What does it mean that God is just?

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TL;DR:

God’s justice is an important part of His character. It means that God always stands for what is morally good and righteous, and because of His perfection, He has the authority to punish the morally corrupt and reward the morally righteous.

from the old testament

  • God established His throne on the pillars of righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14).
  • God loves and delights in His justice (Psalm 11:7, 33:5, 37:28; Jeremiah 9:24).
  • God’s justice is part of His care for people (Psalm 36:6; Isaiah 61:11).
  • God's rulership of the world is based on His justice (Psalm 45:6).
  • God’s justice endures forever (Psalm 52:1, 119:160 ).
  • God will judge the world with justice and fairness (Psalm 98:9).
  • The rule and government of the Messiah is based on justice and fairness (Isaiah 9:7).
  • The Messiah, Jesus will bring justice to the nations (Isaiah 42:1).

from the new testament

  • God’s judgments are perfect (Romans 11:33).
  • God’s judgments are impartial (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11).
  • Everyone will be judged and held accountable by God (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15)
  • God rewards the righteous who follow Him and His ways (Mark 10:29-30; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Colossians 3:23-24; Hebrews 11:6; 2 Timothy 4:7-8).
  • God punishes wicked and unrighteous people (Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9; Romans 12:19; 2 Peter 2:9).

implications for today

To behave justly means to act and be in conformity with that which is morally upright and good. The concept of justice is connected to merit: those who are morally corrupt will be punished, while those who are morally upright will be rewarded. These principles of justice and righteousness are the foundation on which God operates.

Knowing that God is just, why do we see so much injustice in the world? The answer is sin (Genesis 3). Since Adam and Eve, all of humanity has chosen to sin and bring wickedness and injustice into the world (Romans 5:12-21). Our sin continues to have devastating effects on our world. While God is just, He is also merciful and patient, not wanting anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:8-10). He has allowed the earth to continue in sin because He longs to redeem, restore and set people free from their slavery to sin and death.

The good news is that God so loved the world that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the people of the world from sin and death (John 3:16). Jesus died on the cross for our sins, shedding His perfect blood, dying in our place, and taking the punishment of death that we deserved (1 Peter 1:18-20, 3:18). Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, overcoming sin and the grave and proving Himself the Savior of the world. By belief in Jesus Christ, we are made right with God, redeemed and set free to live in righteousness as children of God.

God demonstrated His grace, justice and righteousness through the sacrifice of Christ: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26 NLT).

So what about you? Have you believed in Jesus? Have you been made right with God or are you still held captive by your sins? Are you ready to stand before the judgment throne of God? God loves you and is merciful, and He wants you to believe in His Son, Jesus, to receive eternal life and begin an everlasting relationship with Him.

understand

  • God is perfectly just and righteous.
  • All are accountable to God for their actions.
  • God is fully just yet also merciful in that He gave Himself to die for our sins.

reflect

  • How does knowing that God is perfectly just challenge the way you respond to injustice in your own life?
  • In what areas of your life do you struggle to trust God's justice and timing?
  • How does the knowledge of God’s mercy alongside His justice impact your relationship with Him?

engage

  • How can we reconcile God’s justice with the presence of injustice in the world today?
  • What does God’s impartiality teach us about how we should treat others?
  • How does understanding God’s justice encourage us to live more righteously and share the gospel?