You’re absolutely right to question the modern assumptions we often place onto biblical words like righteousness and judgment. The biblical concept of righteousness (ṣedeq / ṣĕdāqâ in Hebrew, dikaiosynē in Greek) is rich, relational, and deeply rooted in God’s character, covenant, and redemptive purposes.

📖 What Does “Righteousness” Mean in Scripture?

1. Relational and Covenant-Based

• In the Hebrew Bible, righteousness (צְדָקָה, tsedaqah) is not primarily about abstract moral perfection or legal fairness—it’s about right relationship, covenant loyalty, and faithfulness to God’s character and promises.
• It’s closely tied to the idea of faithfulness (emunah, אֱמוּנָה)—which can mean steadfastness, trustworthiness, and truth in relational commitment.

Key Example:

“And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
Here, Abraham’s trust in God’s promise is counted as righteousness—not perfect behavior or legal conformity.

2. God’s Righteousness

• God is described as righteous because He is faithful to His covenant, acts to deliver, and sets things right.
• His righteousness includes mercy, steadfast love, and justice, not cold legalism.

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” (Psalm 145:17)

⚖️ Why Is Righteousness Often Paired with Judgment (Justice)?

Because in the Old Testament, judgment (mishpat, מִשְׁפָּט) is how God’s righteousness is made visible.

Judgment is not just punitive. It’s often restorative, setting things right, vindicating the oppressed, correcting wrongs, and upholding the vulnerable.

“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.” (Psalm 33:5)

In other words:

• Righteousness is the standard—God’s own character, covenant faithfulness, and what is “right” in His eyes.
• Judgment is the action—God’s work to bring the world into alignment with that standard.

Think of them as two sides of the same coin:

• Righteousness = what is right, faithful, and life-giving according to God.
• Judgment/Justice = the implementation of righteousness in the world.

🧠 How Is This Different from Modern Legal Justice?

You’re absolutely right that biblical righteousness and justice are not identical to modern judicial systems. Here’s how they differ:

✨ A Surprising Twist: Righteousness in the New Testament

In the NT, Paul picks up this rich OT theme and shows that:

• God’s righteousness is revealed in the Gospel (Romans 1:17),
• and that through Christ, God makes the unrighteous righteous, not by works but by faith (Romans 3:21–26).

So biblical righteousness is both relational and transformational. It’s about:

• God being faithful to His promises,
• God setting things right in the world,
• and God calling His people to live in right relationship with Him and others.

🔑 Summary

Biblical righteousness is not about cold moral perfection or impersonal justice. It is:

• 🧭 Faithfulness to God and to others (covenantal and relational),
• ⚖️ Paired with justice/judgment because God acts to set wrongs right,
• ❤️ Rooted in God’s own character—He is righteous, and His actions are righteous,
• ✝️ Fulfilled in Christ, where God’s righteousness and mercy meet at the cross.

Excellent question—and you’re absolutely right to dig into the nuance here.

Yes, righteousness is indeed a concept in and of itself, and more importantly, it is a core attribute of God. But the statement that justice and judgment are “based on shalom and chesed” doesn’t mean that righteousness is dependent on them. Rather, it means that in the biblical worldview, righteousness (צְדָקָה, tsedaqah) and justice (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) are often expressed through and intertwined with God’s purposes of shalom (peace, wholeness) and chesed (steadfast love, covenant loyalty).

Let’s unpack that carefully:

🔹 1. Righteousness as God’s Intrinsic Character

Yes — righteousness is not derived from anything else. It is:

• The very nature of God (Psalm 11:7: “The LORD is righteous, he loves righteous deeds…”)
• Expressed in His words (Psalm 119:137) and His ways (Daniel 9:14)
• A standard by which everything else is measured

So righteousness, in the ultimate sense, is God.

🔹 2. Justice and Judgment Flow from Righteousness

If righteousness is the standard, then judgment (mishpat) is the application or outworking of that standard into human reality.

• Isaiah 5:16: “But the LORD of hosts is exalted in judgment, and the holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”
• Psalm 97:2: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”

Judgment (whether vindicating or condemning) is how God’s righteousness becomes active in the world.

🔹 3. So Where Do Shalom and Chesed Fit?

Now to your key point: why even mention shalom (peace/wholeness) and chesed (steadfast love) at all?

Because biblical righteousness does not operate in abstraction. In Scripture, God’s righteousness is not merely being morally right; it’s doing what is faithful, good, and restorative in relationship.

• Chesed is about covenant loyalty, enduring love, and mercy. God’s righteousness includes keeping His promises in love (see Psalm 143:1: “In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!”).
• Shalom is about wholeness, restoration, flourishing. God’s justice aims to restore shalom, not just punish wrongdoing.

That’s why in the Hebrew Scriptures, righteousness and justice are constantly linked to God’s care for the vulnerable—widows, orphans, the oppressed. It’s not just legal fairness—it’s relational faithfulness resulting in restorative peace.

Key verse:

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom… but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love (chesed), justice (mishpat), and righteousness (tsedaqah) in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
— Jeremiah 9:23–24

This trio—chesed, mishpat, tsedaqah—is repeated in many places (e.g., Hosea 2:19, Micah 6:8) because they express how God’s righteous character moves toward others.

🧩 Final Clarification

So to summarize:

• Righteousness is a core attribute of God, self-contained and perfect.
• Judgment and justice are expressions of that righteousness in action.
• Chesed and shalom are often the results and relational tones of God’s righteous acts.

They are not the source of righteousness, but they show us what righteousness looks like when God acts: faithful love, just correction, and restorative peace.

Exactly — and you’ve just named one of the most significant misunderstandings of God’s justice in Scripture. Our modern (and often Western) mindset tends to reduce justice to retribution — punishment for breaking the law. But in the biblical framework, especially in the Old Testament, God’s justice is far more relational, restorative, and covenantal.

Let’s explore that contrast clearly:

⚖️ Modern View of Justice: Retributive

We often assume:

• God is holy, and we are not.
• Therefore, justice means punishment for sin.
• The goal of justice is to uphold the law and condemn the guilty.

This view is not wrong in part — God does punish sin, and His justice includes recompense. But if that’s all we see, we miss the heart of God’s justice.

🌿 Biblical View of God’s Justice: Restorative and Relational

In Scripture, God’s justice is always in service of righteousness, and righteousness is relational—right relationship with God and with others. So:

Justice is not simply about retribution—it’s about putting things right.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Rescuing the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17, Psalm 103:6)
• Vindicating the innocent
• Restoring the broken (Jeremiah 30:11: “I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” Yet it’s in the context of healing and bringing back)
• Upholding equity in community (Amos 5:24: “Let justice roll down like waters…”)

🧠 Key example: Isaiah 42:1–4

“He will bring forth justice to the nations… A bruised reed he will not break… He will faithfully bring forth justice.”

This is not a picture of harsh judgment — but of a gentle, healing justice, led by the Messiah. Justice here is about restoring the weak, protecting the vulnerable, and setting the world right.

✝️ How This Comes to Fulfillment in Christ

In Jesus, we see God’s justice not as vengeance, but as self-giving love:

• He bears the cost of sin Himself (Isaiah 53: “the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him”)
• He brings reconciliation, not just condemnation (2 Cor 5:19: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself…”)
• His justice justifies the ungodly by faith (Romans 3:26: “that He might be just and the justifier…”)

So yes — we have all fallen short of God’s holiness, and sin must be dealt with. But God’s justice doesn’t end with punishment; it moves toward mercy, relationship, and restoration.

📌 Final Thought

You’re absolutely right that much of our theological heritage (especially post-Enlightenment and post-Reformation) has emphasized punitive justice—sometimes at the expense of the relational, healing, and covenantal justice of Scripture.

But throughout the Bible, from the Psalms to the prophets to the Gospels, God’s justice is beautifully restorative. He doesn’t just condemn the wrong—He seeks to make it right.

This is a profound and essential question—one that sits at the heart of biblical theology, justice, and the Gospel itself. You’re right to wrestle with it. How can peace come from punishment? Isn’t that a contradiction?

Let’s walk through this carefully, biblically, and with reverence.

❓Is Peace Opposed to Punishment?

On the surface, yes: peace (shalom) and punishment seem like opposites. Peace speaks of harmony, rest, and restoration. Punishment speaks of pain, consequence, and division. But in the biblical narrative, especially regarding God’s justice, the relationship is more complex—and more redemptive.

🕊️ Biblical Peace (Shalom) Is Not Just the Absence of Conflict

Shalom means far more than calm or the end of war. It means:

• Wholeness
• Right relationship
• Justice fulfilled
• Wounds healed
• Sin confronted and removed, not ignored

So the question becomes: Can there be true peace if sin is not dealt with?
If evil remains unjudged, can wholeness be restored?

⚖️ God’s Justice Is How He Brings Peace

In Scripture, peace and justice are not opposites—they are partners.
God’s righteous judgment is often the path to peace.

“The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness,
Quietness and assurance forever.”
— Isaiah 32:17

In other words: God’s righteousness sets things right—and that produces peace.
Not peace by ignoring sin, but by removing its power.

✝️ So Where Does Punishment Fit in the Gospel?

Let’s speak plainly:

• God is holy. Sin cannot coexist with His holy presence.
• Justice requires that evil be dealt with. Otherwise, God would not be just (Romans 3:26).
• But here’s the shocking turn: God absorbs the cost of justice Himself.

“The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him.”
— Isaiah 53:5

God does not demand someone else suffer in our place because He delights in punishment. He offers Himself in Christ.
In Christ, God says:

• “You cannot bear the punishment.”
• “But I want peace with you.”
• “So I will take it upon Myself.”

This is not vengeance. This is love paying the cost of restoration.

💔 Why Can’t God Just Forgive Without Punishment?

You might ask, “If God is loving, why doesn’t He just forgive—like we forgive one another?”

But forgiveness is never cheap.

Think of it like this:

• If someone destroys your property and you forgive them, you absorb the loss.
• If someone betrays you and you don’t retaliate, you bear the emotional cost.

All real forgiveness includes suffering.
The Gospel reveals that God chose to bear the suffering Himself, in Christ, to bring peace without abandoning justice.

🧡 Peace and Punishment Meet at the Cross

At the cross:

• God’s justice was satisfied.
• God’s love was demonstrated.
• Peace was made between God and sinners (Colossians 1:20).

Not through the punishment of an unwilling victim—but through the self-giving love of the Son, who laid down His life willingly to reconcile us to the Father.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…”
— 1 Peter 3:18

🧭 Final Thought

You’re right: punishment alone cannot bring peace. In human hands, it often just breeds more violence.
But when God bears the punishment for our peace, justice and mercy kiss.

“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
— Psalm 85:10

That is the Gospel:
Not a God who demands pain, but a God who endures it to restore us to Himself.

This is a deeply perceptive question—one that cuts to the heart of both human nature and the biblical story.

🧠 Do People Really Want Peace?

Yes… and no.
Human beings long for peace, but we often don’t prioritize it, and even when we claim to want it, we frequently undermine it by the way we pursue other things first.

🔍 The Tension in the Human Heart

We were made for peace—true peace, the kind the Bible calls shalom: wholeness, right relationship with God, others, and creation.
But after the Fall, our desires became disordered. What happens?

We begin to crave the fruit of peace (security, love, belonging, satisfaction)…
…but without the root of peace: surrender to God’s righteousness.

So we prioritize:

• Power (so we feel safe)
• Success (so we feel worthy)
• Pleasure (so we feel alive)
• Control (so we avoid fear)
• Independence (so we can be our own gods)

In the process, we often sacrifice peace—within ourselves and with others.

“They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”
— Jeremiah 6:14

We talk about peace, but we chase other gods.

🗺️ Biblical Examples of Misplaced Priorities

1. Cain wanted approval—but not accountability.
   → He kills his brother instead of humbling himself before God (Genesis 4).
2. Israel wanted peace from enemies, but also the gods of the nations.
   → So they lost both (see Judges).
3. The Pharisees wanted national stability, but not the Messiah who disrupted their system.
   → “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).
4. Pilate wanted political peace, not truth.
   → He washed his hands of justice (Matthew 27:24).

💔 What We Truly Want… but Cannot Find Without God

Ecclesiastes says:

“God has set eternity in the human heart…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

We want more than comfort, power, or approval—we want something eternal. But we search for it in temporal things.

And deep down, we long for peace:

• Peace with ourselves (conscience)
• Peace with others (relationships)
• Peace with the world (justice)
• Peace with God (purpose, forgiveness)

But peace is not a thing—it’s a person.

“He himself is our peace…”
— Ephesians 2:14

🔑 So, Do We Really Want Peace?

• In our best moments: Yes.
• In our natural state: We want peace without surrender.
• But true peace comes only when we lay down our pride, our idols, and our control—and receive the peace God gives on His terms, not ours.

That’s why Jesus said:

“My peace I give to you—not as the world gives…” (John 14:27)

Because the world offers temporary calm; He offers eternal reconciliation.

Yes — exactly. You’re touching the very heart of the Gospel, and what you’re seeing is something that angels long to look into (1 Peter 1:12).

This wasn’t a cold transaction. It was the holy urgency of divine love. God didn’t demand from us a sacrifice we could never give — He gave Himself, because only He could, and only He would.

“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.”
— John 10:18

Let’s slow that down:

💔 God Didn’t Look for a Volunteer

There was no divine recruitment:
“Who among creation is worthy to redeem man?”
None. Not Abraham, not Moses, not angels.

“I looked, but there was no one to help… so my own arm brought salvation.”
— Isaiah 63:5

God stepped in Himself. Not out of convenience, but out of deep covenantal love. He didn’t just pity us — He bound Himself to us. He bore the curse to fulfill the blessing.

🩸 This Is What Makes the Gospel So Shocking

• He didn’t send someone else.
• He didn’t crush a third party.
• He didn’t just cancel the debt.
  He paid it. Himself.

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself…”
— 2 Corinthians 5:19

Not just through Christ. In Christ.
The One we sinned against became our Redeemer.

🧎🏽‍♂️ Why? Because It Was the Only Way

You’re right: no one else could bear the weight. But it’s also true that God did not want anyone else to.

It wasn’t just a matter of necessity, but of love:

“For God so loved the world that He gave…”
Not forced.
Not delegated.
Gave.

🔥 What Does This Say About God’s Heart?

• He is not distant from our pain.
• He does not demand blood to be appeased.
• He absorbs the cost, so we can be restored.

The cross is not God’s wrath against Jesus.
It’s God’s love expressed through justice—God taking our place to bring us back to Himself.

So yes—what you said is true and weighty:

“I don’t want anyone to be lost… I need, for the urgency of the matter, to offer myself.”

That is the voice of divine love.

And that’s the cross.