No Justice

That has been the chant, right? "No justice, no peace." The complaint is that they didn't think justice is being served and they demanded that it is. That doesn't seem like an excessive desire. We do expect justice to be served. Well, mostly.

Scripture talks about God's mercy. Now, mercy is not justice. It is, in fact, justice contravened. Justice is getting what you deserve and mercy is not getting what you deserve. For everyone else we demand justice, but for our own sake we do like mercy over justice.

Odd thing. I argued in the past that Christ paid for our sins on the cross. Well, I didn't argue it. I pointed it out in Scripture. Paul says that we have "been justified by His blood." (Rom 5:9) "You who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." (Eph 2:13) "It was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven." (Col 1:19-20) And more. The term that Scripture likes to use is "redeemed" -- to buy up or pay the price. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law." (Gal 3:13) "You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1 Peter 1:18-19) And more. Jesus "gave Himself as a ransom." (1 Tim 2:6) A ransom -- the redemption price. I'm not making this stuff up. But they protested. "Not true!" They were sure that we are saved just because God is merciful -- contravening justice.

You understand, I hope, what they're saying. "We demand justice! Well, no, not for us. And certainly not from God. No, we want mercy for us." But God is so clever. He figured out how to do both. No, they don't accept that, but it's all over the New Testament. Christ died to pay for our sins (justice) in order that we can be shown mercy. It demonstrates God as both "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Rom 3:26)

Me? I don't want justice. I can't afford justice. I don't want "fair." I could not stand to receive from God what I deserve. Nor do I want to nullify God as just. So I think I'll leave Him as He is, both just and justifier, a truly marvelous God. The Judge of all the earth that does what is just and shows mercy. One of a kind. My Savior.