God Sets the Standard. Greek scholar Kenneth S. Wuest says: “God is the objective standard which determines the content of meaning of dikaios [righteous], and at the same time keeps that content of meaning constant and unchanging, since He is the unchanging One.” He then quotes Cremer as saying: “Righteousness in the biblical sense is a condition of rightness the standard of which is God, which is estimated according to the divine standard, which shows itself in behavior conformable to God, and has to do above all things with its relation to God, and with the walk before Him. It is, and it is called dikaiosune theou (righteousness of God) (Rom. 3:21, 1:17), righteousness as it belongs to God, and is of value before Him, Godlike righteousness, see Eph. 4:24; with this righteousness thus defined, the gospel (Rom. 1:17) comes into the world of nations which had been wont to measure by a different standard.”​—Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament, 1946, p. 37.

Luke shows the sense of one’s being righteous in saying of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth (the parents of John the Baptizer): “They both were righteous before God because of walking blamelessly in accord with all the commandments and legal requirements of Jehovah.” (Lu 1:6) Righteousness is measured by conformity to God’s will and his commands. His specific commands may vary from one time to another and from one person to another​—his command to Noah to build an ark has never been repeated nor does his command regarding circumcision apply to Christians. Nevertheless, God’s personal standards, his personality, and what he is, as expressed in his words and ways, remain ever constant and hence provide a perfect standard, ‘rocklike’ in firmness and stability, with which to measure the conduct of all his creatures.​—De 32:4; Job 34:10; Ps 92:15; Eze 18:25-31; 33:17-20.

Jehovah, the Righteous One. The Hebrew words tseʹdheq and tsedha·qahʹ and the Greek di·kai·o·syʹne appear frequently with reference to the rightness of God’s ways: as Sovereign (Job 37:23; Ps 71:19; 89:14), in administering and executing judgment and justice (Ps 9:8; 85:11; Isa 26:9; 2Co 3:9), in the punishing of his professed people (Isa 10:22), in vindication of himself in judgment (Ps 51:4; Ro 3:4, 5), and in vindication of his people (Mic 7:9).

Jehovah himself is called “the abiding place of righteousness.” (Jer 50:7) He is therefore the Righteous One, and all righteousness on the part of his creatures comes from their relationship with him. Jehovah abides by his own standard of righteousness without deviation. Therefore, his creatures can have the utmost confidence in him. Of him it is written: “Righteousness and judgment are the established place of your throne.”​—Ps 89:14.

Righteous while exercising mercy. Jehovah’s righteousness, justice, holiness, and purity are such that no sin can be condoned by him. (Ps 5:4; Isa 6:3, 5; Hab 1:13; 1Pe 1:15) Consequently he could not forgive the sins of mankind without satisfying justice​—in effect, without a legal basis. But through his undeserved kindness he made this just arrangement by providing his Son as a sacrificial offering, a propitiation, or a covering for sins. In this way he can righteously exercise mercy toward sinners who accept this arrangement. Paul expresses the matter in the following manner: “But now apart from law God’s righteousness has been made manifest, . . . yes, God’s righteousness through the faith in Jesus Christ . . . For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus. . . . that he [God] might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man [the inherently sinful man] that has faith in Jesus.”​—Ro 3:21-26; see DECLARE RIGHTEOUS.