************ Sermon on Belgic Confession Article 1f ************
Doctrine: God is Just
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on Nov 2, 1997
B.C. 1(f)
Genesis 18:20-33
"God is Just"
Introduction
Diogenes, the Greek philosopher, is famous for two things. First, he lived in a bathtub and took his tub with him wherever he went, looking like a teen-age mutant ninja turtle. Second, he always carried a lit lamp. With his lamp he searched every nook and cranny of ancient Athens, looking for a righteous man. His lamp wore out before he found what he was looking for; no matter where he looked he could not find a purely righteous man.
We know this: a million Diogenes armed with a million lamps could search the entire world without finding anyone who is perfectly righteous. To find pure righteousness we must aim our lamps toward the throne of God in heaven. You see, only God is righteous; or, to use the language of the Belgic Confession of Faith, only God is just.
I God is Just
A What do we mean when we say "God is just"? In the Bible the idea of God's justice is closely related to His holiness and righteousness. The three are but different facets of the same thing.
1. God is holy. That Biblical word "holy" has two meanings. The first meaning of holy is "apartness" or "separateness." That which is holy is set apart from common things. It is different; it is "other." God is the "holy other." He is absolutely distinct and different from anything else in creation. As the Holy One God is transcendent and incomparable. This is the Bible's message in more than one place:
(Ex 15:11) "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?"
(1 Sam 2:2) "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God."
The second meaning of God's holiness refers to His purity. There is no moral blemish, no defect, no stain of wickedness within Him. He is morally excellent and ethically perfect. As the Holy One God hates all sin and evil. This too is the Bible's message in more than one place:
(Job 34:10) "So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong."
(Hab 1:13) "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong."
2. Not only is God holy but He is also righteous. The connection between the holiness of God and the righteousness of God is this: holiness is what God is — God is holy in His being, His essence, His character; righteousness is what God does — in other words, God is also holy in His actions.
We wouldn't expect less from God. God can only act consistently with Who He is. God does righteous acts because He is holy.
In the Hebrew language the concept of righteousness — of acting holy — is rooted in a word that means "straight." We use the same metaphor today. When a criminal reforms his life, he "goes straight." When a person lives an obedient life, he walks the "straight and narrow." Conversely, if someone is a thief or a liar he is "crooked." But God is straight. He is righteous. He is holy in what He does.
3. Finally, we have to say that God is not only holy and righteous but He is also just. This refers to the judicial aspect of God. God is a just judge. He is just in judgment, in reward, in punishment. He judges according to standards of righteousness which in turn is measured by the holiness of His being.
B When we talk of man's holiness, righteousness, and justice we all know we need to use a measuring stick, something against which to measure their presence or absence. Often, the measuring stick that is used is the patterns and traditions of those who lived before him. These traditions can be good and wonderful if they help us live as obedient children of God. Yet, we all know that our traditions often become twisted and distorted over time and do not match up with God's standards and laws. That is why it is so urgent for every generation of believers to search the Scriptures to see if the rules and traditions they live by do measure up to the law of God. In other words, we are to measure our holiness, righteousness, and justice against the Law of God.
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. Now we need to ask, by what standard or measure do we say this? By what rules does God live? How is God's righteousness measured? Is there a law above God to which God is accountable?
We can state the question another way. Are God's actions right simply because it is God Who does them? Since He is the standard of all holiness, righteousness, and justice, doesn't that mean that what He does is right no matter what? If God did something "bad" would it no longer be "bad" because it is God Who did it? Would we have to say that any action of God is good, even if it violates His own law?
The truth is that God can never stop being God. As we learn ed last time, God is unchangeable, He is immutable. He must always act according to His character. Because He is holy, righteous, and just He cannot act in a manner that contradicts this. It is simply unthinkable that there be any contradiction in God's being or actions.
No law is higher than the character of God. He is the standard for perfection, the norm for ethics, the measure for goodness. There is nothing higher than God, because there can be nothing higher than God. It is against God that all persons, all laws, and all judgments must be measured and weighed because He is the ultimate.
C God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. In our Scripture reading Abraham asks, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen 18:25). Though this question is not answered the understood answer is "Yes!" Of course the Judge of all the earth will do right. That is the only thing the Judge of all the earth knows how to do. He is incapable of doing anything less than right.
We see this in God's dealings with Sodom and Gomorrah. God is outraged by the grievous sin and great wickedness of the people of these cities. He announces to His friend Abraham that His judgment will soon be executed. Don't forget, God is holy, He is righteous, He is just, so the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is an offense against His very being and character. Abraham, mindful that his nephew Lot and family are living in those cities, asks if God would destroy the righteous along with wicked?
(Gen 18:24-25) What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? (25) Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. Such a God cannot punish the righteous along with the wicked.
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. This means that God never makes mistakes in His judgment. He does not falsely accuse or wrongly condemn. The omnipotent, all-knowing, all- seeing God, knows the guilty and their sins, the innocent and their righteousness.
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. This also means that no one gets more or less than they deserve. In the Old Testament God holds two paths before His people: the path of obedience and the path of disobedience (cf Deut 30:29). He promises blessings upon those who follow the path of obedience (Deut 28:1-6). Of course, none of us deserve blessings because all that we do is tainted by sin. Yet God, out of grace, promises to reward the good that we do. And, in giving that reward God is just. But God also promises punishment upon those who follow the paths of disobedience (Deut 28:15-19). When He does this, God is holy, God is righteous, and God is just. He must punish evil, sin, and wickedness. He can no more turn a blind eye to our sin than can He stop being God.
II God's Justice and Us
A God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. Next to Him we are impure, sinful, and unclean. He is clothed in pure, white brilliance while we are clothed in dirty, filthy rags of sin. When we measure ourselves against Him we ought to fall down on our knees in repentance, begging for the forgiveness of sins.
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. Next to Him we are filled with injustice.
I remember very well an incident in grade 4. We were playing a game. The teacher told us we must play quietly and orderly. One of the children got carried away and let loose with a loud whoop. When the guilty party refused to confess the teacher decided to punish the entire class. We all had to stay in from recess for a whole week. What an injustice: all of us being punished for the sins of one person.
We see injustice all around us in this world. What a gross miscarriage of justice that many of the scoundrels responsible for the Savings and Loans mess have somehow managed to keep their yachts, mansions, sports cars, and Swiss bank accounts while costing us taxpayers billions of dollars. What a gross miscarriage of justice that many murderers, rapists, thieves, and drug dealers are set loose on technicalities or can plea-bargain their way into little more than a slap on the wrist. It is a miscarriage of justice that pro-lifers get thrown into jail for protesting abortion while pro- abortionists not only get off scott free but are generally applauded!
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. It is obvious, though, that we aren't!
B These two facts — that God is righteous and man is not — hits at the very heart of the Gospel. Because God is just sin must be punished. Because sin must be punished we need a Savior. Because we need a Savior God sent Christ.
Notice, we need a Savior only because God is holy, God is righteous, God is just. If God were not this way, there would be no sin, no sinners, and no need for a Savior. But because God is holy, God is righteous, God is just and we are not, we have a desperate need for a Savior.
How can unjust people stand before the judgment throne of a holy, righteous, and just God? They cannot except for Christ. It is Christ Who takes our place. He takes our place in two ways. First of all, He takes our place by fulfilling for us God's demands for holiness, righteousness, and justice. Secondly, Christ takes our place by suffering the judgment and wrath of God we should suffer. God's justice demands that sin be punished and for those who believe it is punished in and through Christ. Yes, we are still guilty. Yes, we deserve the full wrath of the holy, righteous, and just God. But no, we don't have to suffer if we only believe in Christ. In other words, God accepts us sinners because of Christ His Son.
C God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. What comfort this gives to those who believe in Christ. We know there will come a time when God will set all things right. All the injustices of our world will be set right. No injustice will linger for eternity. All the wicked unbelieving will be condemned and punished. All the righteous believers will, by grace, receive their just reward.
God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. Whereas this gives great comfort and peace to those who believe in Christ it strikes only fear and despair into the hearts of the unbelieving. For it means that sin is punished, that evil is condemned, that wickedness is not tolerated. If God did not punish sin, he would not be just. If He were not just, He would not be God.
Some of you perhaps have heard what Ted Turner, the owner and founder of CNN, said a couple of years ago: "I'm looking forward to dying and going to hell because that's where I'm headed." I will tell you this much: if Ted Turner knew what judgment and hell was really like, he wouldn't dare to talk that way. The Bible doesn't tell us too much about judgment and hell but what it does say is terrifying: a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a second death, an eternal dying, a place of great pain. Even Ted Turner should be rightly scared of such a place. Even Ted Turner should fear the judgment of a God Who is holy, righteous, and just in all His ways.
Conclusion
We all believe in our hearts
and confess with our mouths
that there is a single
and simple spiritual being,
whom we call God.