Marloes Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God justly forgive sins without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice - bad people are punished and good people are rewarded, all in a fair way Vengeance - bad people are punished just to hurt them and not because everything has to be fair mercy - when bad people are not punished themselves God has to punish because His holiness can't stand sin and because otherwise He wouldn't be fair. He has to punish but... He doesn't punish us but took the punishment Himself. The meaning of the cross: He showes that He loves us, that He is holy, that He took our sins, that He conquered death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humblesinner Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Names of God: Lesson 5 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God justly forgive sins without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? The definitions of these three words are as follows: Justice: the quality of being righteous or fair. (your dictionary.com). Vengeance: Infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution. (freedictionary.com). Mercy: Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency. A disposition to be kind and forgiving.(freedictionary.com). The question, Can a Holy and Righteous God justly forgive sins without punishing them?, is a very central issue in the Christian Faith. Jesus emphasized strongly all through His Ministry about not judging the actions of others, as in the case of the adulterous woman who was to be stoned and was saved by Jesus intervention, when He asked the crowd that whoever is without sin should throw the first stone. Also, in the Lords Prayer we pray that Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. From the Lords Prayer we understand that we are to forgive others their sins against us. We are not to seek judgment. We should leave this Judgment to the Father, because only He can Judge righteously. In truth, for any of us to act as a judge of another is in itself hypocrisy, because we know that we are not without sin also. In Will, the Father is perfect. He does what He does and that we should not question. If at times He has been the God of Vengeance then we must have Faith that His Vengeance is Just and Fair. As an individual, should I be seeking the punishment of another individual if they have sinned against me? In terms of the Old Covenant, the answer would have been yes! It was the Law; an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but One came to change all that. With the establishment of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, then this Law has been changed. With the Blood of Jesus, our ransom was paid. Gods Son took all the guilt of our sin upon Himself and was given as a sin offering once and for all time. With His Blood He bought us forgiveness. However, that is not one sided. To benefit from this we must also forgive. If the Lord forgives us then we must also forgive others. That is the crux of the matter, quite literally. The whole significance of Our Saviors Crucifixion was to put right what humanity had done wrong from the very beginning. Through Adam, the first man, sin came into the world. That sin was symbolized by Adam and Eve going against God, doing an action that the LORD had specifically asked them not to do (sinning) not believing His Word. Now, as we are only too aware, from generation to generation since then, we have had to live with the consequences. That is why the LORD told us this in the beginning because He knew what would have to happen once humanity fell from Grace; ultimately the sacrifice of His Only Son as well as the continued human misery of sickness, the infliction of evil upon each other and death. The crucifixion of our Savior could inspire a million books and I will not be able to give any kind of an account here as to the full significance of the cross in terms of Gods righteousness. We do know that the sending of Jesus to us was the beginning of the end for sin and evil. Through Jesus ultimate sin offering we have been given the gift of salvation. The LORD has shown that He is the God of Forgiveness. Now we know that if we repent of our sins then our LORD will forgive us. In terms of justice, the whole Law was changed with the coming of Christ. Temple sacrifice was no longer necessary; the very Mosaic Law was fulfilled and changed. Instead of having to find our own satisfaction of revenge in repayment of sin done unto us, like for like, we can just forgive what has been done, as many times as we have to. We can leave Judgment to the One who knows how to Judge Righteously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trusting God Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 Definition: JUSTICE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God justly forgive sins without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Windy Posted July 16, 2010 Report Share Posted July 16, 2010 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice- Merited rewards or Punishment Vengeances- Punishment inflicted in Retaliation Mercy- A blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion A Holy and Righteous God cannot justly forgive sins without punishment. But the grace and mercy, we are show, through the sacrificed, risen Lord Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. God put our sins as far away, from Himself, as the east is from the west, never to remember them again. Through Jesus suffering on the cross we are made right with God. He took away the sins of the world. Thank you Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilma m Posted December 14, 2010 Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice is to give the offender what he deserves- noting more and nothing less. vengence punishment inflicted in retaliation for an injury or offense." mercy -- not giving someone the punishment they deserve We all have sinned and deserve death. God is a righteous God who hates sin. He is also a just God and cannot pardon sin. If He decides to punish some people and pardon others, He would be unjust, so sin MUST be punished. Rom 3:23 We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace(mercy) through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. In his great love, God made provision for justice in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ for our sins so that in His great mercy we can be pardoned and gave everlasting life with Him if we believe in Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy45 Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice: a person receiving what they deserve Vengence: execution or administration of justice Mercy: witholding deserved punishment The only way God can forgive sins is by Jesus, God's Holy Son, taking the all the punishment for our sins that we ourselves deserve. In this, God has acted according to His Holiness and Righteousness by exercising justice and vengence by the cross and mercy and forgiveness toward us. For this, our proper response can only be one of repentance and worship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Roddy Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice is understanding the paths of the Universe....Vengence is the observance of these paths....and Mercy is that knowledge which enlightens the ignorant of these paths..... A Holy and Righteous God forgives sins justly without punishing them by trying to enlighten the ignorant.... The significance of the cross in God's righteousness is to understand ignorance and faith in his Mercy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc'el4life Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice is giving someone what they deserve for their action Vengeance is the punishment one gets in relation to an offence or injury Mercy is forgiveness not giving someone what the deserve for their sin Because God is Holy,Righteous He forgive sin justly by giving the sinner what they deserve. The significance of the cross is that God has sent His only begotten son Jesus to this sinful world who carried our just sentence due to us for our sins by dying for us on the cross bringing forgiveness to us accepting Him (Jesus Christ) we can now approach God. Glory to God! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacquie7 Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 Vengeance is punishment inflicted in retaliation for an injury or offense; revenge is an act or instance of retaliating in order to get even; mercy is not giving punishment that is deserved. Christians must acknowledge that they are sinful and allow God to assess and show us how He sees us. Those who believe and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior are forgiven of their sins because He voluntarily bore the punishment of our sins on the cross. Therefore, the cross is where we have to deal with our sins and where God shows us mercy through His Son. The brazen altar and brazen laver is where all this takes place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csreeves Posted October 11, 2011 Report Share Posted October 11, 2011 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Vengenceance and justice are easily confused for the earthly revenge. I God's kingdom, "vingeance is mine saith the Lord." God doesn't let vengance go without punishment, but in his time and his way. The cross stands for Mercy and Grace which we are given freely as Christians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Jim Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Justice is letting the punishment fit the crime. A reasonable punishment for an offense or crime committed. Vengeance is paying someone back for a wrong inflicted on me and/or mine. It's all too easy to go over the top when we seek to exact vengance. We're told to let God handle it. Mercy is the act of NOT seeking justice and/or vengeance for a wrong committed against us. Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? No, He cannot. That's why even in Old Testament times God provided a sacrificial system by which His people could still worship Him even though they were sinners. Even though God set that up, He still knew and communicated through His prophets that the old sacrificial system was flawed. The perfect sacrifice was God's own Son, Jesus Christ, who although he knew no sin was made sin for us to pay the penalty for our sins. This was a once for all sacrifice that is in force forever. What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? The worst criminals of the day were nailed to the cross to die. It was the ultimate punishment. Jesus died on the cross to pay the ultimate price for our sins and to reconcile us with God the Father. God is totally holy and righteous and cannot look upon sin. Only by paying His own prescribed penalty for sin could God accept us as His people. This is the ultimate act of love. God stayed His own vengeful hand by allowing Jesus to be punished in our stead. What is the significance of the cross? Without it we wouldn't be Christians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majjinniss4 Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Justice is fairly distributing to someone what they deserve . Mercy is forgiveness . It is not giving someone the punishment they deserve. Vengeance is fairly executing justice. Yes, a holy and righteous God can justly forgive sins without punishing them through the death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus took our punish to save us from damnation. Jesus died a shameful death so that we might be redeemed. When we ask for mercy our Heavenly Father draws us closer to the cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanMary Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice: Giving someone what they deserve, nothing more nor less. Vengeance: The fair execution of justice. Mercy: Not giving one the punishment he/she deserves. B. No, they must be punished. The significance of the cross is in God's righteousness, my sins, and sins of the whole world, past, present, and future were all put on Jesus. He took the wrath, judgment, and punishment I, and we all deserved. He took my sin in His perfect sinless body, and gave me in exchange, His pure and holy Righteousness. It's called GRACE! Undeserved favor. How I thank my Lord for his mercy and grace!!!! Believers are Justified...".just as if I never sinned". It means never living in fearfulness toward God, guilt free, cleansed. Rather than punishment, he gently corrects and convicts our conscience when we do sin, we repent and continue on, not wanting to sin and hurt our beloved Savior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosesam Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice is getting what you deserve. As sinners, we deserve punishment for our sins. Vengeance is the punishment that is given for the wrong doing. Bible says the wages of sin is death. So as sinners just vengeance would be death. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. When He does not punish us as we deserve, then that is mercy. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Even though we are sinners and we deserve death, He gave us life and that is His grace. As a righteous God, if He winks at sin and ignores it and does not justly punish the sinner, then He is not just. The Cross is all about a Holy and Righteous God forgiving sins justly without punishing the sinner, for the righteous requirement of punishment of our sins was borne by our Lord on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. By His death on the Cross we have peace with God. We have been reconciled back to God. The appeasement for God’s righteous anger was hurled on to His Son on the cross and He became our propitiation. Jesus consumed the wrath of God in Himself and when He cried out on the cross “Tetelestai” meaning “It is finished” it was a victorious cry of Jesus saying that the wrath of God has been completely absorbed by Him and the work that was entrusted to Him has been fully done. Now when satan accuses us before God of our wrong doing there is a Mediator and an Advocate, our Lord Jesus Christ, who says I have paid it through My blood and our Judge says case dismissed for lack of evidence. His blood is so potent to remove every traces of sin. Even if our sins are as scarlet, His blood can make us as pure as snow. Even if they be red as crimson, He shall make us as white as wool. Our only requirement is to trust in His finished work on the Cross on our behalf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
av4Jesus Posted June 30, 2019 Report Share Posted June 30, 2019 On 2/15/2006 at 7:12 AM, Pastor Ralph said: Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? "Justice" is getting what you deserve. "Vengeance" is revenge/retribution. Or getting back at someone for what they did to you. "Mercy" is not getting what you deserve." No, God cannot ignore sins justly. He has sent His Son to die for us and His sacrifice washes away our sins. On Judgement Day, God will judge each person and if He lets people get away scot-free, then it is not justice. God's love for us is so abundant He sent His Son die for us on the cross so that we might be saved. By believing in His death, we accept salvation and are welcomed into the kingdom. Without salvation, we would have no access into heaven, but God in His graciousness gave us the choice to accept Him and be made free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottie Posted June 25, 2020 Report Share Posted June 25, 2020 Justice means giving someone what they deserve. Vengeance is " punishment inflicted for retaliation for an injury or offense". Mercy is not giving someone the punishment they deserve. God cannot forgive sins without a punishment being met; then He would not be just and righteous. Because of His holiness He cannot stand sin. The cross is the way God provided for us to be forgiven and to know Him. For Jesus paid the price for our sins when He died on the cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Burton Posted August 14, 2020 Report Share Posted August 14, 2020 On 2/14/2006 at 11:12 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice is like a scale and weight - to get the correct weight, the scale must balance. It is a reward or penalty that is deserved. According to the Bible it is giving a person exactly what he/she deserves - the punishment must fit the crime. Vengeance is action taken against a person as punishment for offence or injury caused by him/her. In Isaiah 42: 8 God said that He gives His glory to no man, and so when Herod Agrippa accepted adulation from the people of Tyre and S[don he was immediately smote by an angel of the Lord, was eaten by worms and he died 'because he gave not God the glory. Mercy can be defined as showing compassion and forgiveness to one who has offended; also mercy is one enjoying God's divine, unmerited favour. A Holy and Righteous God cannot forgive sins justly without punishment. The sinner who continues in his sins and do not repent will be punished for his sins. This is a fact stated throughout the Bible. Christians on the other hand, who believe in Jesus Christ have already had all of our sins (past, present and future) judged by God when He accepted Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross in our place. So according to Romans 8: 1, there in no more condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us when He died on the cross, God only sees the righteousness of His Son whenever He looks on us. This does not mean that we as believers get away with sin. We are not 'punished' but instead we are chastened (Hebrews 12: 6). God as our loving Father does not spoil His children. If we continue to be disobedient He will discipline us even as earthly fathers discipline their children for their own benefit. Because of the cross of Jesus we, His children, have escaped the the punishment we otherwise would have so justly deserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosesSole Posted August 30, 2020 Report Share Posted August 30, 2020 On 2/14/2006 at 10:12 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? Justice is the punishment or consequence for the wrong committed against someone. Vengeance is the punishment sought for a wrongful/sinful/illegal act. Mercy is the forgiveness given to those who committed the wrong. Depending on the severity of the sin, I think God can forgive without punishment. But since God the Father is a God of Justice, I think He would adhere to His commandments and put to harsh punishment those that murdered, beat, robbed their neighbors. It's important to realize that you cannot have mercy and justice in the same breath. If there are victims, mercy cannot be shown to those that committed the violent act. I believe the Levitical Laws are clear on violent sins like murder and even our current criminal justice system reflect this. What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? The cross is merely a symbol of atonement for entry into Heaven-- Jesus is a sin offering, the lamb of God, that purifies sinners for afterlife. It's not a pardon for sinners while they're still alive, nor is it a representative of how laws are administered. The crucifixion tells believers that all are welcome into the Kingdom, sinners and saints alike. It's not an act that excludes justice from being served on the those that hurt others. While you're alive, you still have to face the consequences for your crimes. The laws are clear-- in Levitical Laws and Man's law. One must comply with the laws as they were written. There is no written law that says the cross pardons sinners from punishment in perpetuity. God the Father does not let the guilty go unpunished. He is a God of Justice and a God of Righteousness. One must understand that the idea of forgiveness is not a law so it would be foolish to go around killing your friends and neighbors just because you believe Jesus' blood will forgive all your sins from punishment. Good news is that through his crucifixion, even if you were put to death for murdering an entire family, you can still get into Heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Edwards Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 Justice is fairness and impartial and fair treatment for all. Vengeance is wrath and reprisal. Mercy is synonymous with clemency and compassion. Rebellion and sin will not go unpunished. Nothing unclean can be brought into heaven. Books of Exodus and Leviticus and Deuteronomy stress the Holiness of God and man's sinfulness. The Levitical sacrifices covered sins but were not gone. Due to the Cross, we have been made righteous. Christ Jesus truly God and truly man and Light from Light became the one final sacrifice for sins. Unlike the Levitical sacrifices our sins are totally blotted out. St Paul preached this message constantly. We are all on level ground at the ✝️ Cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
encounter christ Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 On 2/14/2006 at 9:12 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? justice- the administering of deserved punishment or reward vengeance- punishment inflicted in retaliation for injury or offense mercy- compassionate behavior from someone in power Sin will never go unpunished. The penalty for sin is death which Jesus paid for with His own blood on the cross. This miraculous offering satisfied the wrath of God and the whole world has been given eternal life; whomever chooses to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior while following Him on the narrow road will spend eternity in glory. Those who reject Jesus and choose their own way, unfortunately they have chosen death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bianca Posted December 25, 2022 Report Share Posted December 25, 2022 God is a Holy God. He can't allow sin to go unpunished. Justice is simply God doing what is necessary with dealing with sin. Vengeance is punishment for an injury that had happened and vengeance belongs to God not us. He will decide how to deal with people. Mercy is not giving someone the punishment that they truly deserve. They done wrong but God decides to have mercy on them regardless of the wrong doing. The cross paid for sins fully. Jesus took care of that but it doesn't give us an excuse to keep sinning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dove81 Posted January 23 Report Share Posted January 23 Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Justice is giving someone what they deserve. Vengeance is retaliation for something they did, like revenge. Mercy is giving someone something they don’t deserve, forgiveness. Can a Holy and Righteous God justly forgive sins without punishing them? Yes, Jesus died on the cross taking on all our sin. In order to receive the gift God gave us, His son Jesus, we must repent and turn from our ways. You have to be born again (John 3:3 and John 3:5-7). What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? The cross signifies the sin that Jesus took on for all man kind. Which gives us mercy and grace that we don’t deserve. An God loves us that much that He gives it to us new each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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