The Infinite Paradox: the Meeting Place of Justice and Grace

     God is just. He cannot change that aspect of His character. God is gracious; He cannot change that either. How could a just God not show justice toward those who had wronged Him? How could a gracious God not show grace to those in need of it? And how do these two seemingly incompatible aspects of God's character work together? The answer is in Jesus' death on the cross. 

     We had sinned and we deserved God's eternal wrath for this sin. Habakkuk 1:13a says, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong." God has been, and will always be, intolerant of evil. Evil must be punished by someone as pure and holy as God. Simply put, God is holy and we are not. This must be punished. 

     God looked on our plight as sinful creatures deserving his wrath, and He wanted to show us grace. Psalm 145:8 says, "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." He wanted to save us, but He could not go against His nature.

     Praise the Lord that there is no dilemma too difficult for God to solve. His answer was Jesus. He sent His son to earth to become fully man while remaining fully God. Jesus lived perfectly, and had no sins of his own to die for, so God put the sins of all His chosen ones on Jesus. He poured out His wrath on His own son so that we might live and He might remain wholly just and wholly gracious. Praise the Lord.

     The Christian life is full of paradoxes. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Whoever wants to be the greatest must be the servant of all. The meek shall inherit a kingdom. There are many more. The ultimate paradox is the cross. God was both just and gracious through the cross. How great is our God?

     I  hope this post is encouraging. I know this one is somewhat rambling, but I am so thankful for all that the Lord has done for me and I wanted to share it with you all. Have a blessed time celebrating what the Lord has done for you. I encourage each of you who have trusted in the death-defeating Savior (who loved you enough to die) to go and share your joy and gratitude with others. And if you have not trusted in Jesus as your savior, please realize that you may not even have another day. Each one of us deserves to go to Hell without Christ. That's where you will be if you do not trust in Christ. If you do, however, you have an eternity of joy and peace ahead of you. I urge you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a blessed Resurrection Day!