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What does the Bible say about the justice of God? Is He just?

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6 Answers

up vote 12 down vote accepted

YES

Basically what you're asking has been asked throughout history.

Job 8:3 NIV

Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

The Saints defend God

Throughout the ages of biblical times, the saints have declared with trumpets the Justice of God.

Job 34:12 NIV

It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.

Deuteronomy 32:4

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

2 Thessalonians 1:6

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

Isaiah 30:18

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 5:16

But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.

Why isn't God doing anything about the evil?

You may then ask, why is there evil in this world? Why are there murders and why are there evil people?

God declares that He will judge every deed.

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”

Revelation 20:13

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

How can God forgive us, if He is Just?

God has declared all people wicked, so how can He forgive anybody?

Romans 3:23 (NIV)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Well.. isn't that what this entire story is about.

Romans 3:25-26 (NIV)

25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

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up vote 9 down vote

He's most definitely just. See the following:

Deut 32:4

He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

Revelation 19:2

His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.

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up vote 8 down vote

From the New Testament:

2 Thess 1:6 (NIV)

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

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up vote 3 down vote

Matt 5:48

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

If God is perfect, that means in every way possible. In justice, in mercy, in love, in reward, in punishment, etc...

He is the ultimate example in everything! So how could he be an unjust god, and yet maintain his perfection in all things?

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Just a thought: personally, I think I prefer the existing answers that focus on justice (re scripture); simply for the reason that for this answer you need to also demonstrate (through scripture) that "perfection" implies "just". – Marc Gravell♦ Jan 4 '12 at 9:26
point taken, however, perfection means being complete by any definition. A perfect body for example can't have missing limbs. So how could God be perfect if he lacked justice? – Lance Jan 4 '12 at 22:48
but you are using an implicit definition that a body includes limbs, based on anatomical familiarity. All I'm saying is that a scriptural reference that "perfection includes justice" would go a long way to making this a better answer. "Complete" could be said to include anything. – Marc Gravell♦ Jan 4 '12 at 22:57
up vote 1 down vote

Well, the answer is obvious, in logical term.

We Christians believe that God created everything.

So God is the ultimate reference and authority for everything. He created the world with his standards. He is justice himself.

In this perspective, God not being just is illogical, because it would require an higher authority under which God could be found "wrong".

God could only be felt "injust" by creatures standards, which are automatically inferior to God justice (and thus flawed).

A comparison would be when you (rightfully) punish a child and he says "that's not just". People who dealt with children know what I mean ;)

Addition : a false representation of God could be found injust. The true justice is said to be seeded in every man's soul by God. Against this higher, truer sense of justice coming from God himself, a false representation of God could be rightfully found injust. This should stimulate a real truth seeker to "clean" his representation of God.

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Not all Christians believe that. Many Christians--myself included--believe that belief in a god is in fact incompatible with Christianity. You should make sure to explain that your answer is given from a specific Christian perspective (an overwhelming majority perspective, no doubt, but definitely a universal one) and does not claim to speak for all of Christianity. – Steely Dan Jan 4 '12 at 17:35
up vote 0 down vote

Who is this God?

The LORD is known by the judgment He executes (Psalms 9:16)

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6)

From this attributes, we see that God is very just.

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