Justice and Mercy… Not So Far Apart
When someone says the word “justice” many emotions can fly. This is likely because we have felt the injustices of the world at one time or another in our own lives. We might even think of justice being the opposite of mercy.
Now let’s bring God’s perfect will, plan and character into the equation. The One True God is pure, holy, just, merciful, gracious and loving. God encompasses all right, true and good attributes. He cannot, by His very own nature, have an evil thought or act. However, when there are injustices, His holy justice demands a penalty. Because God is gracious and loving, He paid the penalty for our evil acts, by going to the cross. His sacrifice on the cross satisfied His perfect justice once and for all for those who believe in Jesus.
Evil and injustices continue in our broken world because He has graciously allowed us to choose. We can choose Him, or we can choose our ways. God wants our desires to match His. He wants us to hate sin as He does, because sin leads us away from Him, the very source of life. So, the question is, how do we lead a life of justice in a Godly way? The Bible says…
- ”…learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widows.”—Isaiah 1:17
- “…The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yes he does not leave the guilty unpunished…”—Exodus 34:6-7
Here we see God’s mercy, forgiveness and justice displayed. Because we are made in God’s image we possess some of His characteristics. When we see injustices and wrongs in our world, and we long to encourage and reach out to the oppressed and less fortunate, we are displaying God’s just character.
If justice is a Godly strength of yours praise God! You have a deep compassion for those who are overlooked and oppressed in our society. Ask God to give you strength to continue to grow this beautiful character of His in your life. We would love to pray with you too. We will ask God to guide you with wisdom and discernment in areas He wants you to serve and display His character of justice. You can contact us at 855.208.0723.
“Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.”—Isaiah 30:18
The Lord is gracious, merciful and just. Trust the Lord and His Word that He always does what is right and in His timing “so he may be gracious to you.”
Let this be an encouragement to you… that the Lord promises to do what is in our best interest. Because God is so great, Only God can reconcile mercy and justice, “that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
On the flip side of this narrow path, we must walk with caution. One of the greatest injustices we can yield to is self-righteousness. We can fail to believe God’s truth of needing Jesus and that we are not good or right apart from Him. Because of this narrow path, we know it is paramount that we encourage each other, building each other up in truth and love.
If you feel this is a struggle for you, we are standing-by ready to pray with you. [CLICK HERE] to learn more about our prayer ministry. Ask God to humble and soften your heart, to show you the darkness within and the need for His light alone to bring about restoration and renewal of His justice.