A Just God

3b50326rAs he approaches the dramatic conclusion to his speech, Patrick Henry proclaims, “There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations…” Both the Old and New Testaments are chock-full of word pictures that consistently describe God as just (fair). Some of the most vivid and direct can be found in Paul’s letter to the Romans where he proclaims that evil men, “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things [sins previously articulated in Romans 1] are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them…But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things” (ROMANS 1:32-2:2) and then warns those who practice evil that, “in accordance with your hardness and impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (ROMANS 2:5). But in the very next chapter of Romans warning gives way to hope as Paul declares, “…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” (ROMANS 3:23-26). The God of the Bible is both just and merciful.

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