Mercy-Part Seven
Mercy and Justice
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In this set of nuggets we have
been emphasizing the mercy of God. It is very evident in Scripture that our God
is a God of mercy. We have also acknowledged that most Christians need to more
proactive in offering mercy to themselves and others. There has been too much legalism
in the Body of Christ. However, our God is also a God of justice. In our
nuggets we always try to bring balance in the topics we discuss. So, before we
end this series of nuggets we should share on the justice of God. We
acknowledge there could be a series of nuggets on the word justice.
As we look at justice, we need to
recognize that justice and mercy are not opposites. They are just different
reflections of God’s character.
Justice
Rendering to someone that which is his due; the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments; the quality of being just, impartial, or fair; conformity to truth, fact, or reason.
Justice demands that evildoers are punished. Justice demands that wrongs done by others are corrected. Justice is reflected in the biblical principle of sowing and reaping. You sow goodness, you will reap goodness. If you sow evil, you reap evil.
In many situations, justice will not be accomplished until the end of this world. So, we need to be careful that we do not get discouraged, frustrated, angry, and hateful when we do not see justice prevail on this earth. At the same time we should take a stand for justice on this earth.
Mercy and Justice
working together
By giving mercy, justice may be accomplished. We may do something that
is very sinful and out of His divine wisdom, the Lord applies mercy to us and
we do not pay the consequences of our action. Because we have experienced the
mercy and love of God, we make a choice to never repeat the sinful action and
actually make amends to God and those we have wronged. Justice has been
accomplished.
Or, we do something that is sinful and destructive to our life, and the Lord allows us to reap the consequences of our actions. Because of this, we see our sin, repent, and are set free from our sin. We would actually see the punishment was in reality a blessing of God showing his love for us and his mercy by keeping us from repeating the destructive behavior.
As you can see, it takes wisdom when mercy should be given, or justice should be required.
In our last nugget we will share a couple of real examples of
mercy and justice working together.
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Copyright © 2002 Richard D. Dover. All rights reserv
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations used are from the New American Standard Version (NASB).