Verse 1 ends with the phrase “in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The preposition “in” here may mean in the sphere of or by means of. We have been allotted like precious faith in the sphere of or by means of the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our God and Savior are both Jesus Christ. This indicates Jesus Christ is God to be our Savior. He is the very God whom we worship becoming our Savior to save us. At Peter’s time this designated and separated the believers in Christ from the Jews, who did not believe that Jesus Christ was God, and from the Romans, who believed that Caesar, not Jesus Christ, was their God.
The righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is an important matter that requires a proper understanding. Notice that here Peter speaks of the righteousness not only of our God, but also of our Savior. From what Paul says in Romans we can see that the righteousness of God is one thing and that the righteousness of Christ is another. But here Peter combines these two kinds of righteousness when he speaks of the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Is this the righteousness of God, or is it the righteousness of Christ? Of course, most of us would say that it is both the righteousness of God and of Christ. But how can the righteousness of Christ become the righteousness of God?
The Greek word for righteousness in 1:1 may also be rendered justice. Our God is righteous, just. In His justice, He has allotted the precious faith as a divine portion equally to all believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, without respect of persons. And now He is not only our God but also our Savior. Thus, His righteousness now is not the righteousness merely of God, nor merely of Christ, but the righteousness of both our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. As our Savior, His righteousness is His righteous act, His death on the cross in absolute obedience (Phil. 2:8), accomplishing propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), enabling us to be justified by God (Rom. 5:18). As our God, His righteousness is His justice in that, based upon the righteous act, the redemption of our Savior, Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24-25) justifies all the believers in Christ (Rom. 3:26), both Jew and Gentile (Rom. 3:30). In and by means of such a twofold righteousness, the righteousness of both our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, the precious faith, the precious substantiation of the New Testament blessing, has been allotted equally to all believers among all nations.
Let us consider this matter very carefully. Because of the incarnation, God is not merely our God; He is also our Savior. This is the reason Peter speaks of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, His righteousness is not only the righteousness of God or the righteousness of Christ; it is the righteousness of both our God and our Savior. As our Savior, Christ’s righteousness consists in His righteous act. Romans 5:18 says, “So then, as it was through one offense unto condemnation to all men, so also through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men.” This righteous act was Christ’s death on the cross in absolute obedience to God. Through His crucifixion, Christ accomplished propitiation for the sins of the whole world and made it possible for us to be justified by God. Now God in His righteousness justifies all believers in Christ. The righteous act of Christ is the basis upon which God now justifies us. Therefore, the righteousness of Christ as our Savior is His death on the cross for the accomplishment of our redemption. As God, His righteousness consists of His justifying all believers based upon Christ’s redeeming death.
By this we see that in 1:1 two kinds of righteousness—the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ— are put together. The righteousness of Christ accomplished redemption. Now God in His righteousness justifies us. It is in the sphere of this twofold righteousness and by means of this twofold righteousness that the precious faith has been allotted equally to all believers.
Peter’s word concerning the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is rich in what it indicates and implies. The common thought among the Jews at Peter’s time was that God gave them certain blessings for their enjoyment. Those blessings were given according to their own righteousness. The Jews thought that if they lived and acted righteously, they would have their own righteousness before God. That was the righteousness according to the law. Hence, it is called the righteousness of the law. This means that our own righteousness is the righteousness of the law. Paul refers to this in Romans 10:3: “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, did not submit to the righteousness of God.” In Philippians 3:9 Paul declared that his desire was to be found in Christ, “not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God based on faith.” It is not according to this kind of righteousness, the righteousness of the law, that God has allotted us our New Testament portion. The New Testament portion is allotted to us by God in and by the kind of righteousness that is both the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of God is versus our own righteousness, and the righteousness of Christ is versus the righteousness of the law.
We have spoken concerning four kinds of righteousness: our righteousness, God’s righteousness, the righteousness of the law, and the righteousness of Christ. We have received the allotment of like precious faith not by our righteousness or the righteousness of the law, but by the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ. This twofold righteousness is the means in which and by which God has allotted to us our New Testament portion. We need to be clear that the portion, the allotment, is one thing and that this twofold righteousness is another thing. The portion is the inheritance God has allotted us, and the righteousness is the means or instrument by which the inheritance has been allotted.
We have seen that the New Testament inheritance is all things relating to life and godliness, including the divine nature. This inheritance also involves faith and the precious and exceedingly great promises. When all these items are added together, we have the New Testament inheritance. By what means has God given us this portion? In what sphere has He allotted it to us? We must be impressed with the fact that it is by means of and in the sphere of a twofold righteousness, the righteousness of God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not allotted by the righteousness of man, which is also the righteousness of the law. It is by the righteousness of God, which is the righteousness of Christ.
Peter’s word regarding the righteousness of our God and Savior indicates that the dispensation has changed. In the Old Testament the basis upon which people were blessed was their righteousness according to the law. This means that they were blessed according to man’s righteousness, which is also the righteousness of the law. But now, in the New Testament, God gives us a wonderful portion not because of our own righteousness according to the law, but because of His righteousness according to Christ’s redemption. Here Peter seems to be saying, “Jewish brothers, you must know that the dispensation has changed. Don’t go back to the law. God has allotted our New Testament inheritance to us not according to the righteousness we may have by keeping the law, but according to His own righteousness fulfilled by the death of Christ. Christ’s righteousness fulfills God’s righteousness. It is by this kind of righteousness that God gives the New Testament blessing. Therefore, the age has changed. Don’t go back to the law or to Moses—come to Christ. What we have is not our righteousness according to the Mosaic law. It is God’s righteousness fulfilled by the righteous act of Christ on the cross. It is in this righteousness and by this righteousness that God has allotted us equally our New Testament inheritance.” I hope that we all shall have a clear understanding concerning this twofold righteousness.