"He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD." - Proverbs 17:15
When considering the the state of man, whether he is basically good or not, any honest person can come to consider what is obvious. Rightly it has been said: "There has never been a great thinker in history who says that mankind is good."And because this is so, man has done much in order to appease his guilty conscience. One such thing that man has instituted to accomplish this end, is religion. I define religion as follows: Religion is a means by which man may successfully deceive himself into believing that he has obtain favor with God through piety and self-righteousness. Not only is religion the means to obtaining ignorance' promised bliss, but its ultimate goal is to deny the one truth which truly bridges the gap between God and man. My aim in this blog is to both consider that one truth, namely God's provision as seen in the Cross of Christ, as well as give an answer to the one question all honest religious men must ask - viz - "how can a Holy God justify sinners and still remain just?" Suppose the law of the land stated that all men who steal, must either pay a fine or spend time in jail. Now in this land, there was a man who stole bread in order to feed himself, because he was hungry. After standing before a judge to plead his case, the man explained himself and then threw himself at the mercy of the court in the hopes that he might be understood and go free. Now the question is asked, is the judge obligated to grant a pardon? Certainly not. He is no more obligated to grant a pardon than he is obligated to feed the man. Still, could the judge choose to show mercy and let the law breaker go? Certainly. The judge may choose to extend mercy on a criminal if he wishes, as it is within his power to do so. Yet, if he does choose to show mercy on this man, can we say that justice has been satisfied? What of the law which the judge promised to uphold? If the judge chooses to show mercy on a law breaker without satisfying the law, how is he not guilty of becoming corrupt? Though the judge may show incredible mercy to the most undeserving offender, without satisfying the mandates of the law, how can the judge rightly be called "good?"
Can we rightly say that justice has been met if the judge gives mercy without satisfying the law's demands? Indeed, we cannot rightly say that justice has been satisfied, and that the judge is good if he chooses to neglect the law. Consider now the sins of man. The breaking of God's Laws (Ten Commandments) are infinitely more heinous than the small story stated above. Furthermore, the judge of all the earth - namely God, is infinitely more just and more good than the best of earthly judges. How is he able to forgive transgressors of his laws, and still remain just and good? Again, this is the one question all religious men must consider. The scriptures testify that "it is an abomination for God to justify the wicked," yet Christians sing of the mercy of God in forgiving wicked men. How is this? What separates Christianity from other religions, and how can Christians truly have assurance that God has forgiven them? Here it is important to mention the good news of the Gospel of Jesus.
The Gospel Demonstrating the Justice of God:
"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 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" (Romans 3:20-26).
Rightly may men sing of being forgiven, as indeed justice has been satisfied. In the person of Jesus, God has made it possible to show mercy on undeserving law breakers, while still remaining just. Jesus, the God man, lived the life in which the law demanded of man, and never sinned. More yet, Jesus died as a sin offering to satisfy the laws demand. The law stated that the sinners must be given wrath for justice' sake, and so Jesus' death propitiated the demands of the law by paying the fine. Still further, Jesus rose from the grave fulfilling prophecy and validating his claims of being the only means by which man could be right with God. Now the question is asked: "How is possible for one man to adequately pay for all men's sins? The answer is simple. Consider a scale on which one side is filled with all of mankind from every time period, and on the other side consider Christ. The infinite worth and preciousness of Christ alone, far out weighs all on the other side. Christ is not just another object of faith whereby men worship for religion's sake, he is the only one to make provision for sinners to rightly be reconciled to God. Trust in Him!
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