Justice, Mercy, & Grace

 Adrian Rogers once gave the following set of definitions in a sermon:

Justice--getting what you deserve
Mercy--not getting what you deserve
Grace--getting what you don't deserve

It presents a very clear picture of our relationship with God and how it changes.

Right now, there's a huge focus on the idea of "justice" in society. People are demanding it at every turn, though when I listen to what they say they want, it sure doesn't sound like justice. When you look back into the Old Testament, the law was God's way of offering justice to His people. As a righteous Judge, God must deal in justice. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, justice essentially boils down to dealing with truth and fact with impartiality. Justice means that each person is dealt with exactly how they should be. I get what I deserve--no more, no less. If God's people lived faithfully under the Law, they got what they deserved.

So justice isn't such a bad thing, right? I mean, I've upheld the 10 commandments, right?

I haven't ever murdered anyone. But then there's that pesky verse where Jesus said that anyone who is angry with their brother without reason is just as guilty. According to His words, I'm deserving of judgment.

What about adultery? I'm good there, right? Under the letter of the law, yes. But it's another place where Jesus says that the letter of the law isn't what matters. If you look at someone other than your spouse with lust, that's adultery in your heart.

Uh oh--this whole "justice" thing isn't looking so good. But what about the one about idols? I haven't put up any carved idols in my house that I pray to or offer sacrifices to... but I have trusted money above God's providence. I've relied on my own judgment instead of following God's direction. I've put the good above the best time and time again. Oh wait. Now I think we're running over into the first commandment not to put anything above God.

And that's just with the biggies--the ones that should be "easy" to follow.

Thankfully, we're reminded time and time again that God understands us. In Psalm 103 we're told, "For He knows what we are made of; He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust." He knew we couldn't stand under the weight of the justice of the law, so that's where mercy comes in.

Justice requires payment, and the payment sin requires is death. In order to spare us from paying that cost, Jesus stepped down into creation and paid the price for us with His death. His sacrifice meant that we don't have to pay the price for our sins--we don't have to get what we deserve.

That on its own would have been enough. The sacrifice would have been enough to save us from the penalty of our sins (not the consequences of our actions... but that's a topic for another day). That in itself--that mercy, the Son sent to pay the penalty for our sins--would have been so much better than we deserve.

But God.

As is so often the case, God didn't leave things at mercy. Instead, He chose to show us grace. He didn't just leave us at a place where our sins were paid for--He chose to give us gifts better than anything we could ever imagine. He chose to reward us as His children, heirs to His kingdom.

I'm so incredibly thankful that God chooses grace over justice.