Saturday, September 5, 2009

Where is the Justice?

Psalm 37:1-13Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.”

I was once asked, “Why does evil exist and many evildoers prosper in this world, while Believers in God, Christ and the Holy Spirit may struggle and even suffer? Where is the justice? A great question and which of us has never asked that ourselves. Evil (Sin) exists because “Good” exists. What?! Evil gets it’s identity from “Good”, because “evil” is, by definition, the absence of “Good”. Who defines what “Good” is? God, the sovereign Creator of Heaven & Earth, and this is communicated through His Holy Word. The Holy Scriptures of the Bible gives us the standards, from our Lord, to live by for fulfillment and satisfying contentment, Spirit-filled love, joy and peace. Romans 7:7-14 explains this: “What shall we say then? Is God’s law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Therefore, following God’s standard is “good” and “right”, benefits us in every way, while being faithful and pleasing to the Lord. But following another standard than God’s is “evil” and “wrong”. Sin is missing the “mark” that God desires and sets for us (in His commands, laws, statues, teachings, and covenants found in the Bible), and willfully hitting a different mark. President Abraham Lincoln said: “In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for this Book, we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.” - September 5, 1864

We see no justice ... yet. Why? 2 Peter 3:9 tells us: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” A Day of Reckoning is coming, when everyone shall stand in front of Jesus (read Daniel 7:9-14 & Revelation 20:10-15), but God gives all of us the chance to choose repentance (to turn from our Sin against Him); God gives us choices to make in accepting or rejecting forgiveness and the free gift of “Eternal Life” in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Sadly, many choose to reject God and His offer. We live with the consequences of our eternal choice and decision, either for and against God’s offer. Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment.” It is us who choose eternity in Hell or Heaven, not God. By grace alone, He provides the choice, as expiation for our Sin, but we make the choice to accept or reject it. We choose our destiny. It really gets down to belief or unbelief. He is God of our life or we are the god of our life and He is not. Christians should feel compassion for non-Christians and their eternal destiny on the wide road to Perdition. These are the two paths that the Lord is explaining to us in Matthew 7:13-14. This is reality and this is truth. Our family, our friends, our neighbors, acquaintances and all in our sphere of influence need to hear this truth for this life on Earth and the next in either Hell or Heaven. Do not buy into the lie that everyone is going to Heaven or that our actions, based on our decisions, do not have consequences. The gospel is not to scare or threaten, but to forgive and save - John 3:17-18.

John 3:31-36He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." So as the Psalm 37 says, “Do not fret or be envious”, justice comes in the end. But, now, speak the truth in love. Changed hearts and lives is the goal.

In Christ, Brian

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