God is a Just Judge

Proverbs 17:15 - He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

Listening to a sermon on justification I was presented with this verse and asked the question: How can God be just and at the same time justify the wicked? Scripture says explicitly that a person that simply forgives a guilty person is an abomination. This is quite a heavy thought that is misunderstood by most of the world, and sadly by many who call themselves Christian.

When sharing the gospel with people I often am able to get them to admit that they have broken God’s laws. They have no problem saying that they would be guilty just like everyone else; after all, nobody’s perfect. But an interesting thing occurs when I ask how they believe they will make it into heaven. They say, “Because God is forgiving.” While this is a true statement, if this is what they are putting their hope in they will hear those frightening words from Christ, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”

Think about it this way: you broken many laws, are arrested and brought to court. A large fine (more money than you can imagine) or jail time is your punishment and you say to the judge, “I know you are a good man and very forgiving, so I feel you will let me go.” If the judge were to let the guilty lawbreaker go, he would be a corrupt judge, not a good man. Similarly, God is not corrupt and must punish sin wherever it is found.

Take a look into the mirror of God’s law. How will you answer to God for your lies, for the things you have taken that didn’t belong to you, for the hateful and lustful thoughts that He sees as murder and adultery? How will you respond to God when He asks you why you didn’t thank Him for every gift in your life, when you didn’t honor His name above all things? Will you say, “God, I know you are forgiving and you will let me go.”? That won’t satisfy justice. Neither will he be bribed by your supposed good works. God doesn’t simply forgive us, He does something even more remarkable.

God became a man (Jesus Christ), lived a perfect life, and was killed on the cross taking the punishment for our sins. This is how we have been set free; an innocent person paid the fine for our sins. This however made me wonder about the second phrase in the Proverb; he who condemns the righteous is also an abomination. This is getting confusing now! But that is why the term imputed is so important. It simply means that all of our sins were laid on Christ and all of His righteousness was given to us. Not that we are righteous, but that at the judgment, God sees us as righteous. Not that Christ is sinful, but paying for our sins, God saw Him as sinful.

We are allowed to enter heaven because God sees Christ’s perfect righteousness and not a drop of our wickedness. All that is required is that we recognize how filthy we are, call upon God for mercy to change us, and trust in Christ for righteousness. What an amazing gift! We deserve eternal punishment in Hell apart from the Holiness of God, but he takes the punishment for us, gives us His righteousness, transforms our hearts to follow Him, and welcomes us into His kingdom forever.

Consider what all other religions offer. Perhaps if you pray enough times in one day, or keep the Sabbath day and other ordinances, obey certain rules, meditate, or “be a good person” you will be able to bribe God into letting you into heaven. On the other hand, only true Christianity answers the question of how God can be just while justifying the wicked. The gods of all other religions are corrupt if they let lawbreakers go free without penalty. Thank God for His goodness, mercy, and His justice.

Acts 17:30,31 says that God is being patient, giving us all time to repent and trust Him, because He has set aside a day of judgment to judge in righteousness. Hebrews 9:27 says we are all appointed a day of judgment upon our death. How will you do on that day? How will you respond when God asks you about your sins? Christ has offered His righteousness. Have you trusted Him?

The Firefighter

Our Tuesday night Bible study has just started an eight-week study on evangelism and the gospel. The first week was very convicting and had wonderful discussion. Many people weren't able to make it this last week so if you missed out, watch this video to get an idea of what we discussed.

Feel free to leave some comments about the video or join us next Tuesday to discuss more.

Accountability

No cutesy pictures today. No eloquent prose. Just the plain and simple fact that we need accountability. A child is accountable to her mother, as a teenager is accountable to his girlfriend. Laws operate to keep us accountable to each other, so that our society doesn't run a muck with murderers and looters. Even our consciences work to keep us in check, and, in the final analysis, we are accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Why? Wouldn't it be a lot more "fun" if we were to simply do as we please, with little consideration of any such thing as "consequences?" I mean, really; why can't anarchy work? Doesn't decadence and self-satisfaction satiate our otherwise unquenchable desires for appeasement?

It doesn't seem so. Life loses all meaning without accountability. If we truly are to "eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," then why don't we simply "eat and drink" until we die? Because these things don't satisfy. A final reckoning, an eventual accounting makes requisite purposeful living.

An eye towards the judgment should spur us on towards purposeful living. But, it's so hard for us to conceive of death and eternity, isn't it, when there seems so much life left to live? That is why God's plan is all the more encouraging, when you consider that "no man is an island," but instead is planted amidst a similar people, on a similar journey.

For the Church, we answer to each other as brothers and sisters. We are to hold each other accountable, that we present ourselves "holy, cleansed by the washing with water through the word, and presented to Him as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:26-27)." I am firmly convinced that our greatest strength as a church is to hold each other accountable, as "iron sharpens iron." Fellowship and friendliness and all that are well and good, but if we are not doing the hard and gritty work of discipleship, then we meet to no avail.

May we allow the natural vehicle for sanctification do its work in our lives, as our brothers and sisters in Christ challenge us to be "accountable before God and men."