
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Psalm 89:14
Last week I got some sad news. The daughter of a dear friend of mine was a victim of a terrible crime and after a lengthy trial, the judge pronounced her verdict. The perpetrator was found not guilty. Justice was not rightly served in that case, unfortunately. I was so upset, I couldn’t believe it. It got me thinking about how easy it is to talk about God’s love and mercy but sometimes we try to avoid facing God’s justice. We’ll all face it someday, and the Father will judge each person’s work impartially. It gives me comfort knowing that the criminal will face what they righteously deserve because God is just. But it also brings me reverence in knowing that I must watch my own actions to honor him.
This abstract painting is divided in half. The bottom part is complex and detailed, like our human lives. The top half, on the other hand, is smooth and so simple. At the top edge, all the colours and details fade and everything is pretty much clear, as it will be after God’s judgement. Nothing is hidden from God, my friends, not good or bad and this brings me peace.
I’ve found this text from Blue Letter Bible and it summarizes the justice of God beautifully:
“The Father of justice, God is the ultimate judge over the lives and actions of men. There seems to be so much injustice in the world (men lie, cheat, steal, and kill all the time with no seeming repercussions), but true justice is not meted out in this earthly realm, but in the true realm (the eternal heavenly realm). In the end, each man will receive his just deserts at the hands of an immutable God who cannot be persuaded or bribed.
Christ will look at each man’s heart and if it is the least bit corrupted by sin, that man, not being pure, will receive the justice of hell. The believer too would fail this test, if he were not already made clean by his baptism into Christ’s death. Thus he is rightly judged clean by Christ and enters into eternal Sabbath.
In God’s justice, we can find a comfort for all the wrongs perpetrated against us and against mankind. We know that our cruel boss who cheated us for so many years will receive what he deserves. We know that the politician who did wrong to gain personal power will receive justice. We know that killers like Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot will receive justice. And we know that we will receive justice as well. That can be scary for one who truly knows his heart’s deceitfulness and is not a believer, but the Christian rests in his sweet faith in Christ, knowing that he is judged in Christ (cf. Romans 2:16) and his safety is thus secured.”