Justice and Mercy

We live in tension between things that save us and kill us. With fire, we cook our food and keep warm, but in it we can be consumed; with water, we keep our bodies hydrated and our planet cooled, but in it we can drown. Too much or too little of either is life-threatening.

We see the same principle at work spiritually. To thrive, civilizations need mercy and justice. The Lord Jesus scolded the Pharisees for being sticklers about the law but neglecting justice and mercy and faith. (Matt. 23:23).

The Lord Jesus keeps justice and mercy in perfect balance. His death satisfies God’s need for justice and our need for mercy. God’s justice and mercy met at the cross.

How about us?

God Loves Us

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

• God loves us.


• How do we know?


• God sent His Son to die on the Cross and pay the price for our sins.


• Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins. He satisfied both the works of the law and the wrath of God.


• The penalty of the law is eternal death. We are condemned because of our sins and are eternally separated from God.


• And God's wrath is against us! God's perfect justice demands that He must punish our sins! God is a Holy God, and His Holiness demands justice!


• But God is love. God loves us! And He saved us through the shed blood of His Son. He upheld the justice of His law and His wrath against sin by inflicting it all on His Son.


• Jesus Christ is the propitiation for our sins. He paid our sins penalty in full. He imputed His righteousness to us so that we might have fellowship with God. He also turned the wrath of God away from us. He restored us to God’s love.


• This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.