A righteous nature is also communicated, which produces righteous conduct, “everyone who does righteousness is born of God” (1 John 2:29). Righteousness imputed, and righteousness imparted, constitute our salvation. Then let us unite with the Psalmist in exclaiming, “My mouth shall show forth Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day…I will go in the strength of the Lord God. I will make mention of Your righteousness, even of Yours alone” (Psalm 71:15,16).

After furnishing conclusive proof that Jew and Gentile alike are destitute of righteousness, the apostle went on to say “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21,22). It is a perfect righteousness, which obliterates all guilt and bestows an inalienable title to eternal life. “It is styled the righteousness of God, by way of superlative pre-eminence, in opposition to any righteousness of our own and in contradistinction from the righteousness of all creatures whatever” (James Hervey). But more—it is the “righteousness of God” because God the Father devised it from all eternity, God the Son wrought it out here upon earth, and God the Holy Spirit makes it good to us by working in us a faith which appropriates the same. To sum up Romans 1:16, 17 and 3:21, 22—salvation is by righteousness, righteousness is found in Christ, that righteousness becomes ours by faith.

“Cursed is everyone”—without any exception of persons, without any regard to pleas of human weakness or violent temptations.

“Who does not continue”—it is not sufficient to observe those holy commandments in the general tenor of our lives—our course of conduct must be without the slightest intermission, from the earliest dawn of reason to the final breath we draw. In all things—we must refrain from every sin forbidden and the least approach to them; and practice every virtue enjoined and every duty enforced. The Law insists upon an obedience which is perfect in its principle, perfect in all its parts, perfect in every degree—and in each of these respects, perpetual; and pronounces a curse on the slightest failure.

The word righteousness is a ‘legal’ one, being the antithesis of guiltiness. Reduced to its simplest form, it means righteous, or up to the required standard. It therefore presupposes a rule by which conduct is measured, and that Rule is the will of God as revealed in His Word. The will of God for man is summed up in the Divine Law, and righteousness is nothing more or less than a perfect conformity to the Law in heart and life. Hence we find the Lord saying “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet” (Isaiah 28:17), that is, all shall yet be measured by the immutable standard of His Law.