Your only hope is that God is just

Before we conclude our series on Matthew 13, it is absolutely essential to consider that God is just. Indeed, it is preparatory for the final parable to understand the concept of God’s justness, because without it many will be left in bewilderment when they find that God accepts some while refusing others.

This is not a popular subject in our day where everyone wants to be accepted, but the fact is that God makes the rules; it is God who determines right from wrong no matter who believes otherwise.

It works well for us to broach this subject today, for when we can begin to understand that God is just, then we can begin to appreciate God’s gift for humanity in sending Jesus Christ, whose birth we remember during this Christmas season. You see, while God is just, he is also loving and merciful, but it is only because of Jesus Christ that he can demonstrate his love and mercy toward man.

Now, for those of you who have concluded that there is nothing beyond the life you are now living and that you will simply cease to exist upon death like any animal, you are free to your opinion. For you, we have nothing to offer here but to say that while you are free to believe how you choose, in the day of your death, when fear grips your soul despite all that modern medicine can do for you, just remember that God is just.

For the rest of us who understand that there is a God out there, we need to realize not only that God is just, but that it is in our own best interests that he is so. There are many out there who cannot reconcile themselves to a God who would send people to hell and prefer to invent some other god out of their own imagination who would never punish anyone so. But the truth is that if God is not just, then God is capricious. If God has no rules regarding human behavior, and who is allowed to enter into his presence upon death, then he is a God who cannot be trusted.

The idea behind being capricious is that of being fickle and given to whimsical change. And he who is not willing to bind himself to a set of rules is he who is leaving all options for the future open. It is aptly said that there is no honor among thieves. If God were to have no rules, then you would never be able to be guaranteed salvation from God; salvation would be based on how he felt, either how he felt about you or how he felt at the moment. And thus, even such a “dream god” would send people to hell, and maybe even you.

Rather than being capricious, God is just. The word “just” is the root of the word justice, which is based on a defined system of right and wrong. Being just is being fair. Being just is abiding by what is already written down. Being just is keeping one’s word. Being just is not countenancing rank or station in passing judgment. Being just is to be moral.

In addition to all this, being just also includes the rejection and punishment of those who are wrong and who violate the moral code. And for this, my friend, God is just.

But while God is just, he is also merciful and loving, because the truth is that no man, woman, boy or girl is able to keep God’s moral code enough to pass muster. The Bible says, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Not only does God “know” that we are not able to keep it, but more than 6,000 years ago as God was laying the foundations of our world, he knew that once humanity would fall into sin, no one would ever be able to keep it. It was because of this that God the Father sent God the Son to pay the penalty for our sin.

Thus, herein is our advantage for God to be just, for if God were capricious there would be absolutely no reason for Jesus Christ to come to this earth to die on a cross and pay the penalty for our sin. But because God is both just and loving, Christ’s sacrifice becomes God’s guarantee of salvation to all who will come to him through Christ. Why would Christ die for anything less?

Ron Hamman is pastor of Independent Baptist Church of Wasilla. Contact him at 357-4229 or ron.hamman@gci.net.

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