The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 485

:

SANCTIFICATION AND JUSTIFICATION

445

Hence His righteousness is as eternal as His Being; yet, in order between holiness and righteousness, we may say that as His holiness was glorious from eternity, so is His righteousness displayed and exercised only in time, i.e., since the creature began to exist. It did not originate then, but became perceptible then. Whatever may be said on the subject, the fundato express clearly the difference

mental difference remains that God

is

holy even tho considered

alone by Himself; while His righteousness begins to radiate

He

is

God was

when

considered in relation to His creatures.

holy essentially

is

Him

;

before the least impurity existed, there

mingling with His But only as Sovereign could He determine the right, mainthe violated right, and execute righteousness upon the violater. in

vital pressure to repel all foreign

Being. tain

In its fundamental features this applies to us as men.

righteousness

is

Even in us

entirely different from holiness; the former has

exclusive reference to our relation to and position before God, man,

and angel quality of it

;

while holiness refers, not to any relation, but to the

our inner being.

concerns our relation to

a righteous

man

tial quality,

"

We God

speak of righteousness only when

Noah is said to have been which indicates not his essen-

or man.

in his generation,"

but his relation to others.

Righteousness implies right, which

is

unthinkable but as exist-

ing between two persons in connection with the qualification of either one or of a third to determine that right.

righteousness with reference to First, it implies the

God has a twofold

acknowledgment

cations to determine man's relation to Second,

it

of

Hence man's

aspect

God's sovereign

qualifi-

God and man.

implies reverence for the divine laws and ordinances

enacted with regard to man's service of God.

A man may keep strictly some of these ordinances, not from the motive of reverence, but because he is compelled to approve them. In some respects he gives God His due but His position is wrong. He fails to honor God as his sovereign Ruler, to acknowledge God ;

and to bow before His majesty. Or he may reverence the divine authority

as God,

in the abstract, but in

God of His right. Therefore original righteousness, which has reference to man's

practise constantly rob

status before

God

as a creature,

and derived righteousness, which two differ-

refers to the act of honoring the divine ordinances, are

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