Thus, God`s people are righteous if they are in a right relationship with Him, if they enjoy His salvation; they are considered righteous by God as judges of the world if they are righteous and do what He requires in His covenant. It can therefore be said that Paul`s concept of justice belongs more to soteriology than to moral theology, although it has clear moral implications. Since Christ`s death and resurrection, the purpose of the law has been fulfilled and, therefore, whoever believes in it is brought into harmony with God (Romans 3:22; 10:4). Christ is God`s perfect revelation, so our faith in Him leads us to the righteousness of God (Romans 1:17). Faith in Christ is the work of faith, not the work of the flesh that produces righteousness (Romans 4:5-6). In other words, righteousness is the God-given quality attributed to man when he believes in Christ. Like Jimmy McNulty, Cruz is talented and charismatic, but trapped in his own self-righteousness. For if I had the power to raise one of my sons to righteousness, and had raised him to wickedness, should I not sin against my son? Right in righteousness means «just,» «good,» or «right» (not the opposite of «left»). Simply put, justice means doing what is right (especially all the time) according to certain laws or morals. Justice is often used in relation to legal or moral judgments and religious matters. Some religions aim to help their followers follow a path of justice.
The common term self-righteousness refers to an overdependence on morality, especially when it leads to criticism of others. Justice is a God-centered quality: no one can obtain it by his own efforts other than his ordinance. We humans tend to follow our own ways and follow our own ways instead of using God`s. (Note that this selfish desire for independence from God is in our nature, we don`t need anyone to teach us, but we still need discipline to stay true to God`s way.) Compared to the righteousness of God, our good deeds are «nothing but filthy rags» (Isaiah 64:6). Woe to you who have distanced yourselves from the justice of your ancestors! The striking note in the emphasis on justice in our time is the emphasis on social service. This does not mean that Christianity should lose sight of the value of the individual himself. We have seen very clearly that the individual is the only moral goal in itself. Justice means having as its goal the edification of individual life. The commandments of a righteous life are not for the good of society as a thing in itself.
Society is nothing but the individuals who compose it; But we recognize that individuals have greater relationships than we imagined and greater responsibility than we had dreamed of. The influence of the individual affects others in more ways than we previously thought. We have sometimes condemned the system of things as responsible for much human misery, which we can now attribute to the ability of individuals to act. The employer, the day labourer, the professional, the civil servant, all this has a great responsibility for the lives of the people of the region. The unjust individual has the power to infect other individuals, and his deadlines we are only beginning to understand. All of this is given new prominence in our preaching of justice today. Although our social relationships are not an end in themselves, they are powerful means of reaching individuals in large numbers. The Christian conception of redeemed humanity is not that of society as an organism that exists in itself, but that of individuals who are very closely connected in their social relations and who touch one another in these relations for good (1 Corinthians 1:2; Revelation 7:9, 10). If we were to try to show the line in which the Christian doctrine of justice will evolve more and more over the years, we should emphasize this element of commitment to society. This does not mean that a new gospel should replace the old, or even stand by the old. This means that the righteousness of God and the teaching of Christ and the Cross, which are still the center of Christianity, should find new strength in the idea that the justice of the Christian binds itself, not only by the commandments to do God`s will in society, but by the inner spirit of living God`s life in society.
Above all, God`s righteousness in relation to God`s image was understood as the judge of the created order (Psalm 96:13). God`s judgments are all redemptive in nature, God`s courts protected, delivered, and restored Israel (Isaiah 11:4-5). Sometimes God`s righteousness was experienced when God delivered Israel from enemies and oppressors (Psalm 71:1); at other times, in God`s deliverance of Israel from the sin of the nation (Psalm 51:19). Such deliverance included God`s righteousness against the persecutor and the wicked (Psalm 106:1). Salvation and damnation exist together as two sides of God`s righteousness; the leading side is always deliverance: God condemns only because He also saves (Psalm 97:1). Which of the following actions is likely to be an example of justice? The idea of supporting their workplaces has an extra touch of moral righteousness. Second, God`s covenant people are called to live righteously, that is, according to the covenant requirements and God`s will (see Psalm 1:4–6; 11:7; 72:1; Isaiah 1:16–17). Since they have the gift of salvation in the covenant relationship with God, they must behave like the Holy Lord`s people. Hosea, the prophet of divine love, combines justice with mercy, loving kindness, and justice (2:19; 10:12). But here`s the good news: justice doesn`t mean being legalistic—it`s not about our achievements in «God`s law school.» Justice is a wonderful gift of God to humanity through the act of Christ`s love. Now let`s see how God`s righteousness is consistently manifested throughout the Bible.