Some of the Lord's attributes apply to only some of His works. For instance, we say that God is a loving God, but God is not loving in all He does. In the Scripture above, the Psalmist declares to us two of the Lord's attributes which are active in everything He is and does: righteousness and holiness. Everything God thinks, plans, purposes and does is righteous and holy.
One of the reasons for this lies in the fact that God IS holiness and righteousness. That is, He is the standard of these two qualities. All His ways and works are righteous and holy simply because it is He that has done them. God is subject to no law or standard but Himself. As Nebuchadneezer said, "he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Dan 4:35). His works rise above the judgments of men.
God is righteous or "just" in all His ways. A persons actions arise from His "way." Often when someone does something unusual or unexplainable, his action may be explained by someone saying, "Oh, that's just his way." The ways of the Lord are, everyone, just. Every desire, impulse, and purpose is guided by the boundaries of perfect justice. Whether His works appear kind or harsh, pleasant or unpleasant, blessing or cursing, saving or damning, of this we can be certain" all were born of a righteous, just "way." "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right!" exclaims Abraham.
Nowhere is the justice of the ways of God seen more clearly than in the justice of His work in salvation. How can God be just and justify the ungodly? "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) Since God is just, He cannot forgive at the expense of His justice. So, He laid the sin of His people upon an innocent but willing sacrificial Victim, the Lord Jesus. Justice is satisfied in the punishing of Jesus Christ, so much so, that the sins of those for whom He died are never charged to their account. In fact, the very righteousness of God is credited to them, and, in accordance with the strict demands of justice, they are blessed according to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In other words, because Christ bore what they deserved, they receive what Christ deserved, and are "blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
Moreover, the cursing of the unbelieving is just. Hell is not the work of an enraged God acting out of insane vengeance. It is the absolutely just response of a just God. None in hell shall be able to say, "I have been unjustly condemned!"
God is holy in all His works. There is not the least impurity in all He does. He is not relatively just, but absolutely just. He is not relatively wise, but absolutely wise. There is not the least deformity in His actions. Not one fault can be found.
The word, "holy," means "set apart," or "separate." All of God's works are utterly set apart from sin. They rise higher than human wisdom or judgment can reach. They are beyond the reach of man's rebellious will. His works will not, yea, cannot fail, for the holiness of His purity, wisdom, and will guide them all.
At Grace Community Church, we worship the God who is "righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works." We, therefore, reject the errors of free-willism and legalism both of which accuse Him of unrighteousness and unholiness. We preach the free and sovereign grace of a thrice-holy God and glorify Him for all He is and does.
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