We Are To Be Just Like Him

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.

Holiness Hampered

We are told many times to conduct ourselves with justice:

Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”  Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Arise, Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
    and upholds the cause of the needy.

There are many more passages, but this should be sufficient.  But time and time again, we see where man has failed in this aspect of the character of God:

But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

The way of peace they do not know;
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
    no one who walks along them will know peace.

Even today, we see justice hampered due to personal gain, politics, or the judge’s mindset.  People are deprived of their rights to own and use the land they have purchased; the law is applied differently to those who have political influence versus those who don’t have money, power or friends with access to one or both; the illegal alien has more rights and access to opportunity than does the citizen, etc.  In all of this, God’s holiness is not being displayed by the very people He has chosen to be in authority over us.

Lawfully Lenient

But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, who died upon the cross for the sins of all.  In this tragic but very necessary act, Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of God’s perfect, holy law so that we can be spared from His righteous wrath.  And even though this free gift is available to all, most choose not to accept it.

Permanent Punishment

The end result of this is that those who do not choose to believe God are justly sentenced to eternity in the lake of fire.  Since God is perfect, He cannot allow sin to occur without being punished.  And since God is perfect, His justice is perfect, and His judgements are perfect.  And since God’s judgements are perfect, the sentences He pronounces are perfect as well.  And His proscribed sentence for refusing to acknowledging that God is righteous and we are not is eternal separation from God in his jail – the lake of fire.  This was not originally designed for humans, but for the demons and the devil who, being in the presence of God, rebelled against His authority.

Justice means nothing unless the law is enforced, and the sentence matches the crime.  The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross allows God, during life, to show us mercy and grace.  Without Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, God’s wrath would still be upon us, and we would face eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.

A Qualifying Question

So, let’s ask ourselves a question:  Am I showing God’s mercy and grace in justice as I interact with others?

A short prayer of preparation:

Father in Heaven, You have shown Yourself to be full of mercy and grace, in that You give us life and reconciliation through the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help us to be ever mindful of Your desire for us to show Your justice when we are in a position to do so.  Grant us wisdom and discernment that in all things we would act in justice, for that is who You are.  Provide us with the desire and ability to show the world Your justice, that the righteous will rejoice, and those who do wrong will tremble with terror.  Let not the oppressed be overwhelmed by the wicked, and may we see the removal of unjust judges in our court systems.  I pray, Father, that you would reconcile the lost to Yourself, that You would be praised and glorified.  This I ask in the precious and powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Want more?  Why not try A. B. Simpson or A. W. Tozer?