God has never been unjust. Not once.
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
- Genesis 2:15-17
To summarize, sin, in God’s eyes, is a capital offense.Then why are we not all dead?
If we all got what we deserved, we’d all get God’s justice and we’d all be dead and in Hell.
I heard a great story the other day from the late R. C. Sproule. He was looking back to when he was just a young professor at his college. I’ll summarize it here in italics.
Professor Sproule was teaching a class for the first time, and he was describing the syllabus and his grading policy. There were several term papers due throughout the semester. His policy was simple - if a student failed to turn in an assignment on time, they’d receive an ‘F’ (save a legitimate reason, of course, like a doctor’s note).
When the first term paper was due, out of 250 students, there were 25 who nervously begged for a 2-day extension. Dr. Sproule said that he’d let them turn it in late this time.
When the second term paper was due, there were 50 students who pleaded with him for an extension, claiming other classes all had term papers due at the same time, and so on. He agreed yet again.
When the third term paper was due, there were 100 students who hadn’t completed the assignment on time and he noticed a lack of remorse, so he decided to draw the line. As he began calling out individual students and letting them know they would be given an ‘F’, a young man in the back who had been given an extension last time yelled, “Hey, that’s not fair!”
He said to the student, “OK, then, you get an F on this term paper and the last one. You will get justice. Anyone else want justice?”
When the first term paper was due, out of 250 students, there were 25 who nervously begged for a 2-day extension. Dr. Sproule said that he’d let them turn it in late this time.
When the second term paper was due, there were 50 students who pleaded with him for an extension, claiming other classes all had term papers due at the same time, and so on. He agreed yet again.
When the third term paper was due, there were 100 students who hadn’t completed the assignment on time and he noticed a lack of remorse, so he decided to draw the line. As he began calling out individual students and letting them know they would be given an ‘F’, a young man in the back who had been given an extension last time yelled, “Hey, that’s not fair!”
He said to the student, “OK, then, you get an F on this term paper and the last one. You will get justice. Anyone else want justice?”
Dr. Sproule goes on to explain the lesson he was teaching his students, pointing out that had he been just since day one, all late term papers would have received ‘Fs’. But, he had, at his own discretion, decided to be merciful, not once, but twice. The astounding thing is that the students became entitled, claiming he had to give them mercy, lest he be unfair.
Mercy, by definition, can only be voluntarily given. It isn’t mercy if it can be demanded by a potential receiver.
So, let’s answer the question on the table now…
Why are we not all dead?
Mercy.
God doesn’t owe anyone anything.
He’d be perfectly just sentencing every person ever born directly to Hell. That’s His sovereign right.
Obviously, we have a merciful God who doesn’t do that. Thank God!
Then why do so many “Christians” object to God’s justice and cry, “That’s not fair”? Whose standard of measure are they using in that moment? Who’s acting as “God” in their head? They are. Apparently, they believe they have the right to accuse God of being anything but perfectly just and righteous. Yowza!
These people are miserable “Christians” because, in essence, they do not trust God. Their lack of faith ultimately haunts them, leaving them insecure, for who can trust a God whose perfection is questionable? I know I couldn’t. To have such a person as my Lord would be catastrophic to my peace and contentment.
If you can’t trust God in all things, then you can’t trust Him in anything.
I believe this is at the root of all insecurity in this world. God isn’t viewed as absolutely holy, sovereign, and righteous. He is scrutinized by the very creatures whom He created. His ways are postured as questionable by people who don’t truly know or fear Him.
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
- Romans 3:9-20
No human being has ever been justified before God on his own merits. We’re all sinners, born depraved. If God granted our demands for “fairness”, we’d get His justice and Hell. However, if we beg the Lord for mercy, He may, indeed, at His own discretion, grant it.[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
“I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Luke 18:9-14
I suppose the old saying applies here, “Be careful what you wish for.”Remember, God has never been unjust. He’s never punished a soul who didn’t deserve it.
I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
- Romans 9:15
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins
