God’s Mercy and Justice
“A God all mercy is a God unjust.” -Edward Young
The amazing thing about God is that He cannot deny Himself. That is, if we sin, God has designed the universe in such a way that there must be payment made for this sin. God is perfectly just: He has only shown us mercy at someone else’s expense: His very own Son. As the acrostic says: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. -Isaiah 53:5
God isn’t all mercy and no justice
God did not simply wave a magic wand and bid our sins be gone. He was just, and had to make a payment for our sins. From the very beginning, when Adam and Eve received the animal skins from God, He was making payment for their sins. He showed his first created man mercy at the expense of an animal. He was unmerciful to an animal so that He could show mercy to His people.
And on through the Old Testament, God showed His people Israel mercy—delivering them from the angel of death—at the expense of a spotless lamb. He was unmerciful to the lamb, that He might show His nation Israel mercy.
And finally, to all mankind, God showed mercy on us all by sacrificing His very own Son to die on our behalf. He could not simply make sin disappear or go away: justice was stitched into the very fabric of His creation: there must be a payment.
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? -Romans 8:32
God was unmerciful on His own Son so that He might show us mercy. He was acting in complete justice, and yet showing us overwhelming mercy. And with such a great payment made, how then ought we to live, seeing as how our mercy came at such a great cost? How then ought we to conduct the manner of our lives, seeing as how our freedom did not come freely?
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. -Isaiah 53:11
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