The subject of God’s justice is not an
enjoyable one; it’s not supposed to be. To consider the justice of
God demands that we consider eternal punishment, because one implies
the other. Justice implies a standard by which men’s actions are
judged. A standard implies the existence of one who gave the
standard. Therefore all of us must be accountable to the authority
behind the standard.
Theme:
God is just in punishing men eternally.
Body:
I.
Nature of God
1.
God of Mercy (Psalm
86:15)
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
NKJV
“Abundant in”
Full of compassion
2.
God of Love (I
John 4:8)
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
NKJV
but also
3.
God of Holiness (Leviticus
19:2)
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to
them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’ ”
NKJV
“I the Lord
your God am holy.”
4.
God of Justice (Deuteronomy
32:4)
“He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A
God of Truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.”
NKJV
Lawful and
right; fitting
·
We must look at both sides of God’s nature. Text:
Romans 2:4-11.
“Or do you
despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering,
not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you
are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6
who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’ :
7
eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek
for glory, honor, and immortality;
8
but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but
obey unrighteousness – indignation and wrath,
9
tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the
Jew first and also of the Greek;
10
but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to
the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11
For there is no partiality with God.”
NKJV
(Romans 11:22)
“Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God; on those who
fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His
goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.”
NKJV
·
Verse 4
He doesn’t wish any to be lost. Also (II
Peter 3:9) “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some
count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that
any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
NKJV
God’s mercy
allows them time to repent, to make things right. (Ezekiel
18:31-32)
“Cast away from
you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get
yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O
house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who
dies.’ Says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’ ”
NKJV
·
Verses 5-6
God doesn’t
arbitrarily send people to hell. The basis of judgment is not what
abilities one had or one’s intentions, but what that person actually
did.
Romans 2:13
“(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but
the doers of the law will be justified;”
NKJV
“Good
intentions. . .”
·
Verses 7-10
Actions
further emphasized. “Does evil” – “Does good”
·
Verse 11
Where we spend
eternity is decided by the kind of life we choose to live here. God
doesn’t predetermine our destiny. (Acts
10:34-35)
“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceive that
God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and
works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
NKJV
From these
verses, we clearly see both sides of the nature of God.
II.
God’s Righteous Judgment
A direct consequence of His just nature
Text:
II Thessalonians 1:6-10
“since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those
who trouble you,
7
and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is
revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8
in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on
those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9
These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10
when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be
admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was
believed.
NKJV
·
Verse 6
“Righteous” –
just; the right thing from God’s standpoint, demanded by His nature.
(Romans 3:5-6) “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the
righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts
wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge
the world?”
NKJV
“Repay” – recompense, pay back tribulation with tribulation; affliction
with affliction. (I
Peter 4:17-18) “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house
of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those
who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘If the righteous one is
scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’”
NKJV
·
Verses 7-8
“Vengeance” –
punish by dealing out retribution; justice, not vindictiveness. (Romans
12:19)
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for
it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
NKJV
People send
themselves to hell by their choice to not believe and obey.
·
Verses 9-10
“Destruction”
– separation from God, ruin. (Matthew
7:21-23)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say
to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,
cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ‘And
then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness!’ ”
NKJV
Note: “Righteous,” “just,” “vengeance,” and “punishment” are all from
the same Greek root word; just different ways of looking at the same
thing. All are interconnected.
Conclusion:
(Romans 3:23-26)
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His
blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because
in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were
previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the
one who has faith in Jesus.”
NKJV
·
How could God maintain His holy and just nature and at
the same time provide a means of escape from the penalty
of sin? How could He declare a sinner “not guilty,”
acquitted? How could He show mercy and justice at the
same time?
·
He did this by allowing His Son to pay the penalty for
us on the cross, the shedding of blood.
·
It’s that blood that has power to wash away our sins.
The London Times newspaper invited
philosophers and religious leaders to answer this question?
“What is wrong with the world?” All of those learned essays
came in, but the one that caught everyone’s attention was the
reply from G. K. Chestertan.
London Times: “What is wrong with the
world?” Reply by G. K. Chestertan: “Dear Sirs: I am. Yours
truly,”
We are all sinners and that is what is
wrong with the world.
Bobby Stafford September 9, 2018
|
The
Justice of God
