“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Romans 3:21–26
We use the words “just,” “justice,” “truth,” and “judgment” quite a bit. “And Justice for All” has been used as a name quite often: a 1979 movie with Al Pacino, the fourth studio album by heavy metal band Metallica, a campaign for increased financing for grassroots justice defenders, a non-governmental organization that works with the UN as an advocacy group for human rights, along with many other uses. You just about can’t read a news story without hearing about “social justice.” For DC fans, we all know that Superman stood for “Truth, Justice and the American way,” which is why he was part of DC’s “Justice League.” We have judges who are called “Justices” such as a “Supreme Court Justice.” We even have the U.S. Department of Justice.
The question is: What do these words mean and what do they tell us about God? The words Just, Justice and Justified are defined as “based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair” (Oxford Languages). For God, this would mean that He acts in accordance with His own holiness. The “fair” portion of the definition indicates a uniformity in how justice is applied. God does not show partiality. Justice is demanded of all and applied to all.
The justice of God requires a penalty for our rejection of Him and His holiness. Our sin has a cost. The first part of Romans 6:23 tells us the cost of sin is death. Fortunately, grace is also available to all. Read the whole verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God provided the payment for the just penalty He requires of us for our sin (John 3:16). This is what we have been saying from the beginning, God is not part love and part just. He is wholly love, just, holy, and gracious. These qualities are not in conflict or disagreement within Him. He does not struggle with which attribute is taking the lead. There is no war going on between His love and His justice!
God holds all his attributes in complete wholeness, uniformity, and harmony. He holds His attributes in perfect agreement and holiness. God, the God as revealed in the Bible, holds us rightly responsible for our despicable defiance of His standards and for rejecting His Son. Yet at the same time, He holds out an offer of gracious reconciliation through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. He offers this salvation by grace alone. It is offered not after we fix ourselves but while in the depths of our depravity, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, emphasis added).
God not only is just and practices justice but also makes judgments. Many have the erroneous idea that God is all love and therefore would never judge people. Perhaps he would judge the truly evil, such as Hitler or a child molester, but not good people like you and me. God has been making judgments since the beginning, judging Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen 3:1-19). He judged their son Cain for killing his brother Abel (Gen 4:9-11). Even in His earthly ministry, Jesus judged the Scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23). These are not isolated incidents of divine judgment, but rather the clear message of Scripture. God holds us accountable.
“And this is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19) God has made a judgment about you, me, and the whole world. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is a fair judgment, for we have all sinned. It doesn’t matter whether I sin more or less than someone else. I and everyone else have sinned against the Holy God of the universe. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 the penalty for our sin is death. God could not be a fair and just God if the penalty fell on some but not all.
It is also fair, for it is no small thing to sin—an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law (Oxford Languages)—against the Holy God, our Creator. Hebrews 10:31 reminds us: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
As we noted above, God has done more than judge us; He has provided our solution. It was our problem, not His. He did not solve His own problem, but rather He provided the only solution to our seemingly unsolvable quagmire. With no requirement on His part, He met the cost we could not bear. He became the “Just and Justifier” for those who have faith in Christ Jesus. Wow, talk about a God who carries all His attributes in complete harmony! He stands with His justice and holiness; yet in harmony with them, He acted with a love we did not deserve: He offers grace!
So what about you? Where do you stand? Are you with those facing the penalty of death and hell? Or have you accepted, in faith, His free gift of eternal life, an abundant life? You don’t decide for Hell, it is already yours. Jesus tells us, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:17–18, emphasis added). There is no middle ground: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:23).
If you have not called on the Lord, see our post “Do you know God Personally?” Don’t wait; nothing is more important for you than your eternal destiny. “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2b). Contact us at cultivatingfaith.org@gmail.com if you do decide for Christ, we would love to hear about it. Or contact us if we can help you, that is why we are here.
Until the next time we see you here at CultivatingFaith.org, God Bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg
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