Real “justice” = keeping your promises. God is therefore a “just” God.

Modern Christian orthodoxy views God’s “justice” in the strictest sense of western jurisprudence; which is to say, in strictly “legal” terms. The image of God as a “Judge” is often employed by preachers who suggest that Jesus serves as a sort of attorney to settle each individual case with the Judge, by taking on the person’s sins and being summarily tortured and executed in their place to appease the wrath of this “Just” God.

How messed up is that?

A better understanding is to see the “justice” of God in the Hebraic terms in which it is intended. God is “just”, because God is faithful to keep His promises.

When Nehemiah was recounting the faithfulness of God in Chapter 9 verse 8 of the Old Testament book which bears his name, he concluded that “You have fulfilled Your promise, for You are righteous (the Hebrew word translated “righteous” being synonymous with the same Hebrew word often translated “just” into English). Which is to say that the righteousness, or justice, of God, corresponds to God’s faithfulness to His promises.

Correlating to this on the human side; To believe in God’s promises (i.e. to have “faith” in God’s promises), is synonymous with being “righteous” in His sight:

“Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (cf. Galatians 3:6)

This kind of “justice/righteousness” is realized in terms of Covenant relationship between God and humanity. It’s actually quite simple: God makes promises (which He is “faithful” and “just” to keep), and humanity (on its best days anyway) will believe those promises and consequently be seen as “faithful” and “just/righteous” by God.

God is NOT a legal God of “justice” in the sense of condemning those who disobey one iota from the Mosaic law into an eternal hellfire. By no means. Rather God is a covenantal God of righteous/faithfulness Who has promised to raise those who believe in Him and in the resurrection of His son Jesus from the dead. More on death and resurrection to come in future posts. For now though, just take heart and know that God isn’t a maniacal legal freak Who acts like a mad lawyer or Judge. Far from it!

Peace,
David