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I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.

Saturday, September 19, 2020

God Is Just And His Justice Will Not Sleep

God is the most just and holy too—more than mankind. But He must reconcile His justice and holiness with His love and mercy. He says, “I will have mercy to whom I will have mercy.” (cf. Romans 9:15). If you give mercifully to a charity, you are not obliged to give to all and if you don’t it doesn’t mean you are unmerciful. What does mercy mean but not getting what you do deserve—man deserves condemnation for his sin.

If God were obliged to be merciful to all and save all, it wouldn’t be mercy but justice. If a judge is merciful to all it isn’t even mercy, but overlooking justice. God could not claim to be just if He didn’t judge sin. God is in the position where He must protect His holiness and justice reputations too.

But God has provided a way of salvation from damnation through Christ and it’s his choice to accept it or not. A way to bring justice, mercy, and holiness all into play. The matter is so serious to God that it cost Him the death of His Son on the cross. And God is so holy that sin offends Him and He cannot even look at it—that’s why He did something. But this doesn’t mean God enjoys sending people to hell, it is uncomfortable to Him too. For God takes no pleasure in anyone’s death and He doesn’t willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Three things we can be assured of: God is unjust to no one; God tempers His justice with mercy; no one need to face the justice of God. Justice is giving what’s due, if no one gets their due, then there’s no justice. But God has good reason to forgive our sin and justify us because of Christ. We escape our just desserts in Christ.

We should ask ourselves: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (cf. Gen. 18:25). We must only challenge ourselves; If we really feel sorry for people headed to hell, we ought all the more feel obliged to preach the good news to them and lead them to salvation not criticize God; God is our Judge, we are not His judge. It is God who gave us the ability to discern good and evil with a conscience but we must acknowledge Him as the moral center of the universe, not us.

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