Justice is a pretty hot word in our culture today (the United States in the year 2021). Everyone from everywhere is demanding justice over something. It’s an interesting thought; fallen, sinful man calling for justice to be served. Oh sure, mankind has a sense of justice. No matter how twisted it may be for us now, we still understand criminals being justly penalized for their crimes and wrongs being righted. It’s not a new concept, it’s existed as long as man has. The reason we have any concept of justice at all is because we bear the image of our Creator. This week, in our study of God’s attributes; God is just.
Psalm 97:2 tells us that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne. Remember that God is self-existent and self-sufficient; therefore, when the Bible tells us that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne, it is God’s own righteousness and God’s own justice that his throne sits on. When mankind speaks of justice, it is most typically in a personal sense; we want justice for the wrongs we have suffered or for laws broken that have affected us. We must understand that when we talk about God’s justice, we are talking about the wrong committed against God—the breaking of God’s law. Rarely does man cry out for God’s justice while at the same time realizing that we are the law-breakers, and that God is the only one who can rightfully demand justice—and God, being just, will get it.
Now, we know that God’s justice does impact the daily life of people; however, at this moment, we are talking about the justice of God that every member of Adam’s race will come face to face with before the judgement seat of God (Revelation 20:11-15). To be clear, being descendants of Adam’s sinful race (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22), true justice for all of humanity would be to receive a sentence to eternal death—the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). Romans 2:2 says that the judgement of God rightly falls on sinful man.
Here, we see the beauty of the gospel! In the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, the justice of God is satisfied. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are justified before God. These two things work simultaneously. God does not lay aside our just and deserved punishment because of faith in Christ; Christ satisfies God’s justice for us, through faith in him. God is not ignoring justice in order to save anyone. Justice, for those who are being saved, was served through the cross of Christ.
Go Deeper:
Praise God that though faith we are free from what sin justly deserves.
Look up Bible verses on justice and see what God says about it.
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)