Unbreakable Joy: Justice and Mercy

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Justice and Mercy

A sin against the infinite God is an infinite sin and so deserves an infinite punishment.
- paraphrase of Jonathan Edwards, "The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners"

"The good news is that God Himself has decreed a way to satisfy the demands of His justice without condemning the whole human race. Hell is one way to settle accounts with sinners and uphold His justice. But there is another way. The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God."
- John Piper, Desiring God pg. 61

Going back to my recent post about the movie Les Miserables, there was a picture of the justice of God in the character of Inspector Javer. During the last scene of the movie, the inspector has finally caught his long pursued fugitive/ex-con Valjean. The inspector has however had much opportunity to see that Valjean is a good man. The inspector says two phrases which reveal his motive for his final action in the last scene; "I have tried to live my life without breaking any rules." and "It is a pity that the law does not allow for mercy." This inspector, who has an intense sense of justice (a picture of God's unfailing justice) has only one way to deal correctly in his heart with the ex-con Valjean - because after all the law does not permit mercy.

The final act of the inspector is to me a picture of Jesus saving act for his people. (I will not detail this final act in the hopes that you may see the movie, or that if you've already seen it you may watch it again looking for glimpses of Jesus which are scattered throughout.) The wrath of God remains upon us because "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." God's justice is perfect, appropriate, and final. His justice is equalled in intensity and magnificence only by His mercy. In His merciful love God sent His only son, God in the flesh, to die for our sins - bearing our deserved punishment in order to set us free that we might glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

2 comments:

cgl said...: "I should have perished by his hand, it was his right. It was my right to die as well instead I live but live in hell." This is by far the most powerful part of the entire musical (the musical is significantly better! you should see it). I always saw Javier as a great picture of the law (OT law). How the law brings death and obviously jean val jean as a picture of grace.; May 1, 2008 at 3:07 PM
Unbreakable Joy said...: Truly a great story about law and grace. I'm looking forward to seeing the musical.; May 1, 2008 at 3:51 PM

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Noteworthy Quotes

Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly so worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.
- George Mueller

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
- C.S. Lewis

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, a spiritual man is hard on himself and easy on others.
- A. W. Tozer

Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Thee.
- Augustine

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.
- Blaise Pascal

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
- Jim Elliot

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
- C. S. Lewis

He loves Thee too little, who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.
- Augustine

The men of this world are children. Offer a child an apple or a bank note, and he will doubtless choose the apple.
- John Newton

In the end the heart longs not for any of God's good gifts, but for God Himself. To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul's final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience.
- John Piper

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Him, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
- C.S. Lewis

It is well that we accept the hard truth now: The man who would know God must give time to Him. He must count no time wasted which is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end. So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the Godly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train.
- A.W. Tozer

If God contains the fullness of all good things in Himself like an inexhaustible fountain, nothing beyond him is to be sought by those who strike after the highest good and all the elements of happiness.
- John Calvin

God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him.
- John Piper

God glorifies Himself toward the creature in two ways; by appearing to their understanding, and in communicating Himself to thief hearts and their rejoicing in and delighting in Him, and enjoying manifestations He makes of Himself. God is Glorified not only by His glories being seen, but by it’s being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that he might communicate and the creature receive His glory, and that it might be received both by the mind and the heart. He that testifies His idea of God’s glory doesn’t glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.
- Jonathan Edwards