God’s Justice

God’s Justice

He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:26

IN WORD The justice of God is unyielding. We would like it to be selective, applying to those who slight us and softly bending when it comes to our own offenses. But the character of God does not bend. Just as surely as God’s love is constant, so are His judgments. He is utterly reliable in every area, even the painful ones.

That’s good to know when the wicked prosper and bad things happen to good people. Where is the God of justice then? Waiting. When all is said and done, no injustice will be left. Everything will be perfectly fair.

That’s a comfort when we see people getting away with evil deeds; they won’t get away with them forever. But there’s a flip side to God’s justice that is frightening. We know we deserve penalties for our sins. Regardless of the size of the sin, when we consider the size of the One against whom we’ve sinned, we tremble. Sins against an infinite being require an infinite penalty. Justice gives us nightmares.

We easily see the Cross as an expression of God’s love, but it’s also an expression of His justice. The bloody body of our sinless Jesus is what justice looks like in front of a backdrop of love. If God were all justice, we would be on that cross. If He were all love, He would have compromised His character for our sake long ago, and we’d want little to do with Him. But on the Cross, love and justice stand together.

IN DEED The Judge of the earth is at work. Sins will be paid for—all of them. Nothing is left unpunished. But the wisdom of God means that the love of God and the justice of God are perfectly integrated on the Cross. God is both the judge and the justifier. In the ongoing work to make all things right, God has given us a chance to put our sins under the covering of His payment. It’s an amazing plan: Justice prevails without prevailing over us.

[The Cross] means the verdict which God will pronounce over us on the day of judgment has been brought into the present.

—ANTHONY HOEKEMA