God — Just, And
The Justifier
David Eldridge
Romans 3:24-26 states, “Being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith...to
demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and
the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” In these verses Paul
states two facts concerning God – He is just and He is the justifier. Let us
consider these that we might appreciate God even more.
A Just God. Many fail to realize (most through willful ignorance)
the justice of God. Justice is, “The maintenance or administration of what is
just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the
assignment of merited rewards or punishments” (Merriam Webster Dictionary).
God’s justice is found in the impartial judgment He will perform according to the
standard of His law. Elihu,
realizing the justice of God said, “For He repays man according to his work,
and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do
wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice” (Job 34:11-12). First, we
must understand that God has given us a law replete with commandments (Gal.
6:2). Secondly, one must realize that justice demands that we be punished if we
break that law (Heb. 2:1-4). God would not be just if He let those under His
authority (all men) break His law with impunity, going unpunished. It is no
wonder then that Paul could write to the Thessalonians, “It is a righteous
thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you” (2 Thess, 1:6). God is
a God of justice, and will punish eternally those who break His commandments
(cf. Rom. 6:23; 11:22).
God The
Justifier. As we have already noted, God’s justice demands punishment for
our sins. However, His mercy and love motivated Him to seek a way to justify us
without contradicting His justice. How
could this be accomplished? God’s wrath
came upon man because of their disobedience (Eph. 5:6). Furthermore, the only
thing that could take away sin was the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). Blood had
to be shed that God’s wrath might be appeased and God’s justice might be
complete. Notice in the verses we began with that God set forth Jesus “as a propitiation by His blood.” That Jesus was a
propitiation means that He was an appeasement to the wrath of God having “bore
our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus took our place,
and it is in His sacrifice that we find God’s just requirement of payment for
sin fulfilled, His justification of the sinner made possible, and His love
outpoured. Jesus knowing this great plan of God could say, “For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved” (Jn.
3:16-17). Thanks be to God for
sending His son to fulfill the requirement of justice, and for offering us the
chance to be justified in His sight!
Paul
stated, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by
His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (