Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2023 9:36:34 GMT -5
William Brakel
The Righteousness or Justice of God
The righteousness of God can be considered either in and of itself as
referring to the justness, perfection, and holiness of the character of God;
or in view of its manifestation toward the creature. As such the
righteousness or justice of God consists in giving each his worthy due,
either by punishment or reward.
Justice is executed either by way of mutual exchange or in a retributive
fashion. Among men, the execution of justice by way of mutual exchange
is practiced, as for instance when monetary remuneration is made
according to an agreement. Such, however, is not true with regard to God,
since none of our works, however perfect they may be, are by nature
meritorious before God. Since none of our works are perfect, there can be
no proportionate relationship between work and remuneration. God,
always being independent, is not indebted to anyone. Man cannot take
that which is his and bring it before God, for the good he performs
originates in God. Since it is man's natural obligation to perform good
works, he, having done so, can make no claims because of it. "so likewise
ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you,
say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty
to do" (Luke 17:10).
Retributive justice must be ascribed to God, both in reference to reward
as well as punishment. Whatever God does is just. "He is the Rock, His
work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is He" (Deut 32:4). God is just when He acts
according to either His promises or His threatenings. "That Thou
mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou
judgest" (Ps 51:4). God is just when He delivers and saves a person. "But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets: even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ" (Rom 3:21-22). God is just in damning
sinners. "... the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God; who will render to every man according to His deeds" (Rom 2:5-6);
"Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and upright are Thy judgments" (Ps
119:137). The meting out of punishment is generally referred to as the
avenging justice of God.
Question: In reference to the avenging justice of God, does God punish
sin because it pleases Him, since He could refrain from doing so if He so
desired, or is the punishment of sin a necessary consequence of the
righteous character of God, so that He cannot but punish sin, that is, He
cannot let sin remain unpunished?
Answer: The question is not whether God has the right and the authority
to mete out punishment. Man is naturally cognizant of the fact that sin
deserves punishment. The heathen know "that they which commit such
things are worthy of death" (Rom 1:32). Neither is it a question of
whether God punishes sin by constraint or whether the avenging justice
of God is so natural to Him that, just as fire always burns, there is an
immediate response in meting out punishment upon the commission of
each sin. God, doing everything independently, also does that which is
natural to Him to the superlative degree. The freeness with which God
exercises His will should not be construed to mean that it is a matter of
indifference to Him whether or not He punishes sin. Rather, it should be
viewed as a necessary consequence. Thus, God by virtue of His perfect,
holy, and righteous character is inclined as the only wise God to punish
sin at a time and in a manner suitable to Him. However, the question at
hand is: "Is righteousness or punishment as an exercise of justice such
that punishment cannot be avoided, and whether as God He cannot
acquit without punishing sin, since such an act would be unjust and
contrary to His holy and just character?" Our answer is "yes," which is
confirmed by Scripture. "shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
(Gen 18:25). God is a righteous Judge (Ps 7:9); "Thou hatest all workers
of iniquity. The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man" (Ps 5:5-6);
"The Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will
take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His
enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all
acquit the wicked" (Nah 1:23). We will deal comprehensively with this
subject in Chapter 17 which deals with the necessity of satisfaction.
Beware, oh sinner, whoever you are, for God is just! Do not imagine that
you will be able to satisfy God by praying, "O God, be merciful to me a
sinner," or by doing your utmost to refrain from evil and to practice
virtue. To imagine such is to be on the broad way to eternal
destruction, and causes millions, who live under the ministry of the
gospel, to perish. If you could be delivered from this foolish imagination,
there would still be hope for you. As long as you foster such an
imagination, however, you are in a hopeless condition. Please consider
that there can be no hope of grace and salvation without satisfaction of
the justice of God, that is, by the enduring of punishment.
You have heard that God is gracious, which is true. You are guilty,
however, of distorting the essential meaning of the grace of God by
interpreting it to refer to remission of sin and absolution from
punishment apart from satisfaction. Such, however, is not grace. There is
no contradiction in God. The justice of God, which cannot be
compromised to the least degree, of necessity demands the punishment
of the sinner. God cannot deny Himself, and thus grace does not negate
His justice. Grace is not incompatible with justice, but confirms it. This is
the grace of God so highly exalted in His Word—that God, without
finding anything in man, yes, contrary to his desert, gave His Son as a
Surety. He transferred the sins of the elect from their account to His and
by bearing the punishment justly due upon their sin, satisfied the justice
of God on their behalf. This is grace, namely, that God offers Jesus as
Surety in the gospel. It is grace when God grants faith to a sinner to
receive Jesus and to entrust his soul to Jesus. It is grace when God
converts a sinner, granting him spiritual life. It is grace when God
permits a sinner to sensibly experience His favor. It is grace when God
sanctifies a sinner, leading him in the way of holiness to salvation.
Please note how much the grace of God differs from your conception of
grace. Put your erroneous conception aside and cease from trying to
make all things well in the way of prayer and self-reformation. Perhaps
you reply, "Then all my hope would be gone, and I would be given over to
despair." My response is, "What can it profit you to flatter yourself a little
with a false hope and thus perish forever?" Instead, give up all hope and
despair of yourself; believe and acknowledge the righteousness of God
who cannot forgive sin apart from satisfaction and the bearing of
punishment. Keep your sins and the justice of God clearly in view, as well
as your inability to satisfy this justice. Freely fear and tremble, but do not
remain in such a condition nor end in it. Allow the terror of the Lord to
move you to faith. Seek salvation in a way whereby God's justice is
satisfied. Therefore, flee to the Lord Jesus as Surety, receiving Him to
your justification and sanctification. That is the only way by which you
can be saved.
And believers, may you who know this way—the way by which you go to
God—increasingly penetrate the truth of God's justice until you may
perceive its purity, glory, and preciousness. Magnify God in His justice,
and rejoice in the fact that God is just. Love His righteousness as you love
His goodness and mercy, especially in that this righteousness has been
satisfied on your behalf. Give thanks to God that the Lord leads you and
all His elect along such a holy way unto salvation. Do not consider the
justice of God to be against you, but as being for you—to give you
salvation and justly punish your enemies
The Righteousness or Justice of God
The righteousness of God can be considered either in and of itself as
referring to the justness, perfection, and holiness of the character of God;
or in view of its manifestation toward the creature. As such the
righteousness or justice of God consists in giving each his worthy due,
either by punishment or reward.
Justice is executed either by way of mutual exchange or in a retributive
fashion. Among men, the execution of justice by way of mutual exchange
is practiced, as for instance when monetary remuneration is made
according to an agreement. Such, however, is not true with regard to God,
since none of our works, however perfect they may be, are by nature
meritorious before God. Since none of our works are perfect, there can be
no proportionate relationship between work and remuneration. God,
always being independent, is not indebted to anyone. Man cannot take
that which is his and bring it before God, for the good he performs
originates in God. Since it is man's natural obligation to perform good
works, he, having done so, can make no claims because of it. "so likewise
ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you,
say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty
to do" (Luke 17:10).
Retributive justice must be ascribed to God, both in reference to reward
as well as punishment. Whatever God does is just. "He is the Rock, His
work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is He" (Deut 32:4). God is just when He acts
according to either His promises or His threatenings. "That Thou
mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou
judgest" (Ps 51:4). God is just when He delivers and saves a person. "But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets: even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ" (Rom 3:21-22). God is just in damning
sinners. "... the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God; who will render to every man according to His deeds" (Rom 2:5-6);
"Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and upright are Thy judgments" (Ps
119:137). The meting out of punishment is generally referred to as the
avenging justice of God.
Question: In reference to the avenging justice of God, does God punish
sin because it pleases Him, since He could refrain from doing so if He so
desired, or is the punishment of sin a necessary consequence of the
righteous character of God, so that He cannot but punish sin, that is, He
cannot let sin remain unpunished?
Answer: The question is not whether God has the right and the authority
to mete out punishment. Man is naturally cognizant of the fact that sin
deserves punishment. The heathen know "that they which commit such
things are worthy of death" (Rom 1:32). Neither is it a question of
whether God punishes sin by constraint or whether the avenging justice
of God is so natural to Him that, just as fire always burns, there is an
immediate response in meting out punishment upon the commission of
each sin. God, doing everything independently, also does that which is
natural to Him to the superlative degree. The freeness with which God
exercises His will should not be construed to mean that it is a matter of
indifference to Him whether or not He punishes sin. Rather, it should be
viewed as a necessary consequence. Thus, God by virtue of His perfect,
holy, and righteous character is inclined as the only wise God to punish
sin at a time and in a manner suitable to Him. However, the question at
hand is: "Is righteousness or punishment as an exercise of justice such
that punishment cannot be avoided, and whether as God He cannot
acquit without punishing sin, since such an act would be unjust and
contrary to His holy and just character?" Our answer is "yes," which is
confirmed by Scripture. "shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
(Gen 18:25). God is a righteous Judge (Ps 7:9); "Thou hatest all workers
of iniquity. The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man" (Ps 5:5-6);
"The Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will
take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His
enemies. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all
acquit the wicked" (Nah 1:23). We will deal comprehensively with this
subject in Chapter 17 which deals with the necessity of satisfaction.
Beware, oh sinner, whoever you are, for God is just! Do not imagine that
you will be able to satisfy God by praying, "O God, be merciful to me a
sinner," or by doing your utmost to refrain from evil and to practice
virtue. To imagine such is to be on the broad way to eternal
destruction, and causes millions, who live under the ministry of the
gospel, to perish. If you could be delivered from this foolish imagination,
there would still be hope for you. As long as you foster such an
imagination, however, you are in a hopeless condition. Please consider
that there can be no hope of grace and salvation without satisfaction of
the justice of God, that is, by the enduring of punishment.
You have heard that God is gracious, which is true. You are guilty,
however, of distorting the essential meaning of the grace of God by
interpreting it to refer to remission of sin and absolution from
punishment apart from satisfaction. Such, however, is not grace. There is
no contradiction in God. The justice of God, which cannot be
compromised to the least degree, of necessity demands the punishment
of the sinner. God cannot deny Himself, and thus grace does not negate
His justice. Grace is not incompatible with justice, but confirms it. This is
the grace of God so highly exalted in His Word—that God, without
finding anything in man, yes, contrary to his desert, gave His Son as a
Surety. He transferred the sins of the elect from their account to His and
by bearing the punishment justly due upon their sin, satisfied the justice
of God on their behalf. This is grace, namely, that God offers Jesus as
Surety in the gospel. It is grace when God grants faith to a sinner to
receive Jesus and to entrust his soul to Jesus. It is grace when God
converts a sinner, granting him spiritual life. It is grace when God
permits a sinner to sensibly experience His favor. It is grace when God
sanctifies a sinner, leading him in the way of holiness to salvation.
Please note how much the grace of God differs from your conception of
grace. Put your erroneous conception aside and cease from trying to
make all things well in the way of prayer and self-reformation. Perhaps
you reply, "Then all my hope would be gone, and I would be given over to
despair." My response is, "What can it profit you to flatter yourself a little
with a false hope and thus perish forever?" Instead, give up all hope and
despair of yourself; believe and acknowledge the righteousness of God
who cannot forgive sin apart from satisfaction and the bearing of
punishment. Keep your sins and the justice of God clearly in view, as well
as your inability to satisfy this justice. Freely fear and tremble, but do not
remain in such a condition nor end in it. Allow the terror of the Lord to
move you to faith. Seek salvation in a way whereby God's justice is
satisfied. Therefore, flee to the Lord Jesus as Surety, receiving Him to
your justification and sanctification. That is the only way by which you
can be saved.
And believers, may you who know this way—the way by which you go to
God—increasingly penetrate the truth of God's justice until you may
perceive its purity, glory, and preciousness. Magnify God in His justice,
and rejoice in the fact that God is just. Love His righteousness as you love
His goodness and mercy, especially in that this righteousness has been
satisfied on your behalf. Give thanks to God that the Lord leads you and
all His elect along such a holy way unto salvation. Do not consider the
justice of God to be against you, but as being for you—to give you
salvation and justly punish your enemies