God is righteous in His nature

He is the Rock; His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong; upright and just is He. (Deuteronomy 32:4, NIV)

The righteousness of God means that His being—His nature and character—is always righteous: good, right, and just. He Himself is the ultimate standard of what is right. In Him there is no wrongdoing. Because He is the standard of righteousness, He unfailingly does what is right. He is total integrity, goodness, and uprightness.

Because God is righteous in His nature, He is fair and equitable in all His ways, including His interactions with humanity. Because God is holy, He can’t abide sin, and because He is righteous, He must treat people according to what they deserve. God rewards the upright—those who live in alignment with His will, Word, and ways.

By the same token, when one sins, there is punishment. If there were no rewards and punishment, God would be unfair.

It’s difficult for many of us to think of God’s judgment on sinners as good and right. We like to think of God as the God of love, and He most definitely is. He loves us unconditionally, even when we sin. He even loves those who sin defiantly.

Because His love is also His nature and character, He loves us inherently. However, He doesn’t love our sin. Our sin separates us from Him. —Peter Amsterdam ¹

When it comes to righteousness, God runs the table without so much as a bank shot. And when it comes to righteousness, we don’t know which end of the cue stick to hold. Hence our plight. —Max Lucado

¹ Anchor: God’s Righteousness