GOD IS BOTH JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER

ROMANS 3:26–28

[God demonstrated] his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus

(Romans 3:26).

If God is truly just, how can He overlook the sinfulness of man? Surely a holy and just God must declare man guilty and punish him. Yet, the gospel says that we escape punishment in Christ Jesus. Does this mean that God is not truly just and that He winks at sin? Does God ignore our guilt?

God Does Not Declare Guilty People Innocent

The Bible tells us that God never clears the guilty (Exodus 34:7). God never pronounces guilty people innocent. What the Atonement does is pay the penalty for people who have been judged guilty. The sinner is not cleared or exonerated, but declared guilty. It is after the sentence has been passed on him that he is redeemed, at the point of serving his sentence. He is declared guilty, and then Christ bears his penalty.

Not only does Christ offer the sacrifice to pay the required ransom, but also in God’s sight His merit, His righteousness, is given to me. As a result, after the transfer takes place, God looks at me and declares me justified. This is not because I have been cleared of my sin, but because I have been redeemed from my sin.

God Both Just and Justifier

Where in the Bible do we see the clearest expression of God’s justice and wrath? Is it not in the Cross, where He pours out wrath upon His own Son? This act shows that God takes sin very seriously, and that God judges sin. It also shows that God is a loving and merciful God, in that He pours that judgment upon Himself in our behalf.

When God spares me and gives me the gift of His kingdom He does not compromise His own integrity to do it. His righteousness is preserved and maintained throughout.

CORAM DEO

Take a moment to read the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Pause as you read each one to review how you keep that commandment and how often you break it. As you ponder your failure to keep the law perfectly, let your heart overflow with praise and gratitude for what Jesus did for you on the cross.

For further study: Titus 2; 2 Corinthians 5:11–21

thursday

april