S1Ep6 - Justice — God Gets the Final Word

Justice is more than a headline — it’s at the heart of who God is. This episode digs into how His justice isn’t just punishment but restoration, how the cross unites justice with mercy, and how believers can trust that God’s verdict will be final and good.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Why Justice Matters Now
• 0:51 Justice as God’s Character
• 1:32 Luther’s Shift: Fear to Gospel
• 2:24 The Cross Satisfies Justice
• 3:07 Jesus Intensifies Justice in the Heart
• 5:17 Vengeance Belongs to God
• 6:22 Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
• 8:40 Hope in Final Judgment
• 10:09 Takeaways and Next Topic: Redemption

Transcript

Why Justice Matters Now

SPEAKER_00 0:01

You're listening to Coffee Break Theology, a King of Kings podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome back to Coffee Break Theology, where theology isn't just for the lecture halls, but it's for the living rooms, the break rooms, and the coffee shops.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

That's Greg. I'm Marcus, and today we're talking about justice, a word that's everywhere in our culture, but not always clearly defined.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Dude, this is such a buzzword. Like politics talk about it, protests talk about it, even pulpits are talking about it. So I think the real question that matters is like, what does God say about justice?

Justice as God’s Character

SPEAKER_02 0:44

And what does it mean from a Lutheran biblical perspective? It's it's not just a social idea, but as part of God's very character.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Yeah, so we have to start in the scriptures. Like that's where always we're gonna discover what is God speaking on to this. So Deuteronomy uh three or sorry, thirty-two, uh, verse four, Moses writes this the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just justice.

Luther’s Shift: Fear to Gospel

SPEAKER_02 1:12

So justice isn't something God does necessarily, it's something that he is. He doesn't just rule fairly, he defines fairness. He is the judge, he has the authority, he identifies with what is good and right. He alone is wise to discern truth, he has the power to execute sentences.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Yeah, and this is so right, but in Luther's day, justice had a different, different vibe, right? So Luther feared God's justice because that's what was taught, and and he thought it was this strict, horrific judgment. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Until he realized through the word that God's justice was revealed in the gospel. Yeah. In Romans 1 17, this says the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Yeah, Luther also went on to say, Here I felt that I was altogether born again, and I had entered paradise itself through an open gate. Nice.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

God's justice isn't just about punishment, it's about setting things right, and he does that in Jesus.

The Cross Satisfies Justice

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah, and that's so important, especially when we live in an unjust world. Right. We do need a God who sets everything right. And and one of the ways that he does this, and we're reminded that he's God that will set everything right, is through the cross, which is at the center of Christian justice. It's where sin's punished, but not on us.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Yep. Justice doesn't get swept under the rug. Right. It's satisfied in full by Jesus. Isaiah 53 says, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Yeah, and and Paul says in Romans 3 26, God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Jesus Intensifies Justice in the Heart

SPEAKER_02 2:58

Right. And he doesn't compromise justice when he's dealing with sin. Here's an aside that I kind of was thinking about as as we got ready for this. I think most people would attribute God's wrath and the justice with an Old Testament bent. Sure. They think God acted with rack with wrath, acted out his just justice, and used judgment in the Old Testament. And then it's different with the coming of Jesus in the New Testament. Well, I I think that's wrong. I think God's action as judge is actually intensified. It's not reduced going from Old Testament to New Testament. So consider these. These are out of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, Jesus is speaking here. Uh, you have heard that it was said to those of old. So he's quoting the Old Testament here. You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable, and whoever says you fool will be liable. He's taking it even a step further. He goes on later to say, You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. These are from the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And then he goes on to say this this is this is serious. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body be thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body go into hell. Again, this is Jesus talking. He's taking this issue of sin very seriously. But this whole thing, this whole part of the Sermon on the Mount, he knows the issue isn't the act of sin. It's not the mistakes that we make, it's the condition of the heart. So he doesn't judge he doesn't compromise that justice. He can't. He doesn't deal with a mere act of sin. His judgment cuts deeper and sounds harsh. But like we said last week, as he is holy, he has to deal with sin to the core, to the sinner's heart. He can't just treat the symptom. He has to surgically repair the heart. Right. And so it it sounds harsh, yes, but there's some good news. He fulfills that justice through mercy.

Vengeance Belongs to God

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Yeah, I I think it's so important for us to remember like God is so just that that He's gonna make sure that every uh injustice, every oppression, everything is dealt with. And and He never sweeps it away, He never says it's okay, right? And that's that's why it's so important that we remember that Christ is the one, as the catechisms teach us, right? We are a lost person, condemned person, right? And justice is carried out on Jesus so that grace can be given to us. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Okay, so let's bring this down to real life. Let's bring this down to us today. What does God's justice mean in a world that's clearly unjust?

Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Yeah, I think this is important. So for especially for anyone that's walking through where they have been wronged in a way that they know that that they were wronged and it's not dealt with, it's a reminder, first of all, that that God sees it. So so God sees it. He hears the cries of the oppressed, right? Don't forget that the the you know the Israelites, his chosen people there are in Egypt and they're crying out under the slavery of the Egyptians and the oppression of the Egyptians for over 400 years. He heard their cries. So he hears your cries, he knows your wounds, and he knows your hurts. And remember, he's promised this, right? From Romans 12. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. So let it be his.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Right. We don't need to take revenge, right? We we don't have to take that upon ourselves because Jesus is going to take care of it. We trust that God will make all things right in his time.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

Yeah, and so what do we do while we wait for God to do that? Um, and and this is an important part. Uh, I think this is this is something that is where our hearts are transformed to be able to do this, because it's only in God that you can do this while you wait for the injustice to be reconciled to Christ. Micah writes about it in the sixth chapter, verse eight. What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice so you continue to be just, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. I love this verse.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

My wife and I picked this verse for our two sons' baptism verses. Oh, sweet. And so I I love this. I want this to be a part of their life, I want this to be a part of my life, our life. So, what does it mean? Doing justice doesn't mean playing God. Right. It means reflecting his heart. It means standing up for the vulnerable, standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. It means telling the truth, resisting evil. And we love mercy because we deserve his judgment, but don't get it. Jesus takes our verdict. We walk humbly because we don't deserve mercy or grace, but we get it anyways. I don't measure up, but Jesus did. And and he gives that verdict to me. It's that greatest exchange that we were talking about before. So I I love that verse.

Hope in Final Judgment

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Yeah, and and I think it's so important for us to remember that this isn't saying that you like sweep it away and just say, Oh, God will deal. Like when there's injustice, we have to stand up and speak out. We have to call it, but we then yield ourselves to the authorities that are around us and then to the ultimate authority, which is which is God. So don't forget that there is a day coming when God will set it all straight. I I love the picture from Revelation 19 where we see Christ returning to judge with righteousness.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

And for the believer, that day isn't something to fear, right, to be afraid of. Right. It's something to hope for. Right. Because Jesus already stood in our place.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Yeah, so so justice will come, and when it does, it it will be perfect and it will be eternal. There won't be any corruption, there won't be any delay, and there's no appeals.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Right. And in the meantime, we get to preach the cross. Yeah. Christ crucified, where justice was already served and where mercy still flows.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

So here's your takeaway today in your coffee break theology. God's justice is not the enemy of grace. Right. I love this. It's a stage where grace shines brightest.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

I like that. And justice was done at the cross. Justice is coming at Christ's return. And justice, real holy justice that's necessary, is part of God's good character. This is another reason why I love the topics of wrath and justice. I enjoy diving into these because judgment means evil will be disposed of authoritatively, decisively, finally, for good, forever. Judgment means that in the end, God's will will be perfectly done. Hallelujah.

Takeaways and Next Topic: Redemption

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Hallelujah. Like every day of the year, say that. So here's what I would enjoy for you, because next time on Coffee Break Theology, we're going to talk about redemption.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

And until then, do justice, love mercy, walk humbly, and rest in the fact that God gets the final word.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Strength of that.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Thanks for listening to Coffee Break Theology. Be sure to tune in next time and remember to check out our other podcast series available on every major podcast listening service.