Over the last few months, we have been sporadically looking at core attributes of the God we worship—the One who sits enthroned above the heavens—and now we’re going to return to God’s throne room and look at the third attribute often listed with holy and righteous. So let’s prepare our hearts as we enter into the presence of the King of Kings through the study of His Word.
After studying the holiness and righteousness of God, I’m sure you’ve already guessed which attribute we’ll be studying now. However, let’s not gloss over this third attribute and assume that it is exactly like the other two, for without this unchanging characteristic of God we’d never receive forgiveness of sins. Therefore, this is one of the most important qualities of God; it brings the other two into complete harmony and is also an attribute that most people forget or don’t fully comprehend and, thus, blame God for many things that are not His fault! For these reasons, let’s take a closer look at understanding the important fact that God is JUST.
“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” ~Deuteronomy 32:4
“But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”
~Isaiah 5:16
“But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”
~Isaiah 5:16
Do you notice how justice is paired with righteousness? Last time, we looked at the meaning of righteousness and found that it meant right standing in the eyes of the law. And before that we look at the definition of holy which was unmarred by blemish, spot, or stain; sacred and set apart from everything else because of its perfect state. So since God is righteous and holy, He cannot tolerate sin or even allow it into His presence, because it would taint the pureness and perfection of His character. And just like the wrong ends of two large magnets violently repel each other, so also our sin fiercely repels God. Therefore, He must banish all evil and sin from His presence, and this need to separate good from evil is the essence of God’s justice and a core quality of His nature.
This is a sobering concept, and one that is not widely spread in our seeker-friendly American church that prefers to dwell upon the love, grace, and mercy of God. However, God’s justice was first revealed in the Garden of Eden when He banished Adam and Eve from paradise, which was long before the Apostles started sharing the good news of grace and mercy. But since many Christians today choose to brush over the holiness, righteousness, and justice of God and only think about His love, many people, both inside and outside the church, have a faulty, incomplete view of their Creator. This causes some of them to point their fingers at God and blame Him for all the pain, disaster, and suffering in the world and question, “If God is so loving, then why is AIDS killing most of a generation in certain parts of Africa?” Or “If God is so loving and cares for us, then why is my life falling apart?” What these people don’t understand, fail to realize, or refuse to acknowledge is that God is also just and cannot let sin go unpunished. And since mankind has been sinning for over six thousand years, the bigger question should really be, “Why hasn’t the God of justice destroyed this sinful world yet?” Or “Why isn’t there more suffering due to the rampant wickedness present in our world?” The answer is because God is so loving and doesn’t want any to perish, but all to dwell with Him in eternity. This is why He sent Jesus to earth, to live the perfect life we could not, and to take upon Himself the just punishment of all the sins of the whole world. Because, as we saw last time, we have all—you, me, your parents, siblings, pastors, and closest friends—missed the mark of perfect holiness set before us and have, therefore, sinned against a holy, righteous God and deserve the eternal punishment of death. But because of Christ’s death and the blood that was shed on our behalf, we can have His imputed righteousness so that when God, in His justice, looks on us He’ll see the pure righteousness of Christ instead of our repelling sin. This is the amazing way the three imposing attributes of God—holy, righteous, and just—work in concert with the God of love, mercy, and grace we are most familiar with.
This is a sobering concept, and one that is not widely spread in our seeker-friendly American church that prefers to dwell upon the love, grace, and mercy of God. However, God’s justice was first revealed in the Garden of Eden when He banished Adam and Eve from paradise, which was long before the Apostles started sharing the good news of grace and mercy. But since many Christians today choose to brush over the holiness, righteousness, and justice of God and only think about His love, many people, both inside and outside the church, have a faulty, incomplete view of their Creator. This causes some of them to point their fingers at God and blame Him for all the pain, disaster, and suffering in the world and question, “If God is so loving, then why is AIDS killing most of a generation in certain parts of Africa?” Or “If God is so loving and cares for us, then why is my life falling apart?” What these people don’t understand, fail to realize, or refuse to acknowledge is that God is also just and cannot let sin go unpunished. And since mankind has been sinning for over six thousand years, the bigger question should really be, “Why hasn’t the God of justice destroyed this sinful world yet?” Or “Why isn’t there more suffering due to the rampant wickedness present in our world?” The answer is because God is so loving and doesn’t want any to perish, but all to dwell with Him in eternity. This is why He sent Jesus to earth, to live the perfect life we could not, and to take upon Himself the just punishment of all the sins of the whole world. Because, as we saw last time, we have all—you, me, your parents, siblings, pastors, and closest friends—missed the mark of perfect holiness set before us and have, therefore, sinned against a holy, righteous God and deserve the eternal punishment of death. But because of Christ’s death and the blood that was shed on our behalf, we can have His imputed righteousness so that when God, in His justice, looks on us He’ll see the pure righteousness of Christ instead of our repelling sin. This is the amazing way the three imposing attributes of God—holy, righteous, and just—work in concert with the God of love, mercy, and grace we are most familiar with.
But be warned! Even though God has made a way for us to stand before Him in righteousness, He is still just and, for that reason, there will be a day when God will judge the world, and each and every person—including you and me—will have to give account for his or her deeds—both good and evil—and will receive a just judgment. The question is…what kind of judgment will you receive? Will the Creator of the Universe look upon you and see all your sins and unrighteousness and in His justice deal out eternal punishment? Or will He, as He gazes upon you, see the righteousness and perfection of His Son and welcome you home as His son or daughter? Which one will it be?
As we close out this little mini-series within our Who is God? Study, we now have a better understanding of the holiness, righteousness, and justice of God. But with this comprehension, an uncomfortable feeling may be starting to grow within you: fear. Now studying and furthering our understanding of God and who He is should cause us to fear Him; however, this is not a fear like a child fears monsters, but a fear that brings healthy respect. For example, I live in a rural area teaming with wildlife, and I fear two of the creatures that share our habitat: skunks and mountain lions. I fear the skunks, not because they could physically hurt me but because they could cover me with an awful odor! This is a healthy respect. I show the black-and-white critter healthy respect by giving him his space, and therefore remain odor free. On the other hand, the mountain lion could do so some serious damage, so I fear him with a trembling “it could kill me” type of fear and pray that I never come in close contact with one! Likewise, we can have two different fears of God—healthy respect or cowering fear—and the type we possess is dependent on our understanding of God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice and our sinfulness. And in light of what we’ve learned, we should be trembling with the “God will kill me” type of fear. But because of the sacrifice and imputed righteousness of Christ, we don’t have to fearfully cower before the God of the universe, but may come before our Heavenly Father with healthy respect and enjoy the glory and majesty of His presence.
So, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) And, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:4)
As we close out this little mini-series within our Who is God? Study, we now have a better understanding of the holiness, righteousness, and justice of God. But with this comprehension, an uncomfortable feeling may be starting to grow within you: fear. Now studying and furthering our understanding of God and who He is should cause us to fear Him; however, this is not a fear like a child fears monsters, but a fear that brings healthy respect. For example, I live in a rural area teaming with wildlife, and I fear two of the creatures that share our habitat: skunks and mountain lions. I fear the skunks, not because they could physically hurt me but because they could cover me with an awful odor! This is a healthy respect. I show the black-and-white critter healthy respect by giving him his space, and therefore remain odor free. On the other hand, the mountain lion could do so some serious damage, so I fear him with a trembling “it could kill me” type of fear and pray that I never come in close contact with one! Likewise, we can have two different fears of God—healthy respect or cowering fear—and the type we possess is dependent on our understanding of God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice and our sinfulness. And in light of what we’ve learned, we should be trembling with the “God will kill me” type of fear. But because of the sacrifice and imputed righteousness of Christ, we don’t have to fearfully cower before the God of the universe, but may come before our Heavenly Father with healthy respect and enjoy the glory and majesty of His presence.
So, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) And, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:4)
“When I stand before Your throne,
Dressed in glory not my own,
What a joy I’ll sing of on the day.
Then I will see You as You are,
And love You with unsinning heart,
And see how much You paid to bring me home.
Not till then, Lord shall I know,
Not till then, how much I owe;
Everything I am before Your throne.
And we will worship, worship,
Forever in Your presence we will sing.
We will worship, worship You;
An endless hallelujah to the King.”
~“Endless Hallelujah” by Matt Redman
Dressed in glory not my own,
What a joy I’ll sing of on the day.
Then I will see You as You are,
And love You with unsinning heart,
And see how much You paid to bring me home.
Not till then, Lord shall I know,
Not till then, how much I owe;
Everything I am before Your throne.
And we will worship, worship,
Forever in Your presence we will sing.
We will worship, worship You;
An endless hallelujah to the King.”
~“Endless Hallelujah” by Matt Redman
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