Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/94

Contributor - John Muller

Title - I Believe Mercy and Justice Meet in Christ

Topic - Jesus Christ

ARTICLE 20 of our BELGIC CONFESSION states that "we believe that God... is perfectly merciful and also very just". This twofold view of God is very important. Modem and liberal thought does not include the righteous anger of God - as of one who hates sin and is determined to punish it. It only ascribes one attribute to God - love, nothing but love. According to this thinking God doesn't hate sin, because He doesn't hate at all. He is always good-natured. He is easy-going and smiles endlessly.

The Bible does not allow for such a sentimental God, or for cheap grace. At the very heart of the Scriptures is the insistence that God's love comes to us with blood on it. Our God is terrible in His anger, and an everlasting foe of all the forces of evil.

On the other hand, there are some who go to an opposite extreme. In their desire to recognize God's justice they lose sight of His love and mercy. Their God is a God of vengeance, and quick to anger.

Our Reformed understanding of God takes sin and God's wrath against sin seriously, but at the same time teaches that God loves His sinful children and wants them back. Justice must be done, but God Himself has mercifully provided a way for it to be satisfied.

ARTICLE 20 goes on to explain why we believe that God is both merciful and just. He "sent His Son". The famous book by Anselm, Cur Deus Homo, deals with the question of why God became man. In the Middle Ages Christians were fascinated by the question. Our Reformed tradition has said that Christ came to satisfy God's justice and to mercifully bear the punishment. The CONFESSION thus tells us that Christ assumed our human nature "in order to bear in it the punishment of sin by His most bitter passion and death".

Such a satisfaction was necessary if man was to be saved. Sin was the blot on the relationship between God and man. When sin reared its ugly face the perfect fellowship of the Garden was destroyed. Man had listened to the Evil One and became subject to sin and death. Thus God's wrath was incurred, and His just and holy nature demanded punishment. Satisfaction must be made. Our CATECHISM (Ques. 12) puts it this way: "God will have His justice satisfied; and therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either by ourselves or by another.

The entire Biblical idea of sacrifice comes into play here. Sacrifice was necessary in the Old Testament to satisfy for sin. In the New Testament Jesus Christ becomes our sacrifice for sin. "He, the second Adam, un-did that which the first Adam had wrongfully done, and did that which had to be done if man was to be saved. He only knew the true meaning of sin and its remedy. He alone could give the right answer to God's question to Adam: Where art thou? - namely, I came to do Thy will, 0 God". (Osterhaven)

Jesus was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. He poured out His soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. (See Isaiah 53) "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God". (11 Cor. 5:1 NIV) The CONFESSION puts it this way: "So God made known His justice toward His Son, Who was charged with our sin, and He poured out His goodness and mercy on us, who are guilty and worthy of damnation."

Both the justice and the mercy of God are manifested in our Lord Jesus Christ. They find their unity in Him. In the Old Testament it is already presupposed: "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85: 1 0).

The CONFESSION concludes: "Giving to us His Son to die, by a most perfect love, and raising Him to life for our justification, in order that by Him we might have immortality and eternal life".

As we think of how God's justice and mercy are brought together in Christ, and of how this death allows us to be justified, and to experience immortality and eternal life, we are "lost in wonder, love and praise".

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