Notwithstanding being Reformed, Joseph Boot, in a work defending
theonomy wrote the following about justice/righteousness in the Bible:
In the Bible, the
original meaning of the word justice is coextensive with righteousness, so they
are interchangeable, or related themes that often come together in the same
verse (Ps. 33:5; Job 37:23). They are related because justice is an aspect of
God’s righteous character, as are mercy and compassion. (Joseph Boot, The Mission of God: A Manifesto of Hope for
Society [London: Wilberforce Publications, 2016], 199)
In the endnote
or the above, we read:
Righteousness/Justice
(tsedeq), rightness, righteousness
what is right or just or of judges, rulers, kings of law of Davidic king,
Messiah of Jerusalem as seat of just government of God’s attribute
righteousness, justice (as vindicated), justification (in controversy),
deliverance, victory, prosperity of God as covenant-keeping in redemption in
name of Messianic king: Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon – King James Version. (Ibid.,
610 n. 27)
As God’s righteousness/justice is an intrinsic
part of his nature (it is not a quality that is merely imputed to God [!]),
such shows that the צדק- and δικ- word groups
do not support the concept of legal fiction. Indeed, even when used in the
sense of “vindication,” it is due to the defendant being judged based on an intrinsic reality (their being truly innocent or guilty, not an imputation of such), per texts such as Old Testament
judicial texts such as Lev 17:3-4 and Deut 25:1.
For a fuller discussion of the concept of imputation and how it is anti-biblical, see: