A Perfect Righteousness Procured
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
Psalm 45:6 NASBS
Though this is a royal wedding Psalm, by the work of the Holy Spirit, the Psalmist looks forward to the promise God made to Abraham—that He would send a Savior into the world. In this Messianic Psalm, he reflects upon the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son, who was to come as the Redeemer of mankind. This was a day every faithful Jew longed to see. Yet for many, this hope became distorted, as their eyes failed to see what Old Testament Judaism truly pointed toward. Still, they longed to see the fulfillment of God’s promise—that a Savior would come to bring redemption.
The Psalmist, in making this declaration, understood that man himself is wicked and in no way able to merit a righteousness that could stand in the presence of God. Woven into the very fabric of every human born of man are sinful inclinations that rebel against God’s Word. We must understand that God demands absolute perfection. For this reason, the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was fully like us in every way—yet without sin. He came to fulfill the redemptive plan the Father ordained before the foundation of the world: to meet the full demands of the Law, never once sinning in thought, word, or deed, and ultimately to offer Himself as a living sacrifice— shedding His blood to atone for the sins of mankind.
Indeed, He not only lived a perfectly righteous life, but He hated sin and all that opposed the will of His Father in heaven. The psalmist declares concerning Jesus Christ, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.” This was a plan of redemptive love—for there is not one born of the seed of man who can claim perfect righteousness.
Not only is such righteousness beyond our reach, but each one of us has actively violated—and continues to violate—the moral commandments that mirror the very character of God. This places us, by nature and by choice, under divine judgment. We are counted as enemies and rebels in the sight of the Father, deserving of the Law’s just penalty— death—and fit only to be excluded forever from the presence of the Triune God who reigns from His holy throne in heaven.
Such severe words regarding our fallen nature should not stir anger in us, but rather lead us to a deep realization of our desperate need for the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. You see, there is a day appointed when this Redeemer shall return as Judge. And to those apart from grace, He will declare those dreadful words: “Depart from Me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Understand this: no form of wickedness will ever be permitted in the presence of God—for He is utterly holy, and all who would draw near to Him must likewise be holy. Yet fallen man is incapable of attaining such holiness through effort or merit. The only hope for sinners lies in the gracious act of God, who imputes to them a righteousness not their own—a righteousness that is pure, undefiled, and unstained by sin. But this gift of righteousness is not given apart from justice. The law demands blood; sin must be paid for.
Therefore, in order for this righteousness to be ours, it had to be secured through the death of the One who alone could satisfy divine justice. In this great and terrible need, Jesus Christ stands as the mercy of God toward us—offering both the perfect righteousness we lack and the full atonement our guilt deserves.
The original righteousness given to Adam enabled him to stand in the presence of God, but it was not a glorified righteousness—it was capable of sinning, and indeed it did. But the righteousness that is found in Christ and freely given to us through faith is a glorified righteousness—one that cannot fail, because Christ Himself cannot fail. He accomplished what man could not: taking on human flesh forever, securing the perfect righteousness of God, and bearing the full weight of our guilt and punishment upon the cross some 2,000 years ago.
Today, I urge you to consider Jesus. May the Holy Spirit, through this brief devotion, open your eyes to the sinfulness of sin—how deeply it has permeated your affections—and may He draw you to receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. There is no hope apart from Him, and there is no salvation outside His name.