The Christian churches to-day say and believe that merit and righteousness belong to the Lord alone through the obedience He showed to God the Father, while He was in the world, in particular by His passion on the cross. But they have assumed that suffering the cross was itself the act of redemption; yet that was not it, but the act of glorifying His Human, a subject which will be discussed in the following section on redemption. The acts of redemption by which the Lord made Himself righteousness were His carrying out of the last judgment, which took place in the spiritual world. He then separated the wicked from the good and the goats from the sheep, expelling from heaven those who made common cause with the beasts of the dragon. From the worthy He founded a new heaven, from the unworthy a new hell; and by stages He brought everything everywhere back into order, and in addition He established a new church. These were the acts of redemption by which the Lord made Himself righteousness; for righteousness consists in doing everything in accordance with Divine order, and restoring everything which had slipped out of order. Divine order itself is righteousness. This is the meaning of these words of the Lord:

It is appropriate for me to fulfil all the righteousness of God. Matt. 3:15.

Also these passages in the Old Testament:

Behold, the days will come when I will raise up for David a righteous shoot, who will reign as king and do righteousness upon the earth; and this is his name, Jehovah our righteousness. Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:15, 16.

I speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Isa. 63:1.

He shall sit upon the throne of David to establish it in judgment and righteousness. Isa. 9:7.

Zion shall be redeemed in righteousness. Isa. 1:27.