God himself is the ____ of all holiness, and righteousness is the expression of God's ____.

• A. Standard
• B. Norm
• C. Benchmark
• D. Criterion

Answer: (A)

The idea is that there is a fixed measure for holiness, and God Himself is that measure by which all holiness is judged. When we say righteousness is the expression of God's standard, we mean that living rightly shows what it looks like to meet that divine reference point in practice and character. Righteousness isn’t just a good habit; it is the outward manifestation of aligning one’s life with the holy, unchanging standard that God sets.

It's helpful to contrast the terms a bit: norm, benchmark, and criterion are all related to evaluation, but they carry more secular or generic implications. They can describe typical behavior, a reference point for comparison, or a rule used to judge performance. In theological language, however, the most precise way to convey the idea is that God defines the standard of holiness, and righteousness expresses that standard in how we think, act, and relate to Him and others.