222 God's Justice Isn't What You Think

Catastrophes and tragedies are not God's punishment or justice for wrongdoing. They are the consequences of living on this planet. The second meaning of justice is restorative justice. He knows that we did not choose to be born on this planet, into this world of sin. God's heart is to bring restoration to all that are affected by sin. Rather than punishment or revenge He wants to heal and restore.

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11. Does the God of Justice Punish?

Traditionally Christians have held that the "justice of God" means punishment for

wrongdoing. We make this conclusion because God’s justice is often mentioned as a

corrective or balance when God’s love, mercy and compassion are being presented.

Children have an acute sense of justice or fairness. It seems this is part of the image of

God. Sheila told me she became interested in God because she heard that he was going to have a judgment in which all the mean and evil people would be punished, and this was music to her ears. This form of justice is desirable to many religious people since they think they will come off innocent.

Justice, Mercy and Grace.

Humanly speaking justice means to be treated as one deserves. Mercy, on the other

hand, is to be treated as one does not deserve and grace means to be treated far better

than one deserves. While justice may have diCerent meanings, in its primary meaning it

has to do with being fair and impartial, treating all situations in a consistent way. This would mean that all sinners should be punished in a manner proportional to their crime or sin.

How is it then possible for God to grant mercy or grace to some sinners and not to others?

This question will be answered later.

There are two distinct forms or ideas of justice, the punitive and the restorative process. We will consider punitive justice first and then restorative justice.

Punitive or Retributive Justice

Punitive justice (PJ), also known as retributive justice, is a system of justice focused

on punishing oCenders to atone for their crimes. Its core principles include ensuring

punishment is proportionate to the crime, that oCenders take responsibility through

punishment, and that pain serves as a deterrent to future criminal behavior. This

approach often involves removing oCenders from society through

incarceration. (Google AI overview)

This form of justice is commonly used in most societies and people’s groups today. It was

formalized by Moses in the Old Testament as “an eye for an eye.” This was an improvement in blood feuds where retribution was unrestrained or unregulated. The Israelites operated under this form of justice and viewed it as God’s will for them.

Deuteronomy 32:39-43 NLT

39 Look now; I myself am he!

There is no other god but me!I am the one who kills and gives life;

I am the one who wounds and heals;

no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!

40 Now I raise my hand to heaven

and declare, “As surely as I live,

41 when I sharpen my flashing sword

and begin to carry out justice,

I will take revenge on my enemies

and repay those who reject me.

42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,

and my sword will devour flesh—

the blood of the slaughtered and the captives,

and the heads of the enemy leaders.”’

43 “Rejoice with him, you heavens,

and let all of God’s angels worship him.

Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles,

and let all the angels be strengthened in him.

For he will avenge the blood of his children;

he will take revenge against his enemies.

He will repay those who hate him

and cleanse his people’s land.”

This system is dependent on violence for its implementation. Police or military are used to enforce retribution and regulations. The enforcing can take the form of financial penalties and or incarceration. This process or institution does not seem to reduce crime but rather encourage recidivism.

The ultimate form of retributive punishment ever invented is an ever-burning hell for

rejectors of God’s lifestyle. This creation was a result of the Platonic idea of the immortal

soul (Greek) which had to be punished as viewed from a legal basis (Roman law).

Attributing punitive justice to God means that he punishes sinners, they get what they

deserve. For instance, the Psalms are full of requests for redress considering the unfair-

ness or injustice on the planet.

Psalm 58:6-11 NIV

Break the teeth in their mouths (wicked), O God;

Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;

when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.

8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,

like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.

9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—

whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[a]

10 The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,

when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 Then people will say,

“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;

surely there is a God who judges the earth.”

Punishment must also be proportional to the crime, in this line of thinking. So, in this

paradigm some suCer more than other in Hell. If this is the justice of God it means the

persecutors become the persecuted. Hell is thus revenge and retribution on a grand scale.

Is this what God's justice is about? Does God's justice parallel traditional human justice,

which is often a euphemism for revenge. This does give some power to the abused of earth who often are not treated fairly.

The best-known Christian atonement model in the western world is Penal, Substitutionary theory of Atonement (PSA). This theory is premised on the legal basis that God cannot forgive sin without sinners being punished for their wrongdoing. It also holds that God punished Jesus in the sinners' place and thus the saints escape their due punishment. In this model it appears that God acts justly to sinners, they get what they deserve but acts rather unjustly to saints because they get what they did not earn or deserve.

This model fails to consider that Jesus died in place of all men and women. This is clear

from many Scriptural passages.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8)

The argument is strengthened in Romans 5:18-19 where Paul is emphatic: just as sin came upon all men through one man, Adam, just so righteousness has come to all men through one man, Jesus Christ. Take, for instance, verse 18:

Consequently, just as the result of one man's trespass (Adam's sin)

was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness (cross)

was justification that brings life for all men.

So, if Paul is right, and we have every reason to believe that he is, God will not punish a

sinner for that which Jesus has already made atonement. This is a conundrum we need to consider.

We now consider the second meaning of justice, restorative justice.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice (RJ) is a justice approach that focuses on repairing the harm

caused by crime and conflict by bringing together victims, offenders, and

community members to discuss the incident and its impact. It's a voluntary process

aimed at healing, meaningful oCender accountability, and fostering safer, stronger

communities, often involving facilitated dialogues or meetings where needs are

addressed and solutions for repair are sought. (Google AI overview)

Jesus is the origin of restorative justice when he proclaims the following from the sermon

on the mount.

Matthew 5:38-48 NLT

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for

an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[a] 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If

someone slaps you on the right cheek, oCer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued

in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands

that you carry his gear for a mile,[b] carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and

don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[c] and hate your

enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that

way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his

sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the

unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?

Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[e] how

are you diCerent from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect,

even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus demonstrated the truth of the above passage in his rejection, betrayal, denial,

abandonment, torture and death. He walked his talk for the universe to witness. He had not desire to punish or take revenge against the perpetrators.

This teaching of Jesus on justice include teaching on revenge. Revenge is often used as a

synonym for justice. When victims declare they want justice what they want is punishment for the perpetrators. Jesus’ justice for the disciples who abandoned, denied, and betrayedhim was to say to them after his resurrection, “Peace be to you. Do not be afraid of me. I love you.”

While Jesus protested the hypocrisy of the spiritual leaders it was with tears in his eyes

rather than gravel in his voice. Jesus never used physical violence again anyone.

God's restorative justice lies in His recreation of a new earth and new heaven in place of the doomed, sin polluted planet we now have. This can be seen when Jesus heals lepers, a man born blind, and raises dead Lazarus. No one would choose to have leprosy or be born blind or to die young but Jesus healed these people. Justice for someone with Down’s Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, missing limbs is not punishment for that which they did not choose but restoration. In the same way what sinners need is not punishment but restoration from the “virus” of sin Salvation is about restoring what is lost, not causing further loss. The grace of God lies in healing our eyes rather than removing them. This was the teaching of some Rabbi's on the cause of Samson's blindness. In the story of the prodigal son, the father was interested in music, dancing and joy when the boy came home. It was the older brother that wanted “justice” and sulked when his brother was not punished.

The grace or mercy of God means that in the new earth, the poor will be rich, the paralyzed will be athletic, the blind will see and the deaf will hear. And they will hear much more than Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. It also means the abused in childhood will come to understand, probably for the first time, the meaning of loving intimacy.

There the weary and tired of earth will be eating more than huge chunks of cold watermelon on hot days from the tree of life. There the hungry will be able to become the finest gourmets. But best of all, those who lost family or friends will finally have their hurting hearts healed through resurrection and divine therapy. That is positive justice. That is what God's salvation is all about.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!" Thank you, John

Newton, for this, the most sung song on the English language! This one sentence rings

across the decades and says all that needs to be said about grace.

The tension between justice and mercy is partially solved by recognizing that in the justice of God he has absorbed the punishment or consequence of sin. All men and women are forgiven in his mercy.

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we

might become the righteousness of God.There are new robes, beautiful sandals and gold rings for all (Luke 15).

It is far, far better than Aladdin merely offering new lamps for old. This is exactly the justice of God. He knows that we did not choose to be born on this planet, into a world of sin. He is perfectly just in that He forgave all of us, all our sins, and accepted us just as we are.

Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your

sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

Now the ball is in the sinner’s court. Will we believe the kindness of God or will we,

because of our misunderstanding of divine justice, choose to battle it out alone, struggling to become good enough to earn God's favour?

The tragedy of our unbelief is illustrated in the demise of the anti-diluvians. The ark could

have held them all, but they would not go in, even though every board and nail was an

invitation to escape the coming catastrophe. Taking years to build the ark, which God could have created instantaneously, was a demonstration of God's patient, ongoing invitation to accept deliverance.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem, the city that would not be saved.

Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those

sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen

gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is

left to you desolate.

At the end of the sixth chapter of Revelation we have sinners, forgiven by God, who would rather long for suicide than look on the face of Jesus.

Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the

mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the

mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us

from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For

the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Strange but true. This attitude is illustrated in the life of Judas. Loved, educated, filled with the Holy Spirit to cast out demons and heal the sick, he chose to turn from and betray his best friend.

God’s justice lies in healing and restoring all we have lost through the machinations of the

evil one. This he had done through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If this gift is refused the consequences of evil are not mitigated and the results are death and

alienation from life and love.Sinners do not die because God is just but because the consequences are certain for doomed sinners.

God’s justice and mercy are synonyms:

Micah 6:8 NIV

8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Catastrophes and tragedies are not God’s punishment or justice for wrongdoing. They

are the consequences of living on this planet.

Luke 13:1-5 NLT

13 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from

Galilee as they were oCering sacrifices at the Temple. 2 “Do you think those

Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus

asked. “Is that why they suCered? 3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you

repent of your sins and turn to God. 4 And what about the eighteen people who died

when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in

Jerusalem? 5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

Don’t build a picture of God’s justice using apparently contradictory passages. For instance if only Thessalonians is read then it can be concluded that sinners are destroyed by God’s justice

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 NLT

6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when

the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in

flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who

refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal

destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

This passage refers to the destruction at the end of the millennium since the consequences are eternal. Since sinners are resurrected at the end of the millennium it is not the second coming. We also must allow the clearly defined apocalyptic picture of the Second Coming in Revelation 6:15-17 NLT to inform our understanding. In this passage the enemies of Godwould rather commit suicide than be with Jesus. It is a repeat of the end of Judas the disciple.

We must also read

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.

This passage refers to one person, Athe lawless one@ who will be destroyed by Athe breath of his mouth@ and Athe splendour of his coming.@ In the context of the passage, the lawless one appears just before the Second Coming and masquerades as Jesus Christ. This is the Devil who takes on a human form and mimics the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. His pretence is destroyed by Athe breath of his (Jesus=) mouth,@ that is, the words that Jesus speaks and Athe splendour of his (Jesus=) coming.@

This splendour, which the fake Christ will try and emulate, will be clearly surpassed by the real Christ and the imposter Christ will be unmasked or overthrown. We cannot use this verse to suggest that Jesus destroys sinners with his coming. He comes in the same way he left and there were no sinners destroyed when he left but his ascension.

2 Peter 3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of

God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

These verses guarantee the destruction of the planet by fire. It does not say who causes this destruction or if it will occur at the Second Coming or at the end of the Millennium. The intent of the passage is to encourage repentance in all since the day will be unexpected (vs 14).

Revelation 6:15-17 NLT

15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the

powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and

among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks,

“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the

wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to

survive?”

The mechanism for this kind of “punishment” is that it is generated internally and is not

imposed externally. The end of the life of the disciple Judas is an example of the way Jesus treats sinners. Jesus did not punish Judas for betraying him. Judas could not live with himself in his guilt and shame and took his own life (Matthew 27:5).Romans 12:19-21 NLT

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the

Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.

20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.

If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”

21 Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.

Paul is not claiming that we do not need to take revenge because God is going to do it for us as many theologians teach but rather, we should leave revenge to God because he loves his enemies and has “conquered evil by doing good.”

Conclusion

There are two proposed methods of reducing crime in society. A strong leader can make the penalties harsh and inhumane enough so that crime is reduced. This is punitive or

retributive justice. The other possibility is to facilitate religious revival which has been

shown to reduce addiction and crime. This is restorative justice and requires no violence to affect it apart from the energy of the Holy Spirit.

Thinking this way makes me think a whole lot about God's grace, about my pride and my

desire for revenge on those who wound me. It seems that I am often guilty of rejection of

Him who loves and cares for me and is innocent of desiring or taking revenge in the name of justice.. These thoughts are worth thinking about! They are thoughts about eternity and destiny. We need to think these thoughts often.

Ian Hartley, October 2025