The Justice of God

The Justice Of God

In this month’s article, I will discuss the justice of God. In July, I wrote about God’s holiness. In this article, I will compare God’s justice with humanity’s corruption and injustice, explain why we can trust God’s justice, identify the ultimate act of justice in human history, and show how this affects us.

Everyone wants justice. When we were young and our siblings hit us, we would run and say, “Mom, Katie hit me.” By announcing the injustice that had just taken place against us to the judge of the home, we were instinctively appealing to that judge—unless Dad was home, in which case we would go to him. What did we want? We wanted justice for the wrong committed against us.

Whether we see a thug sucker-punching an elderly person on the street or someone steals our credit card information, we all want the same thing—justice. God has hardwired that desire into everyone’s heart. We all know that there is a place where true justice is found, and this ultimate justice did not originate with humans but with our Creator.

I want to write about how God’s justice works and contrast it with human justice.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” — Psalm 89:14

Notice in this text what forms one of the foundations of His throne. Justice is one of the foundations of this great King’s throne. I wrote about righteousness a month or two ago, so I will not cover that again. If justice is the foundation of His throne, then everything else we know about God rests on that foundation. God cannot and will not sin because it is impossible for Him to do so. However, we can receive justice from this great God. He does not say one thing and later change His mind.

This means He judges everything by the objective standard of His Word. No one can escape His judgment, and every judgment He renders will be completely just. What makes God just is His love, faithfulness, justice, and righteousness.

God can never be anything but just. He is faithful to the truth and loves it from a position of complete righteousness. How does this compare with humans? I am not saying that humans cannot act justly; however, we never reach the level that God has always maintained. Look around: corrupted judges, people stealing and lying, and so on. This ranges from local county civil courts and city boards all the way to the highest Supreme Court in the land.

This leaves us all longing for someone who will simply do what is right. Why are humans so different from God in the area of justice? Man is broken physically and spiritually. God is not. Adam sinned and scarred the entire human race with the curse of sin. God remains unaffected by sin. One word describes the difference well: sin.

God is not polluted by sin, but every one of us who has lived, is living, or will live is. Why can God be trusted over humans? God cannot sin; He is holy and perfect. Therefore, He can be trusted. He is not corrupted by money or power because He already possesses everything. He is not influenced by the crowd because He does not fear man. He is faithful and loves His own justice. His justice can be trusted because God cannot be swayed or corrupted. He will give justice where it belongs.

Where does God’s mercy come into focus as we stare so intently at His justice? It is found in the greatest event known to humans—past, present, or future.

This event is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why does this event show us the ultimate form of God’s justice? In this one event, we see the guiltless die for the guilty. We see the Just One die for the unjust. God lays down His life to satisfy His own just standard so that humans can be freed from the guilt of sin. Listen to how He words it in the Bible, His revelation to us:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” — Galatians 3:13

God did not circumvent His justice. He did not sweep it under the cosmic rug. He leaned in and satisfied His justice with His own life. He became the curse of sin so that we could be freed from it.

How does this affect the way you view your relationship with God and with man? It should make you grateful for what God has done through the God-Man, Jesus. Remember, we all want justice. Our form of justice is corrupted compared to God’s perfect justice. He has never been, and never will be, polluted by sin and its effects. This is what makes His sacrifice on the cross so acceptable. He was the only One who could satisfy His standard of justice.

If you are a Christian, be encouraged, and may this good news motivate you to share it. If you are an unbeliever, may the kindness of God lead you to repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus.

Here are a few application points:

1.      Respond with gratitude

·         Because God’s perfect justice was fully satisfied by Jesus—the Just One dying for the unjust—believers should live in continual thankfulness for the cross rather than taking that sacrifice for granted.

2.      Place greater trust in God’s justice than in human systems

·         When you experience or witness injustice, remember that human courts and people are corrupted by sin, while God remains perfectly just and cannot be swayed. Rest your hope in His final, uncorrupted judgment rather than in flawed human institutions.

3.      Let the gospel motivate action

·         If you are a Christian, let the good news of God’s justice and mercy through Christ fuel you to share it with others.

·         If you are not yet a believer, allow the kindness and justice displayed at the cross to lead you to repentance and faith in Jesus.

Until next month, go out and share the Gospel until faith becomes action.