If God was just Just

“Let them (the enemies of God) be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.” –Psalm 83:17-18

“Rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.” –Isaiah 1:28

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.” –Obadiah 15

All of these verses are describing the God who created the universe, the God who we bow down to, and the God who is the King of all peoples. These verses and many more in the Bible describe that our Creator is just, He doesn’t let enemies, rebels, and sinners go without righteous punishment. He isn’t the lazy janitor who sweeps the dirt under the rug, no, He is the perfectly just judge, who hates sin and will not let it go unpunished.

God has a perfect and fair law that every single person who has ever walked the earth (other than Jesus Christ of course) has broken. “None are righteous,” and “all have sinned,” (Romans 3:10, 23). All are responsible for what they have done against God, and the punishment for that is death under His wrath (Romans 6:23). And God will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:7b). This is the God whom we are subject to. This God is just, and His justice is perfect. This God, based on these verses, can only cause us to run from Him in complete fear and terror. Based on these parts of the Bible, this God is our worst nightmare.

But there is more to God than what these sections of His word tell us. Much more. Yes, He is a God of justice and wrath against sin, but He is also a God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103:8). Yes, he is the judge of the nations, but He is also the Savior of the nations (John 3:16). God is not only just, He is love (1 John 4:8-10). He is mercy (Deut. 4:31). He is grace (Eph. 2:8).

If God was just Just, we could only run in fear of Him. If God was only just, instead of being our greatest friend, He would be our most feared enemy. If God was merely just, we would have no hope. But He is not that kind of God. God is so magnificent that He has made a way for us to come to Him without fearing His righteous wrath. He has put His wrath on His son, Jesus Christ, so that He can show His love to us. This love of God is greater seen when we understand how dreadfully righteous His wrath is, and if seeing Christ's loving sacrifice for us does not fill you with overwhelming joy, you don’t fully understand how glorious God’s love is.

Only by God’s grace can we rejoice that He is not only a God of wrath and judgment, but also a God of love, grace, and mercy. Only because of Christ’s sacrifice can we go to God as our father, instead of stand in terror before Him as our judge. Thank and praise your God for His perfect justice, and thank Him even more that you will not face this perfect justice that you deserve. Thank Him for His astounding love, in that He loved you while you were still His enemy, yet He saved you from eternal punishment and gave you eternal happiness in His presence. This is the greatest love anyone can ever know, and it can only result in the praise of the King.