Justice and Mercy in the Gospel

There was one nation in human history that had perfect laws--Old Covenant theocratic Israel; and yet, generation after generation were just as wicked--or more wicked--than the nations around them. So bad were the injustices in Israel that the prophet Habakkuk cried out, "the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth" (Hab. 1:4). The problem persisted to the exile and then into the coming of Christ into the world. The law could never produce righteous and merciful men and women. There had to be a better way. Bavinck explains,

“Prophets, psalmists, and the writers of proverbs incessantly complain about the dreadful reality that there was no justice for the poor, widows, orphans, aliens, and the needy, even though the right was completely on their side and they were righteous and pious. Hence, frequently there was no justice for the truly faithful; in the courts and in daily life they were routinely judged wrongly, ignored, oppressed, and persecuted. Accordingly, they hope eagerly for the future, the Messiah, who will be the righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5ff.), the righteous One (Zech. 9:9), who will not judge by what his eyes see but with righteousness (Isa. 11:3–5). His judgment above all will consist in helping and saving the needy, who are now being ignored and oppressed and call in vain for justice; in having pity on the poor; and in redeeming their life (Ps. 72:12–14). Hence, the exercise of justice would especially be apparent in the redemption of the wretched. Thus, doing justice with an eye to the needy becomes an act of grace and mercy.”

The word from which we get our English word injustice is related to the Hebrew and the Greek word that we translate, “righteousness.” When we come to the New Testament, we quickly learn that the great problem of injustice in the Old Testament was never solved. The New Testament explains that the problem is that all men are pervasively unjust. The Apostle Paul wrote, “There is none righteous, no not one” (Rom. 3:10). This means that by nature we are “injustice.” The problem of sin is the problem of unrighteousness, and the problem of unrighteousness is the problem of human existence in this fallen world.

The solution to the problem is found exclusively in the Gospel. In the fulness of time, the eternal Son of God came into the world to be born under the law and to die on the cross. Paul summarized this solution when he wrote, "God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). In the Gospel there is a perfect harmony of divine justice and mercy. In order to extend mercy to unjust sinners like us, Jesus kept the law of God perfectly and then died in our place for our injustices. Our sins were imputed to Him, so that His perfect righteousness would be imputed to us who believe in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). The greatest injustice the world has ever known (i.e., the crucifixion of the sinless Son of God) is the great solution to our injustice and our need for mercy. Without setting aside His justice, God dealt with injustice and justified believers. By pouring out His wrath on His Son on account of our sin imputed to Him, God may now be "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). 

When we come to Christ by faith alone, we are then taught to live as just men and women in this fallen world. We become salt and light. Gpd calls His people to live according to biblical principles of justice and mercy. By His Spirit, God enables us to be upright in our dealings with our neighbors and to be full of mercy toward those in need. We become a forgiving people, a kind and compassionate people, and an upright people. We continue to need the mercy Jesus extends to us in the Gospel, and we stand ready to be merciful to those who—like us—do not deserve mercy. 

As discussions and debate continue in the church and on social media, let's resist the urge to blindly support whatever goes by the name of justice. Instead, let us be men and women who apply the principles of Scripture consistently wherever there is true injustice and wherever there is a real need for mercy. To fail to do so will inevitably undermine the principles of the gospel itself. 

Source: Justice, Mercy, and the Gospel by Nate Batzig