Just Yet Merciful

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In chapters one and two of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. — “How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion with the cloud of his anger!” (Lam. 2:1) — Some may ask how a loving God could display such wrath. Consider that a righteous, holy God must also be a just God. Though the people knew the Lord was righteous, they still rebelled against Him (Lam. 1:18). But, the account doesn’t end there. As we read on in Lamentations, we discover a God who is just yet merciful.

Why a Righteous, Holy God Must be Also be a Just God

Scripture links the righteousness of God with His justice as can be seen in this small sampling of verses:

For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice. (Ps. 11:7)

And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice. (Ps. 50:6)

May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. (Ps. 72:2)

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. (Ps. 89:14; 97:2)

Without a righteous standard “justice is perverted” (Hab. 1:4). Only a righteous God can truly be just. In themselves, people can’t claim to be righteous. We’re too driven by our selfish sin nature which leans toward doing what is right in our own eyes. We often don’t see the big picture and so we fail to always look at the end goal that we be holy as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:15). As a result, we may sometimes look at the justice of God and question His fairness. With a holy God, it’s not about being fair but righteous. His ways are so much higher than our ways (Ps. 36:6; Isa. 55:9) that it is difficult for us to always understand His ways.

God is Just Yet Merciful

As seen in the destruction of Jerusalem, sin has consequences. Don’t think for a moment, however, that God relishes in punishing people. In the third chapter of Lamentations we read, “He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone” (Lam. 3:33). His righteousness demands it. Yet, His great love and compassion extends mercy when we “return to the LORD” (Lam. 3:40).

Just Yet Merciful God - Mercies New Every Morning

Though Jeremiah lamented the destruction of Jerusalem (Lam. 1-2) and the effect on him personally (Lam. 3), He said, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:23-24)

God judged Israel for their sin but He did not totally consume them. As God, He would have been just in totally destroying them but He is also a merciful God. — “Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” (Lam. 3:32)

God is righteous and therefore just. Sin must be atoned. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). God, however, always makes a way so He remains just yet merciful. God’s justice would, through the Jewish lineage, be met on the cross wherein Jesus took the punishment we deserve. — “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:25-26)

We have a just God who is also merciful because He is the sum total of all His many attributes, all of the time, without fail. Reflect on His various traits using the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download which uses the alphabet to describe who God is.

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Your View of the Holiness of God Matters in Ministry

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Holy Church Because of the Holiness of God
God has saved us and called us to a holy life . . . (2 Tim. 1:9)

We’re to be holy because He’s holy (1 Pet. 1:16). Consequently, the holiness of God must matter in ministry.

About the Holiness of God

We often think of the holiness of God as something that should instill fear as His holiness defines His expectations for us –“just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Pet. 1:15-16).  Stepping outside of those boundaries leads to spiritual death for the unbeliever because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23) and “without holiness, no one will see God” (Heb. 12:14).  Lack of holiness in the believer can lead to discipline as “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Heb. 12:10-11).

We could get to feeling like we are in trouble.  No matter how many years we have been a Christian and have served the Lord, we will fall short.  And, the people we work with and serve will not be holy.  “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10).  Your experience has probably confirmed this truth.

Yet, God’s holiness is as much of a blessing to us as His love and grace.

Perspective in Ministry Because of a Holy God

Through God’s holiness we find perspective to endure ministry hardships and difficult people.   Here’s why:

  1. God’s holiness can be a source of hope and encouragement.

    Because of God’s holiness, even on the worst ministry day, we can know that there is something better.  This sin ridden world will one day be consumed by His holy fire and a new heaven and earth will be ushered in (2 Peter 3:10-13).   Knowing this gives us reason to join with the heavenly creatures in Revelations 4:8 saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

  2. God’s holiness can be a tool that helps us be more understanding of those we serve.

    God’s holiness points us to His grace as He “saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Tim. 1:9).  Realizing that only by His grace will we be holy, we should be more patient and understanding of those with whom and to whom we minister.

Your view of the holiness of God matters in ministry but so do His other attributes. Check out the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download for alphabetical renderings about who God is and what He does for us.

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Easter Points to the Holiness & Righteousness of God

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Easter reminds us that Jesus died on the cross for our sin because God is holy and righteous. Consequently, Easter points to the holiness and righteousness of God.

Christ Died for Our Sin - Easter Points to the Holiness and Righteousness of God
“The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). 

Because of sin, not only did physical death become a reality but also eternal, spiritual death … separation from God.

Why? — Because He is a holy and righteous God who cannot stand in the presence of sin.  Hebrews 12:14 says “without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

The sin problem must be taken care of in order for a holy and righteous God to enter into a relationship with people.  That’s what happened at Easter.

Jesus died and took our sin upon Him so that we could be made pure.  When God looks at those who have accepted His Son, He no longer sees their sin but rather Jesus’ blood which covers them.

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight.” (Col. 1:22)

“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  (Heb. 10:10)

Looking at How Easter Points to the Holiness and Righteousness of God Teaches Important Truths

So, what does Easter teach us about holiness & righteousness?

  1. Easter reinforces that keeping God’s laws cannot make us holy. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin” (Rom. 3:20).  As verse 27 says, “Where, then, is boasting?”
  1. Easter reminds us that we are all in the same lost condition and all in the same need of a Savior.  “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22-23).  To think we gain God’s favor over someone else because we are “better” than them is pure foolishness.  Apart from Jesus, we would all get F’s on the test, even if someone seemed to do better than another.
  1. Easter emphasizes that apart from a work of God in our lives to impute that holiness on us, we will always miss the mark.  “There is no one righteous, not even one … This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. . . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:11-23).  How absurd for us to think we can ever live up to the just demands of a holy God in and of ourselves.

When we trust in the work Jesus did on the cross, we stand righteous and holy in Him. We are thus called to “to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Tim. 1:9).    The state of our lives does not always match our standing.  What will it take for us to be holy as He is holy?  Perhaps Colossians 3:12 provides a clue:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  (Col. 3:12)

Notice the phrase “clothe yourselves.”  The idea in these phrases is that we are putting on something that is not a natural part of us.  The garment of righteousness we put on is His. The key to being holy, then, begins with realizing our need for Him to work in and through us.

Holiness and righteousness are just two of God’s many attributes. Get alphabetical listings describing who God is in the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download.

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