True justice must demonstrate fairness to all parties. In legal systems, justice must flow equally to both the plaintiff and the defendant. Justice is more than the application of law; it involves the righteous and equitable treatment of every person, while protecting the vulnerable.
God has ordained a day of judgement for all mankind, when He will deliver justice in His sovereign assembly (Acts 17:31, Hebrews 9:27, Matthew 12:36). Jesus is the authority who will pronounce this judgement as He proclaimed in Matthew 25:31–46.
When scripture warns of the wrath of God, it is Christ who will deliver us from this wrath and also Christ who will execute justice. Acts 10:37–43 records Peter’s testimony regarding Jesus. In verses forty-two and forty-three he stated, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
Revelation 6:16–17 states, “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.’”
The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus, “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word,” (Hebrews 1:3). The text goes on to reveal, “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’?” (Hebrews 1:13). Indeed, Jesus will return to destroy His enemies, and Revelation 19:11–21 describes how Christ “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.”
We cannot base our theology on half–truths. We must embrace the full counsel of God’s word and in doing so, we will gain a deeper comprehension of the magnitude of who God is and what He is truly like. He did not spare Jesus from the cross, demonstrating He is both impartial and just.
DOING THE RIGHT THING
Doing the right thing can be extremely difficult, and there is no doubt the Almighty experienced powerful emotions when He poured the cup of His wrath onto Christ. Because God is just, He could not spare His one and only Son from the cross. Even though Jesus prayed that the cup be taken from Him (Luke 22:42), it was God’s will to crush Him (Isaiah 53:10).
Paul warns in Galatians 6:7–8, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Psalm 145:8 tells us, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” Furthermore, 2 Peter 3:9 teaches that, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The longsuffering nature of God demonstrates His love for mankind but He never offers impunity. He promises justice. Unless justice is served, love can never be expressed in its fullness to those who hope in the Lord.
In 1 John 4:16–18, the disciple states, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
JUDGEMENT DEMANDS REDEMPTION
Judgement demands redemption, either through payment or pardon. Punishment of the wicked demonstrates the just foundation of God’s righteousness as He executes vengeance against those who oppress the innocent. Paul teaches in Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’”.
God will not turn a blind eye to sin, nor will He ignore the cries of the oppressed. Psalm 89:14 declares, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You.” Deuteronomy 32:4 describes God. “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”
Ezekiel 33:11 tells us that, while God is just, He does not enjoy delivering justice. “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.’” This statement discloses that we have a choice. Repent and be saved (Acts 2:38, Luke 13:3, Galatians 5:24)!
In Romans 3:10–11, Paul informs us of the fallen nature of mankind, which is in sharp contrast to God’s holiness. “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.” Therefore, God is just in in bringing His wrath on humanity. The whole world is accountable to God. Paul goes on to assert, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:23).
Jesus Christ exemplifies the complete nature of God, and in Him we have assurance that we will be justified through His sacrifice on our behalf. Justified is a legal term meaning that the judge declares us innocent despite the fact that we are guilty. We receive a full pardon, and this verdict erases our crimes from the record. God applied His justice to Jesus in order to apply His mercy to us.
GOD JUSTIFIES THE UNGODLY
Romans 4:4–5 explains that God justifies the ungodly (which is all of us) through faith. “Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited to them as righteousness.”
Credited means that something is deposited to our account. Therefore, we receive righteousness in our heavenly treasury because of faith. When Jesus advised us to store up treasures in heaven, He was referring to storing up righteousness in our accounts through faith.
We will all have our day in court. The Bible says that all people are destined to die, and after that, we will face judgement (Hebrews 9:27). Once we come to terms with that reality, it is incumbent upon us to get our affairs in order so that we can approach that day free of apprehension, solidly grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ.
While people remain in open rebellion against God, they are enemies of God, yet when they repent, their adversary becomes their advocate. In Matthew 5:25, Jesus advises, “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.”
This advice is profound, considering the judgement we all must face at our appointed day in God’s courtroom. We currently have a brief window in time to repent and surrender our lives to Christ. Accepting His gift of grace constitutes “settling matters on the way.” Today is the day of salvation! Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is full payment for our sins; therefore, when we accept His offer of grace, we will receive a full pardon on our day before the judge of all humanity.
Our faith is credited to us as righteousness in the same manner as Abraham’s. “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith,” (Galatians 3:6–9).
This righteousness is equivalent to a not guilty verdict under God’s system of justice. God makes this possible since He has the sovereign authority to justify the ungodly. “What does scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited to them as righteousness,” (Romans 4:3–5).
Justification occurs when God forgives us through His grace and declares us righteous in His sight based solely on Christ’s righteousness that is imputed to us. Justification is God’s legal declaration of the verdict of not guilty of sin (Romans 4:5, 8:33).
God is just. Justice is a two-way street that reconciles the plaintiff with the defendant. Our sin was imputed to Christ and His righteousness was imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Similarly, we were imputed with the sin of Adam (Romans 5:18) that we didn’t deserve, so that we could receive righteousness from Christ that we don’t deserve. (Philippians 3:9).
Leave a Reply