YOUR question is not one that can be answered in very few words, especially as in both the passages you refer to the words translated “holy” and “holiness” are not the usual ones.
The Hebrew word used in the Psalm has the force of kind, gracious, merciful, as a reference Bible or a Young’s Concordance will show. The word used in Luke is the corresponding word in Greek meaning kindness, graciousness, but it is perhaps better rendered in this passage by the word, “piety.” The words which commonly occur in both Old and New Testaments and are translated “holy,” “holiness,” and often “sanctify,” “sanctification,” have the root idea of separation, setting apart.
We rather gather however that your main question is as to the broad distinction between holiness (as usually presented in Scripture) and righteousness. A short article appeared in our July issue in which the wri.er contrasted imputed righteousness with holiness of an experimental and practical sort, and he confined himself to that particular aspect of things. There are of course other aspects. The fact is that both righteousness and holiness may be considered, firstly as positional, and secondly as practical.
To be righteous is to be right in all one’s relations, whether Godward or man-ward or in any other direction. We are justified, i.e., put right in our relations with God, “through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” God Himself is our Justifier; it is His judicial act. We consequently stand in a righteous position before Him. This is what we mean by positional righteousness. The one who is thus justified manifests that fact by a life brought into subjection to the will of God, a life governed by the consideration of what is right in all directions. Speaking from this standpoint Scripture says, “He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous” (1 John 3:77Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. (1 John 3:7)). This is what we mean by practical righteousness.
To be holy is to be altogether separated or set apart to God. Now all true Christians are in that separated, set apart position before God, and hence may be addressed as “Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling (Heb. 3:11Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1)). This is what we mean by positional holiness. It is equally true, as a consequence of this, that all believers are to be separate in their ways. They are to share in the very nature and character and feelings of God Himself, to love what He loves and hate what He hates. In this sense holiness is progressive, as is shown in such verses as 1 Corinthians 7:1,1Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (1 Corinthians 7:1) and 1 Thessalonians 3:12-1312And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:12‑13). This is what we mean by practical holiness.
From what we have said we think you will see that righteousness and holiness are very closely connected and cannot be divorced the one from the other, yet they are distinct. The distinction between them lies mainly in this, that whereas righteousness has to do with actions and attitude, holiness is a matter of nature and character. God is both righteous and holy in an inconceivably perfect measure. Yet when we consider His righteousness we at once view Him as in relation with others—His creatures. Hence we speak of righteousness as relative. When we consider His holiness we can exclude from our minds all thought of others. It is what He is intrinsically, in the depths of His Being and nature. Hence we speak of holiness as absolute.
We hope that in the above we may have answered what was in your mind.
“What is man, even the best of men? Or what are his thoughts worth? Just nothing if not founded on the eternal foundation of the Holy Scriptures. Do we not see every day how easily men slip away from Scripture and get into their own notions? And do we not also see the disastrous consequence of so slipping away? It is like the points on the railway; at first the measure of divergence seems hardly perceptible, but look at the end.”
C. H. M.