Is God a God of grace only, or a God of justice, too?

[Christ's Free Servant]

Several of us on here have been sharing with others on here about a judgment of God that we believe is coming soon to the earth, particularly to America, though certainly it could be to the whole earth. Someone contested our statements, saying that the New Testament is GRACE, not JUDGMENT, and the person asked for scriptures that supported judgment by God in the New Testament, and not just the Old Testament. I remember one time in the past year when I had been reading in the OT for a long time and I was tired of reading about judgment, so I switched to the NT only to find that everywhere I went in the NT there was also a message of judgment, mixed with grace. God is both a God of grace and a God of justice, and he is unchanging - the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is both the "lion" and the "lamb." Here are only a FEW of the NT verses I found on the subject of God's judgment (divine discipline) on his church. There are many more on his grace. God is a God of balance. He is neither all grace nor is he all judgment. A wise person will realize and understand that delicate balance between his grace and his justice.

Is God a God of grace only, or a God of justice, too?

In the New Testament

John 5:22-23:

[Christ's Free Servant]

He is the God of both! Indebating with any Muslim, this is the one thing that will trip up any Muslim, Jew, or for that matter, any other religion.

God is pure and Holy, he cannot bring himself to even look upon sin.

God is the God of Justice, every sin that has aver been comitted must be accounted for.

In every other religion, if sin is even mentioned at all, there is no explanation of how God can be a God of perfect justice and still be mercifull.

To simply forgive, God would have to "Eat" our sin and thus, he would no longer be a God of perfect justice. He would be extending mercyat the expense of Justice.

To be a God of perfect Justice, he would then have to dispense justice at the expense of mercy.

Only by becomming Human himself, living the sinless life we could not, andthen suffering our penalty for our sin, can God dispense mercy without sacrificing Justice.

Thus, in Christ, we now have perfect justice and perfect mercy. Only Jesus can offer mercy without sacrificing Justice.

Certainly, you are correct in what you state. Jesus Christ became our sacrifice for sin so that we, who are in Christ, will not have to pay the penalty (death, i.e. eternal separation from God) of our sins, so in what Christ did for us on the cross, there was both justice and mercy. He paid the price so we could go free!

But, that is not what I'm talking about here. There are different forms of judgment. Judgment is also referred to as God's discipline on his children in order to bring them out of spiritual adultery and back to a right relationship with him through repentance. The Church, for the most part, is in an adulterous state. She is worshiping "gods" made by human hands more than she is worshiping the one true God. God is a jealous God and he wants his bride to be ready to meet him when he comes back for her. And, he wants as many as possible to be saved. The way things are right now, that is not happening. So, God is going to have to give us a big dose of his loving judgment in order to restore us to a right relationship with him and to prepare us for his return. If you read the verses I quoted, you will see that God disciplines (judges) his children for their good in order to bring about repentance. Right now there is not much difference between the church and the world, and the gospel that is being preached is mainly a social gospel and a gospel of "easy believism" and repentance is being left out of the picture. People see God more as a loving, doting grandfather, and they have lost the awe of God; the fear of God. He is still God! And, he will discipline us when we go astray. And, he will separate the "sheep from the goats," not just at his final judgment, but he will bring hardships into our lives that will show who is truly a disciple of his and who is "in name only." Soon, I believe, we will no longer see "lukewarm" Christians. We will either stand for him or against him. This is necessary for entering into the time of tribulation (believe in post-trib). God needs an army of soldiers who will go into battle for him, not a bunch of couch potatoes. This is going to be the "dividing" moment. Who will you serve? God or man?

[Christ's Free Servant]

Serenity Grace,

Thank you for sharing that. You are so right! There is so much grace in God's judgments of his children. If he were going to judge us in a condemning way, he could just wipe us off the face of the earth and begin again. But, he disciplines us for our good, just like a loving parent. His judgment of us is driven by his love and grace, because the Bible says that if we are not disciplined by him, we are illegitimate children.

You are also correct in that God gives us church leaders who are there to serve as spiritual parents, and their job is not only to teach us and lead us, but to correct and rebuke us, too. The problem is, though, that not too many church leaders are doing this any more, or if they are doing it, they are "ruling over them harshly" and are mistreating the body. Oftentimes their rebuke comes from teachings of man rather than teachings of God and they put heavy loads on men's shoulders that God did not intend for them to bear. Again, there is a balance. Discipline must always be done with love and always for the purpose of restoration, not punishment or condemnation. That is God's total purpose in discipling his children - to restore us to a right relationship with him. And, there will be much grace and mercy throughout the judgment.

I do believe one of the primary purposes of this coming judgment is not only for the Church as a whole, but for those leaders who are not doing what they are supposed to do. They are either too harsh and unloving or they are too lenient and permissive. It is difficult to find a church leader who understands the correct balance between mercy and justice and knows how to exercise justice with mercy and for the sole purpose of restoration.

Again, thanks so much! God bless you!!

[Christ's Free Servant]

I just thought I would bump this topic to the top in case anyone was not on over the weekend who might be interested in reading this. I know someone asked for NT passages on judgment, but I don't recall whom.

[Guest Museed]

(don't take the capitals as screaming, I wrote this for my use, a while back, and just don't feel like rewriting it)

Love, Respect, and Justice!

LOVE = TO REGARD WITH AFFECTION, TO BE TENDERLY ATTACHED, FOND ATTACHMENT.

HATE = TO DETEST, TO LOATHE, TO ABHOR, GREAT DISLIKE.

RESPECT = TO REGARD, TO RELATE, TO HONOR, TO CONSIDER, ATTENTION.

DISRESPECT = INCIVILITY, NEGLECT, OR IGNORE.

FORGIVENESS = PARDON, REMISSION

UNFORGIVING = NOT FORGIVING

MERCY = WILLINGNESS TO SPARE OR FORGIVE, PITY, CLEMENCY, A BLESSING, BENEVOLENCE, UNRESTRAINED EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY.

UNMERCIFUL = NOT MERCIFUL, CRUEL, MERCILESS.

JUSTICE = QUALITY OF BEING JUST, RECTITUDE, IMPARTIALITY, FAIRNESS, JUST TREATMENT, MERITED REWARD OR PUNISHMENT,A JUDGE HOLDING A SPECIAL OFFICE.

INJUSTICE = INIQUITY, WRONG.

SO CAN LOVE & RESPECT GO TOGHETHER? CAN THEY LIVE APPART FROM EACH OTHER? IF NOT? CAN YOU TELL IF SOMEBODY LOVES YOU, BY THE WAY THEY RESPECT YOU? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT LOVE & RESPECT? IS IT A REQUIREMENT OF FORGIVENESS, AND THEREFORE MERCY, AND SALVATION? WHAT KIND OF LOVE DOES THE BIBLE TALK? ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOVE, OR IS THERE ONLY ONE LOVE, BUT MANY MISINTERPRET THE WORD? IS SPIRITUAL GODLY ATTRIBUTES, THE SAME AS FLESHLY ONES? CAN WE DETECT THE TRUE LOVE, AND ABANDONED THE FALSE ONE? IS LOVE A HAPPILY EVERAFTER EXPERIENCE, OR IS IT A GROWING MATURING TOOL FOR THE HUMAN BEING? IS MERCY & FORGIVENESS ALSO PART OF THE FAMILY, OF LOVE & RESPECT? AND IF SO WHAT ARE THOSE ATTRIBUTES LIKE? WHAT IS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF JUSTICE? AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MEN LOSE THE QUALITIES OF LOVE? CAN REPETANCE BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT LOVE? WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A HUMAN WITHOUT LOVE, CAN THE HEART GROW HATEFUL, AND DIE STONE COLD, IF WE GIVE UP? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LOVE, MERCY, AND FORGIVENESS ARE NO LONGER PRACTICED, WHO IS THE ONE THAT TAKES OVER?

Exo 20:6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

IF WE LOVE GOD, WE SHOULD STRIVE TO KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.

Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.

IF WE HOLD GRUDGES, OR HAVE A VENGEFULL HEART, THE LOVE OF GOD IS NOT IN US.

Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Deu 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

Deu 6:9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

GOD MUST ALWAYS COME FIRST IN OUR LIFES, & HIS COMMANDMENTS MUST WALK WITH US ALWAYS. WE ARE TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN GOD

[Christ's Free Servant]

Hello Sue,

Have come back to say quickly, we are now at the time of Jude, Jude 14 is coming into being and what the Lord and His saints are doing is and Godly biblical Holy Ghost/Spirit advice is from Jude 15 until the end of Jude.

Have a gorgeous day in Christ, fellow saint and parent in Christ, amen

Serenity,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I read Jude 14 & Jude 15 and it sounds a whole lot like the judgment when Christ returns, but I don't believe we are at that point yet. But, it does talk about conviction, and there would be no need for conviction if there was not time for repentance, I don't think. I will have to look into this further.

Several weeks ago the Lord woke me early one morning with "It's the Midnight Hour" going through my head. I asked him what he meant by "Midnight Hour" at this time, and he pointed me to Jeremiah chapters 7 through 9. I cried my whole way through the reading of those chapters as the Lord said this is what is coming and why it is coming.

I did not have time to read everything you wrote here, but I will try to read through it later on. I have never heard anyone speak of "parents in Christ" the way you talk about them, so I will need time to read more carefully what you said and will talk with the Lord about it. I don't think that term is used in scripture, but I am not disregarding it, either. I just need time to digest it and to compare it with scripture. I think I know what you are saying, but I'll need to read it when my brain is more awake than it is right now.

I do appreciate so much, though, you taking the time to share all of that with me, and I do value your insight. I hope you have a blessed day in the Lord and that you will keep listening to his voice and following him wherever he leads you!

Love in Christ,

[Christ's Free Servant]

Museed,

That is a lot to read, and ALL CAPS are particularly difficult on these old eyes of mine, so I will print off what you wrote and will try to digest it later on in the day when my brain is functioning a little better than it is right now. I do thank you for taking the time to respond. In the future, when you write anything, small letters are usually easier to read, and smaller paragraphs make the reading easier, too. It is much harder to read large amounts of text all crunched together, especially for some of us whose eyes are not what they used to be. I will do my best to make my way through it and will try to get back to you with a response soon.

Again, thanks so much for sharing your thougths with us.

[Guest Museed]

Museed,

That is a lot to read, and ALL CAPS are particularly difficult on these old eyes of mine, so I will print off what you wrote and will try to digest it later on in the day when my brain is functioning a little better than it is right now. I do thank you for taking the time to respond. In the future, when you write anything, small letters are usually easier to read, and smaller paragraphs make the reading easier, too. It is much harder to read large amounts of text all crunched together, especially for some of us whose eyes are not what they used to be. I will do my best to make my way through it and will try to get back to you with a response soon.

Again, thanks so much for sharing your thougths with us.

Sorry, i have learn to use small caps lately, this was a research i did for myself. All my other ones are well written, this was one of my first ones. I was kind of lazy with the typing so i just used caps. I know what you mean about the eyes, so take your time and don't strained them. God bless!!

[Christ's Free Servant]

Sorry, i have learn to use small caps lately, this was a research i did for myself. All my other ones are well written, this was one of my first ones. I was kind of lazy with the typing so i just used caps. I know what you mean about the eyes, so take your time and don't strained them. God bless!!

Museed & Serenity,

I have not been feeling too well the past couple of days - was up all night the night before last with a really bad headache that did not let up until this morning, and I'm still feeling kind of sick in my tummy - bug of some sort, I'm sure. I had my husband read to me last night, because I could not focus to read much. I have a full schedule today and hope that I survive it, but I do promise that I will eventually get back to both of your comments as soon as I have the time, which I hope is soon - maybe in the next couple of days.

Talk with you soon! God bless you both!!

[Guest Museed]

Sorry, i have learn to use small caps lately, this was a research i did for myself. All my other ones are well written, this was one of my first ones. I was kind of lazy with the typing so i just used caps. I know what you mean about the eyes, so take your time and don't strained them. God bless!!

Museed & Serenity,

I have not been feeling too well the past couple of days - was up all night the night before last with a really bad headache that did not let up until this morning, and I'm still feeling kind of sick in my tummy - bug of some sort, I'm sure. I had my husband read to me last night, because I could not focus to read much. I have a full schedule today and hope that I survive it, but I do promise that I will eventually get back to both of your comments as soon as I have the time, which I hope is soon - maybe in the next couple of days.

Talk with you soon! God bless you both!!

I sure hope you get better soon. Keep you in my prayers. And just take your time, patience is a virtue!. God Bless!.