Do we really want Justice or Grace?

Leviticus 24:10-23 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

¹⁰ Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel struggled with each other in the camp. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) ¹² They put him in custody so that the command of the Lord might be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁴ “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregation stone him. ¹⁵ You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. ¹⁶ Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

¹⁷ ‘If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸ The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life. ¹⁹ If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him: ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him. ²¹ Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death. ²² There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.’” ²³ Then Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and they brought the one who had cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. Thus the sons of Israel did, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The justice of the old covenant was far different than what we understand justice to be today. Under the old covenant justice meant that there were penalties for breaking the law. We tend to think that justice is more about treating everyone fairly and equally, not about the consequences for wrong behavior. In our culture we have blurred the lines between justice, freedom, tolerance and grace. We think that if our society is just, then everyone should be free to do as they want as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else. In order to have justice there must be authority and there must be consequences for not abiding by that authority. Many people will get angry if they get a speeding ticket for driving 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. They will blame the police or say there is no reason for it to be a 35 mph zone. Justice requires that there be a penalty for breaking the law. We tend to seek to avoid the penalty, really we want grace not justice.

We are no different when it comes to spiritual things. We resist the idea that there is an authority who would require a penalty for living unrighteously. James 4:12 says: There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?  God is the authority and the judge, yet many in our culture and society today want to put God on trial, they want to judge God rather than be judged by Him. You here the questions and statements all the time which say, if God is a loving God why does He allow…? Or my god is a loving god; not a god who would punish people or send them to Hell.

“God is love.” Is a phrase which is often quoted from the Bible and it is true, God is love. The entire verse, which that phrase comes from, is 1 John 4:16, it says: We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. God is love, love is one of the primary characteristics or attributes of God’s character. In Psalm 89: 13-14, the psalmist says: You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted. ¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. For us to try to define and summarize who and what God is by any one single word or aspect of His character does not begin to capture the magnitude of who God is. It is like trying to comprehend the vastness of the universe looking out through a small window rather than through a powerful telescope. God is eternal, infinite and He is a perfect blend of all of His characteristics. God is love, but righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. His authority is seated on righteousness and justice.

Because God is perfectly just there has to be consequences for unrighteousness. God does not want for anyone to experience eternal condemnation and suffering. 2 Peter 3:9 says:  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. God does not express His love toward us by allowing unrighteousness, by tolerating sin. Rather, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) The love of God, the fact that God is love is shown in that: God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) Today’s text lays out some very harsh consequences for sin and disobedience. Hebrews 13:8 says:  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. God’s righteousness also has not changed. His perfect justice still requires that there be consequences for sin and unrighteousness. God perfect love and His perfect grace provided a way that all people can measure up to His standard of righteousness.

God hasn’t changed His mind about sin. He hasn’t lowered His standards. There are still consequences for sin. Romans 6:23 says:  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s love, His righteousness and His justice cannot be separated. The justice of God requires a penalty for sin. The love and grace of God required a savior. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)

Thank You heavenly Father, for Your righteousness, Your justice, Your love and Your grace. Thank You Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior, the demonstration of God’s love and grace.  Thank You Holy Spirit for Your abiding, indwelling presence in my life.   Amen.