righteousness of their persons, as in Christ, his merit being imputed to them, and they accepted on the account thereof, 2 Corinthians 5:21 . Ephesians 5:27 . Isaiah 14:24 .
2. The righteousness of their principles being derived from, and formed according to the rule of right, Psalms 119:11 .
3. The righteousness of their lives, produced by the sanctifying which no man shall see the Lord, Hebrews 13:14 . 1 Corinthians 6:11 .
See IMPUTATION, JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION; Dickinson's Letters, let. 12; Witherspoon's Essay on Imputed Righteousness; Hervey's Theron and Aspasio; Dr. Owen on Justification; Watts's Works, p. 532, vol. 3: oct. ed; Jenks on Submission to the Righteousness of God.