GOD IS JUST!
I recall playing basketball with my two nephews several years ago. We divided up into teams, the two of them against me. I did pretty well at first… and why not? I was almost twice the size of my nephews. After a little while, though, one of my nephews caught on. He began to make up rules that made things more fair, rules like, “Uncle Eddie has to shoot the ball with his left hand while standing on one foot.” Suddenly the score became more even. He changed the rules.
The desire to change the rules is a temptation for a lot of people, especially when it comes to religion. Some people would like to change the rules about God’s justice. They doubt that God can judge people for eternity. Yet, God’s Word tells us differently. He is infinitely holy, infinitely mighty, and eternal. As the apostle Paul says, GOD IS JUST! This fact is proven in Scripture and in people’s lives. 1) Persecution Proves It, 2) Suppression of the Truth Proves It, and 3) Salvation in Glory will Prove It.
1) Persecution Proves It
Justice and punishment are often two closely connected concepts in the Bible. God’s justice is often expressed through punishment. But there’s more to God’s justice than that. He isn’t some uninterested being who mechanically hands out retribution at the drop of a pin. God is actively interested in people’s lives. Think about your life as a believer in Christ. Has it always been easy? Has a friendship ever been broken because of your faith? Were you ever honest with a group of friends, told them about your faith in Jesus, only to have them laugh in your face?
What if you lost the love and support of your family because of your faith? In Japan, we have an active mission effort. There are missionaries sharing the gospel with much success. Quite often, when a Japanese person comes to know Jesus, he is ostracized from his family. I’ve met some of those young people who’ve been rejected by their families. Imagine how it must feel to have mom or dad tell you that they hate you; to have your grandfather curse you; or your grandmother spit in your face because you believe in Christ. There are two ways to respond to something like that. One way is to fall into despair, feel sorry for ourselves, and lose heart. The other thing we can do is turn to the Lord and find comfort in his Word. Listen to what the apostle Paul says about God’s justice. “All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God.” Trial and suffering come along, and it’s easy for Christians to think that maybe their suffering is God’s judgment for their sins. But that’s not what God says. God does not give us what we deserve for sin. He doesn’t punish us. God punished sin on the cross. God punished his own Son for our sins. God put our sins on his Son, nailed him to the cross in our place. As a result he nailed our sins to the cross, so that he wouldn’t have to nail us there. We believe that. Because we have faith in God’s grace, we will face persecution and ridicule. But those trials are not punishment. Rather, persecution, suffering because of faith, is “evidence” of the fact that God is just. In his good judgment, he declares us to be believers. God proves it through persecution.
2) Suppression of the Truth Proves It
The apostle Peter also explains how persecution and faithfulness during persecution are evidence that we belong to God: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, if you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Why are people mocked for their faith? Why is there persecution? It’s partly because there are so many people who are suppressing the truth. Satan wants to keep the truth down. He’s hard at work right now. Just think of how many people mock the concept of God’s justice. In today’s modern world, the concept of hell is really more of a joke than a reality. We’ve seen it in Far Side cartoons; we’ve heard David Letterman give us hell’s “Top Ten Headlines -- #1) Ice Water Canceled …Again!” Now, these things are somewhat humorous and might even be harmless. But, if anything, they serve as an indicator as to how the majority of people feel about God’s justice. It seems that talk about hell has about the same impact that warning labels on cigarette packages have on smokers: “Maybe it’s bad, but it’ll never happen to me.” Most people don’t see God as just. They don’t fear his wrath.
The Lord clearly teaches that there is a place of eternal fire, where those who stubbornly spurn his verdict of grace in Christ will go. It will be a place of everlasting torment. And those who will suppress his truth will experience his justice firsthand. God is just. Those who hear God’s command, “Depart from me” will know the horror of an existence forever empty of God’s loving presence. That’s the ultimate torture; to know that God will eternally reject those who reject him. Imagine that the Almighty Lord would turn his back, eternally separated from his presence and blessing.
If you doubt hell’s existence, look at yourself in the mirror. Are there wrinkles? Do you feel the pressure of time passing? There’s nothing natural about the aging process, and there’s nothing normal about death. People don’t die just because stuff happens. We die because God says so, because we live in a moral universe where things fall apart because of sin. How especially devastating death is for those who deny God’s love, who suppress the truth. It’s really a matter of admitting that sin is sin. Evil is evil.
Some genius once announced that he had the answer for America’s crime problem. “Simple,” he said. “Make everything legal. Robbery, murder, extortion – everything, and instantly – no more crime problem!” This argument ignores one important fact. Destructive behaviors like murder, burglary, and drug abuse are not a problem because they’re illegal. They’re illegal because they’re a problem. They are sin. They’re not wrong just because we have declared them to be so, because it happens to be the way we were raised. They are wrong because God says so. And deep down everybody knows it.
Admitting that is the first step, and we won’t get anywhere until we take it. What’s worse – God’s solution to the problem will be meaningless, unless we take it. It’s a matter of repentance. It’s a matter of understanding that God is just. He hates sin. But it’s also a matter of trusting in God’s solution to our problem. God’s Word says that evil has a solution. In a real sense, God has already solved it. In Jesus Christ, he’s invaded this “present evil age” with his goodness and love. He’s atoned for the evil in each of us. He’s broken the power of evil in the world. And one day he’ll banish it from his world forever. We have God’s own promise on it – incredible, as it may seem right now. God is just.
3) Salvation in Glory Will Prove It
It’s wonderful news – but the wonder of it is lost on a person who won’t admit that sin is sin, a person who won’t face the problem, who suppresses the truth. A sighted person can see the room is dark and wish for a light. A blind person doesn’t care. God is coming to throw the light switch. The spiritually sighted are thrilled by the news. They can’t wait for it to happen. The blind are wondering what all the fuss is about. God is coming to throw the light switch. Just that quickly we will all find ourselves before the judgment seat of God’s final justice.
God’s justice will be revealed on the Last Day. As Paul says, “Christ will come like a blazing fire for the unbelieving.” His justice will be revealed for those who suppress the truth. But it will also be revealed in his salvation. Jesus will come “to be glorified in his holy people.” Jesus will come to take all believers to be with him in heaven. Without believers in heaven, God’s plan of salvation is be complete.
Christ will come with a loud command. He will raise the dead, and then take all believers to be with him forever. Have you ever tried to imagine what heaven will be like? When I was little I was a bit afraid of heaven. What frightened me was the fact that it would last forever. With the mind of an eight year-old I tried to comprehend eternity, and it scared me. I remember thinking to myself, “If it goes on forever, that means nobody can stop it. Not even an policeman, not even my dad!” Small children aren’t the only ones who struggle with the concepts of eternity and heaven. That’s because it is so far beyond our understanding.
God tells us really very little of what it will be like. The Bible says there will be no more sorrows, only joy. There will be no more sin, only righteousness. Our bodies will not be weak or imperfect in any way, but just like Jesus’ glorified body. From those few facts we can try and imagine what heaven will be like. But when we are actually there with Christ, it will be far beyond anything we could have imagined. “This is too good to be true” we’ll exclaim, as we stand in amazement at what our loving God has provided for us as our eternal home. As the apostle Paul says, “On that day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.”
This picture of heaven includes us. We’ll be among those who will marvel at our Lord’s glory. That’s meant to encourage us. We belong to Christ. God has worked faith in us, and we believe. One day we will be among those who will glorify Jesus and marvel at his love, because it will be revealed in all of its fullness. God is just. We don’t deserve this promise of salvation. Yet, God in his justice has made this promise possible. He gave his own Son that we might have life and have it to the fullest. God has worked out all things for our good. He’s provided a way for salvation. And his promise of salvation proves that God is just and faithful.
What a difference our eternal salvation can make in our lives if we remember to draw daily comfort from it! Let’s claim our inheritance! Through faith we can begin to enjoy it even now! There is a heaven. There is glory in our future. So, let’s enjoy it now. And let’s join our voices with the countless saints and angels and say, “To him be the glory forever and forever. Amen”.
