Justice and Grace

Today on Renewing Your Mind, because God does not send out far from heaven every 15 minutes every time we sin, we assume that God will be as kind to us always as he is now and that because he stays the hand of his justice that he will stay forever. Sometimes we forget that there is more to God's grace, mercy and love is also his justice and holiness, and it's vital that we understand and embrace this Ford view of God's character. It's then and only then that we can fully appreciate the salvation that God is secured for his people is Dr. RC Sproul as we continue our study of the holiness of God. We recall the struggling somewhat with the question of how God's holiness relates to his justice. One of the favorite hymns of Christians is the him, amazing grace, how sweet the sound, but I wonder if we really believe the words of that him one was the last time that you were amazed by grace. It seems as if the thing that amazes us about God is his wrath or his justice.

I teach theology and I have students coming to me all the time who are asking the deeply troubling question. How could God if he is good. If he is loving of his merciful allow all of the horrors and suffering that we find in this world to go. That's what amazes them that if God is so loving and God is so merciful and God is so gracious. Why does he allow so much pain and sorrow to exist in his world. How can God allow this to happen to me. They say I had a dear friend who lost his trial. His infant baby to infant crib death and he was greatly distressed about, and he wasn't just sorrowful.

He was angry and he came to me and he shook his fist in my face and he said RC. How could God allow this to happen and I don't usually do this in counseling or in pastoral care, but he was so angry and and I tried to stop the minutes track so I looked at him and I said why shouldn't it happen. Why shouldn't he do it to your other children. Why shouldn't he strike you dead since you got out of your bed this morning because in the last 15 minutes all its come out of your mouth is blasphemy.

Why doesn't kill you.

I can understand a holy God killing everybody who is unholy.

The thing that bothers me is how a good God can allow evil to exist at all and if we really want to rid the world of evil, it would seem to me the quickest way to do it would be to rid the world of people because we are the ones who spread evil in this world and the thing that we have most to fear is the goodness of God because a good God will not tolerate evil and so the thing that should really amaze us is not his justice when he displays, not his wrath when he expresses it, but his mercy and grace which he pours out in abundance. I've yet to have a student come up to me and say the most puzzling thing that I struggle with in my theology. The thing that I can't understand is why has God allowed me to be redeemed. That's the question I can't get over is why would God bother to save RC Sproul, why didn't he execute me the first time I said do you ever think about that. See somehow deep down in our hearts, we harbor the idea that heaven wouldn't quite be what it ought to be without us that somehow we deserve every good thing that we get and everything else that we get that isn't so good were poor innocent victims. There's never been such a victim mentality as there is today. I don't get me wrong. Injustices occur in this world all the time, but those injustice are committed by people against people I have committed injustices against people in my life and I have been the victim of injustice in my lifetime at the hands of other people and we are told in the Scriptures to plead for God for justice in the sense that where we have been treated unjustly. We are perfectly permitted by God to ask him to avenge us and to bring justice where we have been unjustly accused or unjustly treated, but that my friends is on the horizontal plane. If you falsely accuse me of something if you slander me and commit an injustice against me on a horizontal plane. I have every right according to the law of God, to seek redress from you for that injustice on the vertical play. I can never say to God, oh God, it is unjust of you to allow this injustice from another person against me is the I may have suffered unjustly at your hands, but in the suffering unjustly at your hands.

I have not suffered unjustly got to understand I can never complain to God of God, you're not being fair to allow me to have to suffer through these indignities were through this pain or through what we call misfortune because I know that every breath of air. I take in this world. I take by grace, but we struggle with this. The disciples of Jesus struggle with it. We have a record in the New Testament of their bringing this kind of a question before Jesus in Luke's gospel in chapter 13 we read this record, there were present at that season.

Some who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices and Jesus answered and said to them, do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things see their asking a question here about justice is a question that comes up frequently when we consider the broader question not simply of the holiness of God, but the providence of God and were going to be studying this text later in another perspective from another viewpoint as we are concerned then about the doctrine of providence, but when we look at the doctrine of providence how God manages his world how God governs his world. The questions that we often raise about the providence of God are questions really about God's holiness and questions about his justice. And that's the question that Jesus is listening to now from these people. They come in they say they told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifice. The question is clear. How could God allow these innocent people who while they were in the middle of worship their church for Evans and the ruthless soldiers Apollo come in and slaughter people while they're in case in the act of worship and mingle the blood of the people with the blood of the animals that are being used in the sacrifice and the question is how can God allow that to happen. Listen to our Lord's response. Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such an I tell you now unless you repent you will all likewise to see what Jesus is saying you're asking the wrong question. Instead of running up to me and saying how could God allow these poor innocent Galileans to be slaughtered by the ruthless swords of Pilate, you should be asking me why I didn't get run through with that sort.

Why my blood wasn't mingled with the sacrifices you should be asking me about grace, not about justice, and they go on. Listen to the rest of or those 18, on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse sinners than all the other men who dwelt in Jerusalem I tell you now unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Similar incident. They think people walking down the street minding their own business, not bothering anybody not planning sidewalk superintendent not harassing the construction workers without warning the temple. And in this natural disaster. This accident, 18 innocent people are killed. How would you expect Jesus to analyst you would think that Jesus would say, you know, I'm dreadfully sorry that this took place just one of those things. It was an accident, Jesus, and learn from this unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Know what's he saying here he saying that on this earthly sphere, even though from human hands and from a human perspective pilots act was a murderous unjust act.

On the one hand and on the other hand, the collapse of this temple was an impersonal accident with no malice of forethought and paperwork innocent of that particular event. Nevertheless, nobody is innocent before God, and that these terrible dreadful things that may befall us either through the violence of another person or the violence of a natural disaster.

This will be the destiny of every human being who does not repent.

In fact, when the Scriptures talk about the final judgment of a just and holy God. They say that the response of the people will be to cry out to the gills under the mountains to fall upon them to cover them with the impenitent person would give everything he had tried everything that he owned to have a temple building fall on his head rather than the wrath of God. Jesus says unless a takes place be will inevitably follow an orderly phase in the base unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Just yesterday sent the on table the young man whose parents are gone away for the weekend, Samantha.

Have a great time this week I seditious adjacent and we had the girls commence sleep over whiplash. I said I think expense is a remake is a very expensive party, a sign that the word body.

Since my parents left me money. Places didn't cost me anything super expensive lessons. He sutured me. I said you know the law of God. If you play you pay maybe had a wonderful time why Raven lifetime you are keeping up against yourself. God has made it very clear when allotted to that there will be a payback and he will execute his justice. But there was no fear in this young no sense. The bill would have to be paid no sense that God would ever exact justice from him.

That's where we are folks because God does not send down fire from heaven every 15 minutes every time we sin were like Rex Harrison. We've grown accustomed to his greatness.

We've presumed upon that grace.

We assume that God will be as kind to us always as he is now and that because he stays the hand of his justice that he will stay forever. My favorite illustration of this took place in the early years of my teaching I was taking a new teaching assignment place right talk before and I had the responsibility of teaching 250 freshmen are required course in introduction to the Old Testament and on the first day of class. I gave out the course syllabus and explain the requirements and I had already taught long enough to know that these kids are Philadelphia lawyers and the find loopholes in your directions and so on, the less I'll make it very clear.

Here's the rules. You have three little papers that are short papers just 3 to 5 pages, but you have to turn in over the course of the semester and the first one is to 30 September at 12 o'clock noon has to be on my desk and if it's not there you get a zero and F for that assignment unless you are physically confined in the hospital or in the infirmary or there's a death in the immediate family, not your dog down so on. I smell a lot less absurd, but I understand.

Yes sir. September 30 came and 225 students had their term papers in on time. 25 of them failed to meet the deadline and they were terrified and they came in and they were begging me this professor we didn't make the transition from high school to college.

The way we should have.

We didn't budget your time properly together papers that are part please don't focus on this, please give us an extension, please let us have a little more time than other begging crocodile tears. I said okay okay okay I give a couple more days to finish in two more days extension but don't do this again. All we want. Thank you so much. Your wonderful delays like no other papers and October 30 came second papers this time 200 students come with their papers. 50 of them don't have the Worship papers will professor this paper was due the same week everybody else had papers doing. We had midterms and besides that we had homecoming and we were all busy working on flows for homecoming again. He always issues their work there. There's weeping and gnashing of the players playfully given one more chance.

I said okay but this is the last time you better not do this again. I'm telling you, if you do it again you'll flunk set clear all yes and spontaneously the class began to sing. We love you prof Strobel.

Oh yes, we do. I wish Mr. nice guy and and I enjoyed this wonderful rapport with the kids until November 30 when the third paper came to this time hundred and 50 kids come with their tarpaper on just breeze in that day that is not a concern in the world I say when it will worship papers and one killer really ought ices. I don't worry about us. What a prophet well for a couple days as to what he says they will have the more you source your name suggests a suggestion that Martin words your pipe don't have a surface that Alan F. Bumgardner, F we suppose a reaction on mitigated fury like one voice they cried out, you can guess what, they cried. That's not fair. So Wilson what did you say he said I said that's not fair. I said who it's justice that you want. Seems to me Wilson that I remember that the last time you were late to isn't that right, and he said yes. That's okay, I'll give you justice. I give you F for this one. I'm going to give you an F for the last room I took out my black book and I went back to his name and for the second paper. I made an F.

I said who else wants justice and nobody said were. That's how we are we good mercy once through, we praise God we get it twice and we tell how wonderful is his kindness, but by now were beginning to assume that enter presumed and without the twinkling of an eye. We begin to demand it, we begin to think that he owes set to us and I said to my students. Two things I said look, don't ever ask God for justice. You might get it and the second was this the basic difference between justice and grace is this that grace is never, never, never, never do us God is never obligated to be gracious grace by definition is voluntary, and the minute you think that God owes you mercy let a bill go off in your head and realize that you're no longer thinking about mercy. You're thinking about justice. There really is tremendous confusion in our heads about the difference between mercy and justice. Justice is something that is due something that relates to obligation.

But remember what God said to Moses and Paul had to remind the Romans that God reserves the right of grace to himself saying I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will be merciful to whom I will have mercy God's grace and mercy are never complicated and we must never presume upon.

That's why Jesus said to those disciples and to those people who were asking about the tragedies of his day. Unless you repent you will all likewise perish. And I want to think about this. What would happen to you if God gave us justice to early perish, as we all in an amazing and overwhelming picture of God's holiness. Every creature must cover their face in his perfect presence. Glad you joined us today for Renewing Your Mind.

I'm Lee Webb we are pleased to feature the holiness of God. This week a Hallmark series from our founder Dr. RC Sproul. He believed that if we are able to catch just a glimpse of God's perfection, it would change the way we live our lives and that was his focus for nearly 50 years. Our resource offered today will help you gain that perspective, it's the silver anniversary edition of the book the holiness of God. You can requested today with a donation of any amount to litigator ministries. As soon as your gift is processed.

Also at the teaching series were hearing this week to your learning library, allowing you to stream the series at any time. You can find us online@renewingyourmind.org or you can call us with your gift at 800-435-4343. We are listener supported. So, your gifts truly make a difference. They help people around the world have access to clear biblical teaching.

So we thank you Dr. Strohl teaching on the holiness of God has influenced countless numbers of people over the years, including Dr. Steven Lawson. They first met in a Dr. of Ministry course that RC taught many years ago and it resulted in a lasting friendship and Dr. Strohl handpicked Dr. Lawson to be one of our teaching fellows.

We talk to Dr. Lawson recently about this theme that permeates all we do here the dinner ministries while I think about how that message which I first read in its book, the holiness of God is what drew me to sit under his teaching and seminary. I never met Dr. scroll everything. Dr. Strahl, but I had read the holiness of God, not distinctly remember the portion of the book that is covered in this message that we heard today and like I'm off to the flying. I was just drawn to get in my car, drive to where he was teaching so I could sit under this influence, and it wasn't just what he said but it was how he said it.

As Dr. scroll preached and taught that there were such deep convictions in his soul and it came out with such passion that it literally just grabbed me by hell and drew me in my seat to get more careful attention to who God is. Just hearing his voice and this message today it is still continues to resonate with my soul and I will be forever grateful that this influence has been placed upon my life and it continues to this day ever grateful that influence continues in the ministry of men like Dr. Lawson and deeds RC's influence extends around the world and that if you see the importance of this kind of teaching and would like to help us continue making it available. I hope you contact us today with a donation of any amount we will say thank you. By providing a digital download of the teaching series. The holiness of God, along with the book by the same title wheelchair from your number again is 800-435-4343 or you can find us online at Renewing Your Mind that her work.

Thank you for joining us today and I hope you return Monday for the next Renewing Your Mind