In Christ

 “This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:25-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are two common objections put forward by those who do not believe in the God of the Bible or who, at the very least, refuse the message of the gospel. Some object that God is not loving. And others tell us that he is not just.

The first struggle with the fact that God will not accept their chosen lifestyle, or that of a loved one. They struggle with what he declares to be sinful. And they struggle with the fact that God will not simply overlook our wrongdoing. This, they tell us, is not loving.

The second struggle with the fact that some seem to have somehow escaped the consequences of their wrongdoing. It appears to them that God has left those, deserving of condemnation, off the hook. And this, they say, is not just.

Some struggle with this, believing that these two character traits are mutually exclusive. They don’t believe it’s possible for one person to be both loving and just. They don’t believe that it’s possible, at the same time, to be equitable and tenderhearted.

We see in the above passage, however, that God is both loving and just. We see that he is both fair and merciful. And we see this in reality in Jesus himself.

Paul tells us that God is both just, as well as the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. He tells us how, in Jesus, the Lord demonstrates both qualities. He reveals to us how, in Jesus, he fulfills both roles.

In Jesus, we see that God is just. And we see his justice in the fact that he has not allowed the deserved consequences of our sin to go unpaid. He ensured that the righteous requirements of the law were fully satisfied.

He did so through the death of his Son. He did so by allowing Jesus to die on the cross. In this way, he served as the propitiation, or as the atoning sacrifice, for the sin of all men.

This reveals to us, also, that God is loving. Rather than allowing us to bear the consequences of our sin, he did it for us. And, in this way, he’s made forgiveness and salvation available to all mankind.

This blessing is available to all people through faith in Jesus. It’s received, it’s obtained, by trusting in him. It’s received by trusting in the salvation he has provided for us and by believing his promises.