God is Just
Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 19:7; Psalm 89:14; 1 Peter 1:17; Romans 3:21-26
Jerry Sittser was driving his family home from a visit to a Native American Reservation in rural Idaho. A drunk driver, traveling eighty-five miles per hour, jumped his lane and smashed head on into the Sittser minivan. The driver’s pregnant wife was killed, along with Jerry’s mother, wife, and young daughter. Amazingly, the drunk driver was later acquitted of wrongdoing, though he was clearly the driver and was at fault. The loss, the grief, and injustice of it all was a lot for Jerry to deal with–and it would be natural for him to want revenge–but he wrote later of his experience, “I think that I was spared excessive preoccupation with revenge because I believe that God is just, even though the judicial system is not. Ultimately, every human being will have to stand before God, and God will judge every person with wisdom and impartiality. Human systems may fail; God’s justice does not.” (By the way, I’d heartily recommend his book “A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss.”).
Given the current state of affairs, we might wonder, as did the prophet Habakkuk, what has happened to justice (Habakkuk 1:4)? Has Lady Justice lost her blindfold? Are her scales no longer accurate? It’s good in such a climate to remind ourselves that there is a higher throne and on that throne justice always prevails (Psalm 89:14). God is just and He always acts consistent to His character. He rules His creation with integrity, always keeps His word, and renders to all His creatures their due. God is just and fair, completely rational and predictable in His dealings, without any shadow of capriciousness.
Of course, in consideration of this particular attribute of God, there is another matter we must deal with. The fact is that in the courtroom of divine justice we all stand guilty before our Creator (Romans 3:23, 6:23). How is the Judge to remain just if we are not punished for our crimes? Though all have sinned, those who believe in Christ “are justified (declared righteous) by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). God put forth Christ to satisfy, by His blood, the punishment due. In this manner God is “just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26)! Praise God!
John MacDuff, “Wondrous Thought–Justice, the very attribute which excluded the sinner, has become the first to throw open a door of welcome, proclaiming that infinite merit has canceled out infinite demerit–infinite holiness has covered infinite sin! While “justice and judgment” are the habitation of God’s throne, provision has been made whereby, in perfect consistency with every principle of His moral government, “mercy and truth” may go continually before His face!”
Heavenly Father. Our hearts are burdened by all the injustice we see in our world. We praise You as the One who is always perfectly just, whose justice will never fail. Thank you for providing a way that You might be both just and justifier of those who believe in Your Son! Help us to leave the injustices we deal with in Your hands for You to deal with in Your timing.
Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
My Beauty are, my glorious dress;
‘Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed
With joy shall I lift up my head.
LookingtoJesus 