Throughout the world, countries have systems of justice: legal systems consisting of police, judges, lawyers, and kings that are all supposed to uphold justice and make sure that everyone is being treated fairly. When you break a rule or a law, it is totally fair for you to pay the consequences.
But nobody is perfect (except God!), and laws can be changed (except God's Law). So no earthly system of justice can be perfect either.
Maybe that's why so many people struggle with the fact that God is Just. We remember those times that we were treated unfairly, or when we worked hard for something and were not given our just reward, so we might think that God is going to be unfair towards us. Or we might think of God as Someone who is watching us all the time, just waiting to catch us being bad.
But God is not like that. All of God's attributes (His Love, Power, Perfection, etc.) are intertwined. So His Justice is always perfect and good, because God is always perfect and good. Even His laws are perfect!
How does God describe His "judgements" (justice) in
Psalm 19:9?
"The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."
What we easily forget, though, is that God sees people differently than we see ourselves. We usually think we're more important than we really are, or that we can be good enough to gain God's attention. The truth is, we are all sinners. We have all broken God's laws.
How does God describe us in
Romans 3:23?
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
God's glory is holy, sinless, and perfect; this is His character. Because God is Holy, Perfect, and Pure, His laws are totally true and righteous. His justice is absolutely fair all the time. He must uphold His laws; otherwise He would not be a perfect judge.
That's good news for someone who has been wronged! But that's not such good news for those who are guilty. And we are all guilty, because we are all sinners.
What does God say is fair for every sinner to earn in
Romans 6:23?
"For the wages of sin is death ..."
That means the just consequence for our sin is death. A Perfect God who is totally fair must judge our sin. It would "just not be fair" if He didn't.
How does Jesus demonstrate both God's Justice and God's Love in
Romans 5:8?
"But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Imagine you are in front of a judge. You have broken the law, everyone knows it, and the consequence for your crimes is death. The Judge pronounces you guilty, but then turns and opens a door behind Him. A younger man, the Judge's own Son, walks out from the Judge's office. He stands next to you and says, "I will take your punishment." The Judge looks to you and says through His tears, "This man is willing to take your punishment in your place. You are free to go."
We are all found guilty before a Perfect, Holy God. But because God, the Perfect Judge, is Merciful, He saved us from the death penalty our sin deserves by sending His Perfect Son, Jesus, to pay that penalty Himself. God's perfect justice is served in the death of Jesus, and we receive the fullness of God's love and mercy through God's Son.
Do you remember a time when you responded to God's great Love by asking for Him for forgiveness and to save you from your sins? If you are uncertain, or anyone in your family,
CLICK HERE to review what God has done for you through His Son.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER:
Because God is Just, He must judge my sin. But Jesus took my punishment Himself, and that makes me "Not guilty" before the Perfect Judge!
TAKING ACTION:
If you have accepted the fact that Jesus took your punishment for your sin when He came to earth and died on the cross, your sin is paid for! He saved you! Thank God for sending Jesus to take away your sin penalty!
If you have never said "yes" to Jesus for taking away your penalty for sin, you can do that right now! It's as simple as ABC ...
A - Admitting that you need Jesus as your Lord and Savior
B - Believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again the third day
C - Confessing to God what you need and believe about Jesus. You can do this in a prayer like this ...
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying for my sin in my place. I accept You as my Savior. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me the gift of life with You, both here now and someday in Heaven. Please take control of my life and help me be the kind of person You want me to be."
If you prayed this prayer or would like more information about trusting Jesus as your Savior,
CLICK HERE for someone from the church to help you.
