This is a short post looking at how God can be a God of love and still be just.
"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." Psalm 85:10
LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS
Love is more than just warm fuzzy feelings. Even though it includes care and affection it must have more or it will be meaningless.
The essence of faithfulness is character, it is honest and reliable. You can't truly love without being faithful. For faithfulness to be true it must be universal, for it is not real faithfulness if it is present in one case such as the rebel and not there in another case like the law or Ten Commandments.
MEET TOGETHER
If God only loves he would be useless, and if God was only faithful he would be a dreadful judge; but God is the perfect combination of both where the two don't just temper the other, (that would be compromise and therefore unfaithful) but in God both are fulfilled.
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE
Righteousness is the state of being sinless, and acceptable before God.
Peace is freedom from disaster, judgment, or fear.
KISS EACH OTHER
The poetry these three words takes the idea of unity not only to an extreme but more, since righteousness and peace are at odds because righteousness requires judgment and peace is freedom from judgment, the image is of becoming joined in a purpose that is greater than either one singly.
GOD IS GRACE TOO
We often quote 1 John 4:8 that "...God is Love..." and rightly so, but it hardly sums up his love in light of faithfulness and righteousness. To be a God of only Love would compromise righteousness and faithfulness, but God is full of grace and grace finds the way that love alone cannot and righteousness alone cannot.
He shows his love and satisfies justice by sending his son to fulfill the requirements of righteousness and die as our substitute. God's love compels him to act to rescue sinners from judgment and his justice is satisfied in the payment for sin by the substitution of Jesus' death in our stead. The ultimate place where love and faithfulness meet and where righteousness and peace kiss is on the cross where Jesus died to be our righteousness and give us peace.
This shows God as perfect and righteous and loving.
______________________
We like the idea that God is love, but we struggle with judgment. How does God have it both ways?
"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other." Psalm 85:10
LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS
Love is more than just warm fuzzy feelings. Even though it includes care and affection it must have more or it will be meaningless.
The essence of faithfulness is character, it is honest and reliable. You can't truly love without being faithful. For faithfulness to be true it must be universal, for it is not real faithfulness if it is present in one case such as the rebel and not there in another case like the law or Ten Commandments.
MEET TOGETHER
If God only loves he would be useless, and if God was only faithful he would be a dreadful judge; but God is the perfect combination of both where the two don't just temper the other, (that would be compromise and therefore unfaithful) but in God both are fulfilled.
RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE
Righteousness is the state of being sinless, and acceptable before God.
Peace is freedom from disaster, judgment, or fear.
KISS EACH OTHER
The poetry these three words takes the idea of unity not only to an extreme but more, since righteousness and peace are at odds because righteousness requires judgment and peace is freedom from judgment, the image is of becoming joined in a purpose that is greater than either one singly.
GOD IS GRACE TOO
We often quote 1 John 4:8 that "...God is Love..." and rightly so, but it hardly sums up his love in light of faithfulness and righteousness. To be a God of only Love would compromise righteousness and faithfulness, but God is full of grace and grace finds the way that love alone cannot and righteousness alone cannot.
He shows his love and satisfies justice by sending his son to fulfill the requirements of righteousness and die as our substitute. God's love compels him to act to rescue sinners from judgment and his justice is satisfied in the payment for sin by the substitution of Jesus' death in our stead. The ultimate place where love and faithfulness meet and where righteousness and peace kiss is on the cross where Jesus died to be our righteousness and give us peace.
This shows God as perfect and righteous and loving.
(c)Adron Dozat 5/3/15
