During my tenure as a presiding judge, people came into my courtroom professing to seek justice and even often times demanding it. But, in reality, very few actually wanted true justice. Rather, those who were aggrieved wanted revenge on those they viewed as responsible for their respective predicament, while those who were accused perceived that justice for them should result in mercy shown. Nevertheless, whatever their viewpoint, the thing they desired became their own personal view of justice. Obviously, justice could conceivably include one or both of these sentiments, but not at the same time and place. In fact, true justice is more likely than not to fall somewhere between these two different paradigms.
What Is the Definition of Justice?
The concept of justice itself deals with the ethical idea that everybody should be treated in the same manner. It involves ideals like impartiality and fairness under the law. In common legal parlance, it means that the law is “no respecter of persons,” which simply holds that no discrimination should be practiced or any favoritism shown to certain people that is not afforded to all.
Likewise, we hear so much today about the love of God and how all-encompassing it is. That much in itself is thankfully true — love is an attribute of God that will not, nor can it be, changed. It is who God is. But what is often missing in this dialogue is that God is also righteous and holy at the same time. Because God is righteous in the purest sense, He cannot simply turn a blind eye toward our sinfulness, no matter how much He loves us. Herein lies the problem for mankind. We do not have the capacity to attain the same kind of agape love demonstrated by God, and we certainly do not have the ability to reach the level of purity that God demands. So, how do we transcend our mortal beings to reach the point where we are “accepted” by God?
Humanity's Endless Quest to Satisfy a Higher Power
This particular question has plagued humanity since the “memory of man runneth not to the contrary.” There has always been some attempt by man to appease a higher power than himself in order to obtain a degree of favor. Whether it is a product of nature like rain or fire that was sought or some other advantage like a productive hunt or later a harvest, action was taken to induce the desired results. This “something” that appeases a higher power is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a “propitiation” or as an “atoning sacrifice.” It can all be summed up in man’s ultimate question of how do I satisfy a higher power that I may not know personally but that I know intrinsically exists? I realize that there are those who deny the existence of anyone or anything higher than man. However, in the words of my mentor, the late Dr. Norman Geisler, and my friend Dr. Frank Turek, really thoughtful people just “don’t have enough faith to be an atheist” in view of all the evidence laid out in nature and the world in which we live.
So, since there is a God who is obviously more powerful than any of us, how do we, as mere humans, reach a position where we can be assured of acceptance by this supreme being? Quite frankly, a lot of folks just take the route of ignoring the possibility without even considering what should be done. These people we call nones, agnostics, or even skeptics. Then there are others who simply try to think good thoughts and do good deeds in the hope that somehow they will be good enough for God to take notice. Their thought line is that surely, He will promote them into His good graces because they are just nice people. In either event and at best, these approaches to God in some way depend on the individuals to be good enough in their own right to satisfy God.
The Bridge to God through Christ's Sacrifice
For true Christians, the reality is that there is no one good enough to meet the criteria set forth by God in order for us to be acceptable in His sight. If that be the case, then there must be an alternative method of reaching God’s level, or conversely, by definition, we are doomed to whatever punishment there may be. In referring back to this concept of propitiation, there is a marquee for the pathway to God found in John 3:16 —
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
However, if you look at this verse closely, there is a distinction that many are now overlooking in their zeal to be “inclusive,” no matter the reality or the cost. John 3:16 does not say in any manner that God saves us by His love. Because of His righteousness, He could not simply open up a side door to heaven and slip us in because we are such cute and cuddly creatures. What it does say is that because God loves us so much, He provided a bridge for us to reach Him through the life, death, and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
The Transformative Power of God's Grace
Mercy alone, no matter how great the degree, does not have the ability to save anyone. But because of God’s mercy, His grace is provided to all of us who are utterly incapable of saving ourselves. Mercy does not require any payment and, therefore, lends itself to being unjust in its application. On the other hand, the grace of God is the costliest commodity ever imagined in the universe. It required the highest penalty ever paid, the death of the completely pure and sinless Jesus on the cross in exchange for the forgiveness of my sins and those of everyone who ever lived, or will live, who call on His name. By and through the person of Christ, God’s love comes to us where we are despite the way we are. In Romans 5:8, Paul sets out this principle quite plainly when He proclaims,
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
It is this grace that not only rescues us from our sin but also transforms us and then ultimately empowers us to walk in the complete righteousness of Christ. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s anger was not necessarily diverted from the sin but diverted from only those who trust in the name of Jesus. In so doing, God’s anger was placed on the shoulders of the very one who was sinless, God’s only Son. According to Ligonier Ministries, what this means is “that Christ, in His perfect life and atoning, substitutionary death, satisfied the wrath of God against our sin and against us. It was not that He simply satisfied or assuaged God’s wrath against sin; He assuaged God’s wrath against us.” Therefore, he became our propitiation, allowing those who trust in Him to stand acquitted in the day of judgment before a completely righteous God.
The Continuous Work of Christ in Our Lives
The story does not end there. When we are rescued by Christ, there must be a change. Otherwise, there could be no ultimate rescue. So, even despite the way we are, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us in the moment we come to Him. But greater than that is the reality that God begins work in our minds and hearts at that moment that lasts not only for our lifetime but also for eternity. We are assured of that because, through the Holy Spirit in our lives, we become more and more like Christ as we lean into Him and upon Him. Sinclair Ferguson explains this phenomenon well when he states,
“It is misleading to say that God accepts us the way we are. Rather, He accepts us despite the way we are. He receives us only in Christ and for Christ’s sake. Nor does He mean to leave us the way he found us. But to transform us into the likeness of His Son. Without that transformation and new conformity of life, we do not have any evidence that we were ever His in the first place.”
At Southern Evangelical Seminary, we have been teaching about the grace of God for over 32 years. Even in the face of vexations brought against us by an unbelieving culture, we will stand steadfastly in the only truth that matters that is found in Scripture, which is the saving power of the cross of Jesus Christ punctuated with the exclamation for all eternity by His resurrection. There is no other avenue of travel, nor would we seek to find one. There is room on our journey for all who will truly believe. Won’t you join us?
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Martin Barraud
