The Just God
The Attributes of God • Sermon • Submitted
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The Justice of God
The Justice of God
God’s righteousness is his perfect absolute justice in and toward himself, his prevention of any violation of the justice of his character, and his revelation of himself in acts of justice. Both the Old Testament Hebrew term (tsedeqah) and the New Testament Greek term (dikaiosynē) for “righteousness” carry the sense of conformity to a standard. - John MacArthur
In looking this up very carefully in the Scriptures, I find that justice is indistinguishable from righteousness -A. W. Tozer
A. W. Tozer
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Rectoral justice. This is God’s rectitude (from the Lat. rectus, “straight”) as the moral Ruler, Lawgiver, and Judge of the world—imposing law with promises of reward and punishment (; ; ; ; , , , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ).
Distributive justice. This aspect of God’s righteousness is his rectitude in the execution of law, in distributing reward and punishment (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). Two categories within God’s distributive justice are his retributive justice and his remunerative justice.
Retributive justice is God’s inflicting of punishment for disobeying his law (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; , ).
Remunerative justice is God’s distributing of rewards for obeying his law (, ; ; ; ; , ; ; ). God is not required to give rewards for obedience, since man is required to obey God. But he graciously gives them (; ; ).
John MacArthur
John MacArthur
God’s Justice is Right
God’s Justice is Right
Job
For according to the work of a man he will repay him,
and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
and the Almighty will not pervert justice.
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
Gen 18
“The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
Deut 32
And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,
“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,
for you brought these judgments.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!”
And I heard the altar saying,
“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
true and just are your judgments!”
Our Problem because of God’s Justice
Our Problem because of God’s Justice
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
The Hope of God’s Justice
The Hope of God’s Justice
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Romans 3.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
,
But the glory of the Christian religion may be seen in the fact that when we are stricken, we can continually affirm the justice of God simultaneously with his mercy, wisdom, grace, goodness, and the rest of his attributes. He only ever acts toward us in a manner consistent with his whole being.
God tempers his afflictions— mercy!
God uses our afflictions to make us like his Son— wisdom!
God does not entice us to sin in our afflictions— holiness!
God brings us afflictions to keep us from hell— goodness!
Jones, Mark. God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God (p. 190). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
Jones, Mark. God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God (p. 192). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
Romans 12.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Heb 10.
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.