The Glory of God’s Justice: Part 2 New Testament
We can’t escape Justice but we can Obtain Mercy!
Justice is not a standard God follows: HE IS THE STANDARD!
Justice is an eternal immutable attribute of His glory (Isa. 40:14; Ex. 34:6-7). Thus, His Justice must be the same in both the O.T. & N.T.
The Glory of God’s Justice must be understood in Light of Eternity (Psalm 37:1-11). From our limited perspective in this fallen World we often think “Life is not fair.” Then we wrongly think God is not fair. Only the light of God’s Word can Protect us from wrong ideas of God as we pass through the dark tunnel of time.
GOD’S JUSTICE, JUDGMENT & WRATH ARE INSEPARABLE
Wrath against sin is part of God’s Divine perfections (Deut. 32:35, 39-41; Isa. 1:24; 59:18; 66:6). God’s wrath is as much a Divine perfection as His Mercy! (Deut. 32:4; Jer. 9:24; Job 34:10; Ps. 101:1; Rom. 9:22-23; Eccl. 12:14). A Just God must Judge every violation of His perfect moral standard. God would not be GOOD if He was not JUST! It is impossible for God to do something that is not “Good!” His Justice, Judgment, & wrath are just as Good as His mercy & Grace.
SINNING AGAINST A HOLY GOD IS SERIOUS
Sinning against an infinitely holy God must bring a Judgment of infinite severity. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29; Deut. 9:3; Rev. 20:9). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:30-31). Do I really understand just how great my sin really is?
Should I Fear my final judgment before a Holy God?
Illustration: A man sitting at a park bench: rat, dog, toddler
The seriousness of our sin is magnified by the Greatness of the God we have sinned against. This should cause us to fear enough to seek God’s Forgiveness. Have your sought God’s forgiveness for sin?
1ST WE MUST CLEAR UP A COMMON MISUNDERSTANDING: Why do so many people have no fear of having sinned against such a Great & Holy God? Many People think the God of the O.T. is a strict, harsh, vengeful & angry but God in the N. T. is a loving, always forgiving, Father who would never Judge us. Many ignorantly assume that God’s action as Judge fades into the background in the N.T. But the reality to anyone who studies the Bible is that The N.T. is an intense Revelation of the Justice, Judgment & Wrath of God
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (Rom 1:18)
As the Perfect Judge God must inflict upon all sin & wrongdoing the Just penalty it deserves! The wrath of God’s Justice is revealed in…
God’s Judgment on Ananias & Sapphira for deception & lying (Acts 5:1-11). Have you ever Lied?
The wrath of God’s Justice is revealed in God’s Judgment on Herod for murder & Pride (Acts 12:1, 20-23). Have you ever Hated someone (Matt. 5:21-2) or been Proud?
God’s Judgment fell upon The Jews for rejecting Christ (Matt. 21:43-44; I Thess. 2:14-16); upon Elymas, for hindering the preaching of the Gospel (Acts 13:8-11); upon the Christians at Corinth for their irreverence at church especially with the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11:29-32).
The wrath of God’s Justice is revealed in the fact that everyone who sins dies! (Rom. 3:23). Have you ever sinned? Are you going to die?
The wrath of God’s Justice is revealed in God’s Judgment on the whole world in the “Great Tribulation” (Revelation Chapt. 6 thru 19; 2 Pet. 3:7). Are you saved from “The Wrath to come?” (Rom. 5:9; 8:1; John 5:24; I Thess. 1:10). You need to make sure you are!
The fact is that the Glory of God’s Justice & His role as Judge is Intensified in the New Testament. The entire N. T. is overshadowed by the certainty of a coming day of universal Judgment (Entire Book of Revelation). All wrongs will be righted someday (Rom. 2:5). Our every word, thought, deed, & motive will be Justly Judged according to God’s standard of Righteousness! (Romans 2:1-16).
The wrath of God’s Justice will be revealed at God’s Great White Throne when everyone will be judged “according to their works” (Rev. 20:11-15). Are you trusting in your own good works to save you? Then your situation is hopeless (Isa. 64:6; Eph. 2:1-2)!
OUR DILEMMA:
The Scriptures give amble proof that all sin & evil will be disposed of decisively, Justly, & permanently. The problem is that I myself fall into the category of “sinner” (evil) before a Holy God (Ps. 14:3; 53:1, 3; Rom. 3:10-12, 23). So how can I be saved from the Just judgment of God?
THIS BRINGS US TO THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: The Glorious Perfection of God’s Justice.
Since our transgressions offend His infinite holiness, the punishment must also be infinite. (Thus the eternal torment of Hell)
But by GOD’S GRACE an infinitely perfect Substitute can take our place in Judgment without violating God’s perfect Justice. The substitute must be fully human to substitute for humanity (Heb. 2:11-18): a descendant of Adam (Lk. 3:23-38). The substitute must be fully Divine to endure & satisfy God’s infinite wrath against sin (Lk. 1:30-35; Matt. 1:22-23).
BOTH GOD’S JUSTICE & MERCY IS REVEALED IN THE CROSS OF THE SINLESS CHRIST.
Often life in this world doesn’t seem fair… it wasn’t fair to Jesus! Though He was perfect & sinless look how much He suffered!
If we trust in Jesus we will experience the perfection of God’s justice throughout eternity! God has supplied us a way to experience His power & holiness in MERCY rather than JUSTICE (2 Pet. 2:9; Ps. 34:15-19).
God is always Merciful & always Just. He never Changes. So to experience God’s Mercy instead of the Justice I deserve a Change must take place in me! Believing the Good News of the Gospel of Christ creates that Change in me! Before believing in Christ I am dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-3). When I believe in Jesus Christ I am made alive! (Eph. 2:4-10). The Bible describes it this way:
“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: “THE GOOD NEWS”
God sent Jesus to be our substitute to bear our judgment on the Cross & die in our Place: “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).
Jesus Christ dies in my place on the Cross to save me from the penalty due my sins & also saves me from the wrath of God.
“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Rom 5:9).
Hallelujah! Look what God has Done!
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (3:25) “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past…” (Rom 3:24-25).
Jesus Christ is God’s Perfect Sacrifice to Redeem (save) me From the Penalty (Justice) due my sin. Jesus is the “propitiation” for my sin so God can be merciful to me a sinner (Rom. 3:25; I John 2:2; 4:10).
JESUS IS MY “MERCY SEAT” IN WHOM I MEET GOD
The Word “propitiation” in Greek is the same root word as “Mercy Seat” in Hebrews 9:5! Concerning the Mercy Seat, God says:
“There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony…” (Ex. 25:22).
THE POWERFUL PROPHETIC TYPE OF REDEMPTION
Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with 2 things: The Law which revealed their Sin; and The Tabernacle which revealed the way of Salvation. Many people seem unaware of the Life transforming ministry of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle Proclaimed How God could be Just & Justify the guilty Sinner who had broken God’s Law.
The altar of sacrifice was a Prophetic Type of the Cross! It was there where the sinner brought his sin offering. The “perfect” Lamb to the sinners place in the fire (a picture of the eternal fires of hell). Because the Lamb took the sinners place in Judgment the sinner was then free to worship God!
The Great High Priest (a Type of Jesus – Heb. 4:14-16) symbolically brought the entire people of God into the presence of God when He entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the Blood of the Lamb on the Mercy Seat (Lev. 16:1-28). The mercy seat set on the Ark of the Covenant which contained God’s Law (Justice). As my substitute Jesus completely satisfied the Just demands of God’s Law so that God could be merciful to me a sinner!
THE MIRACLE OF THE SINNER & THE LAMB!
(2Co 5:21) “For God hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The LORD becomes our righteousness (Jer. 23:6; 33:16; Rom. 3:22; I Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9).
Illustration: The Chinese have a powerful Redemptive Analogy of Salvation by Substitutionary Sacrifice in the procedure of sacrifice performed each year by the Emperor at the “Altar of Heaven” in Beijing.
WE SHOULD MEDITATE OFTEN ON THE ETERNAL WRATH OF GOD AGAINST SIN: WHY?
So we never make light of sin – which would have tragic eternal consequences
So we have a healthy fear of God which “is the beginning of Wisdom” (Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Job 28:28; Ps. 11:10; Eccl. 12:13)
To bring forth sincere fervent Praise & Worship for the Greatness of our salvation!