The fact is that when we sin, we will never be excused from the penalty. Because of God's holiness, sin must always be punished. Any claims that we were tricked into sin or that we did not know our action was sin gets us nowhere with God.
If that sounds cruel and unfair, here is the good news! Jesus provided a dramatic reprieve from our sentence and punishment. Jesus was beaten, tortured, and hung on a cross to die in our place to satisfy God's demand for justice. The unbending holy Judge became our gracious Savior!
Peter explains, "[Jesus] personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds" (1 Peter 2:24). When Jesus came, His blood was spilled so we could experience God's mercy. Jesus' sacrifice is the ultimate expression of God's mercy.
Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross satisfied God's just nature. God, the divine judge, showed mercy for us guilty sinners. It is the mercy of God that sees man weighed down by sin and therefore in a sorry and pitiful condition, needing divine help.
At the cross, God's attributes of both justice and mercy found complete fulfillment---simultaneously! Is that not amazing?
Your View of God Really Matters …
Try to think of one other religion that unites perfect justice and perfect mercy without compromising either one even slightly. Can you think of any other way to perfectly balance them without compromising either one? Today, thank God for His perfection.
Learn more about God’s character at Discover God, by Bright Media Foundation, an affiliate of Cru.
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Bright Media Foundation is an affiliate of Cru.
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