God’s justice is one of the hardest things for mankind to accept. Plain and simple, we don’t want it. Well actually we do want it. For others we think who need it. Just not for us.
We don’t want to believe that sins are a “crime” against God, especially for “good people.” We want justice for those we deem evil such as rapists, killers, etc.. For victims, we get angry at God if there isn’t justice.
But justice for “good” people who do a lot of great things in the world? Who are kind and loving to others? Who aren’t perfect but are “decent” people? Because let’s face it. There are some really great people. And some of them aren’t even Christians, yet they are wonderful. Would God’s justice send them to hell?
What we fail to recognize is that all sin separates us from God. ALL sin. We want to say, ‘this sin deserves hell in every way,’ but ‘this sin does not.’ We set ourselves up as the Judge.
This is interesting as when I have traveled to visit jungle peoples, they often have a very different hierarchy of sin. In one tribe in which my co-workers served the worst sin a person could ever commit was unforgiveness. Sins like adultery and murder were no big deal.
We measure our “sinfulness” degree based on what we see in other people. We are quick to admit we are not perfect, but we definitely aren’t like ______________.
But Jesus set a higher bar. For example like with lust. Jesus said that if we look at someone with lust, we have committed adultery in our heart. Or if we hate it is the same as murder, because it is of the heart. Yikes. He could have gone on. Sin is of the heart and it is deeply infected with self and sin.
The real question is ‘how righteous are we compared to God’? The answer for any one of us ‘not even close.’
If all our thoughts, sins and attitudes of our heart were put on the big screen for the world to watch, we would see that we are much more sinful than we think. Do we compare ourselves to God? Because God is holy and only that which is holy can live with him.
But again. We’re not that bad, are we? Not bad enough to deserve hell?
Who are we to say sin is not that bad? When we gossip, do we know the devastation and hurt it causes someone? When we tell a lie, even a “white lie,” do we know the damage it can cause? Are we in a place to say that sins such as gossip, slander, malice, mockery, etc.. are not so harmful? Are we the ones to judge its effects?
Or is it is God who sees the severity of sin. According to Scripture, all sin separates man from God and brings harm to one another.
From the moment sin entered the world, God would make a way for man to be reconciled back to God. But first, man had to see that he indeed was a sinner. Which is why he gave the law to teach us. Then gave us Jesus to save us from our sins.
God is no coward. He calls sin for what it is. And he is not afraid to declare that the “wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). But His love is what he did next.
That’s what makes the cross so extraordinary. It was his justice and love at the same time on the cross–taking on the punishment for sin and reconciling man back to God. And so that verse says this: “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).
So here’s the fact. We are ALL under the justice of God. We will all face his righteous wrath without a Savior. But God has provided a way of rescue… if we want it.
What about those who don’t accept the liberty that Jesus provides? The escape from judgment and wrath? Those we love? Does that mean if I trust in Jesus’ sacrifice and those I love don’t, that I won’t be with them in eternity?
That’s a very real possibility. And that’s a hard pill to swallow.
Then some will say I would rather be in hell with family, than in heaven without them. But hell is not the place of relationships and family reunions and suffering together as a loving unit. It is the place of utter separation between God and man, and separation I believe even between man and man. It is truly awful. A place for many that will be eternally lonely and separate from God and each other.
I think of the parable that Jesus told in Luke 16 where the rich man went to hell. He begged the Lord to tell his family to not take the path he did.
“I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’” (Lk 16:28)
Here’s the reality:
- Nobody sane wants God’s judgment and hell
- We don’t want to accept God’s justice because we don’t believe we are “that bad,” as determined by us (key point)
- We establish our personal sense of “goodness” based on comparing ourselves to others, not comparing our righteousness to that of God’s righteousness
- We don’t want to accept that we have committed sins that are worthy of death and hell because we are convinced we are “good people.” And that those we love are good people. We become the judge of how hurtful a sin is, not God.
- “Sin” isn’t real to us because we don’t feel the consequences or see its full effects on others (God sees it all and it breaks his heart).
The response then is two-fold.
- If we don’t like the idea of what God says about sin and justice, and what God says about our sinful state that all sin is worthy of judgment and death, many will declare that they don’t believe in God, heaven, hell or anything. They’ll reject God completely.
Man has set himself as the Judge of sin and found sin an insufficient crime for justice. Man decides for himself which sin is bad and which isn’t that bad. It’s the Fall in the Garden all over again. Man decides for himself believing he/she is the best judge of whether someone is hurt or not and how much and what the consequences should be. - Others will recognize the sin in their hearts. That God alone defines the severity of sin and not man. And that we are sinners in every way, that our best attempts at righteousness fall flat.
For those that see this, they will repent and receive the justice that was placed on Christ in our place. In this scenario God is Judge. And he made a way for man to be reconciled back to him. The greatest gift. Never compromising his character of goodness, righteousness and justice, and at the same time showing them greatest compassion, love and mercy, taking the result of sin upon himself.
Right now the mainstream push is towards atheism. That’s not new in history. It is an oft repeated cycle of human behavior. It’s the ‘I don’t like God’s laws, especially regarding sexual issues, so therefore God doesn’t exist.’ Expect this to get a lot worse. Way worse. It’s the way the fish are swimming.
But for you, choose this day who is your god. You? Are you The righteous Judge who sees, knows and understands what is best (Job chs 38-40)? Or God. Is He the more righteous Judge compared to you?
