Just Love

There is a mutual hatred between God and man after the fall into sin (Gen 3). The natural man is a hater of God (Rom 1:30); and God hates those who do iniquity (Ps 5:5; 7:11; 11:5). If it were not the eternal good pleasure of God to reconcile some of His enemies (Rom 5:10), they would suffer His just judgment and eternal punishment in fiery hell (Mt 5:22; 18:9; 25:46; Jude 1:7).

False teachers promote God’s universal love for all people. They preach a universal atonement, wrongly teaching that Christ, in love, died for all people everywhere. As a result, some false teachers claim all people are saved; while other false teachers concoct a false way for man to decide for himself whether he wants to be saved or not.

In truth, we must establish the natural state of humanity (total depravity). After the fall of man into sin, man’s nature is sin (Eph 2:3). Sin and death reign in the flesh of men (Rom 5:4, 17, 21). Sin is lord over man’s mind, heart, and will. Man is a slave of sin (Rom 6:6, 16–17).

The knowledge of sin comes to man by the Law of God (Rom 3:20). Men cast the Law of God behind their backs (Neh 9:26). They kill prophets and preachers who have made God’s Law known to them. In this, the Law accelerates and intensifies transgressions. The heart of man is only inclined to evil, continually (Gen 6:5).

The Bible also informs us of God’s salvation of a chosen people that He predestined to election, before the foundation of the world (Rom 8:30; 11:5; Eph 1:4–5; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 2:9). God is just; therefore, transgressing His Law must be punished for justice to be maintained (Dt 32:4; Is 30:18).

How then can a man be just before God (Job 25:4)? Paul answers, “Doers of the Law will be justified (Rom 2:13),” but no one does good, not even one (Rom 3:10–12). Therefore, we must conclude that God is the one who justifies (Rom 8:33). How does He accomplish this?

For the enemies of God to be reconciled, God must remain just while being the justifier of ungodly sinners (Rom 3:26; 1 Pet 3:18). God is immutable. His love is unchanging (Mic 7:18), and so is the unchangeableness of His eternal purpose (Eph 3:11; Heb 6:17). In the kind intention of His sovereign will, God configured the way for Him to love His own, while justly prosecuting them for their sins.

Here is the way of just love. Christ died for the ungodly (Rom 5:6), the just for the unjust (1 Pet 3:18). He died once, for all the sins of all His people (Rom 6:10; Heb 7:27; 9:12; 10:10). The death of God’s Son was a substitutionary sacrifice of Himself, as the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world (Rev 5:6. 12; 13:8). God made a covenant with Himself, and He kept the covenant by Himself (unilateral, unconditional).

The unblemished Lamb of God has taken away the sins of His beloved bride (Jn 1:29; Rom 11:27; Eph 5:25; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 3:5), by shedding His precious blood on Calvary’s tree (1 Pet 1:19). Because His death was efficient, He cancelled our debt of sin (Col 2:14). Our sins were imputed to Him. They were then punished in His body on the cross. Forgiveness was granted (Mt 26:28; Eph 1:7), by God, to all for whom Christ died (1 Jn 2:12). He died to save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21). He gave Himself over to death, even death on a cross for His beloved bride, His church (Eph 5:25; Phil 2:8).

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, in a demonstration of his love for those whom the Father gave to Him in love (Jn 6:37; 17:2, 6, 24; Rom 5:8; Eph 1:4). The transformation of a sinner into a saint, an enemy into an obedient child, could only be done by God, the Author of our salvation (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Heb 12:2; Rev 19:1).

Here is the pristine display of true love (Jn 15:13). The helpless, unjust, ungodly sinner has been sprinkled by His blood (Heb 12:24; 1 Pet 1:2). The wrath of God has been propitiated (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). The enemy has been reconciled with imputed righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). The convert has been made right with God. His status is permanently in Christ (Jn 10:28–29; Rom 8:31–35), who never changes (Heb 13:8).

The plan of salvation has never changed. God has decreed to show mercy to whom He wills to show mercy (Rom 9:15). He has made His people to be vessels of mercy, preparing them for glory (Rom 9:23). Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us His Spirit as a pledge (2 Cor 5:5).

Now all of these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ (2 Cor 5:18), for God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (Jn 3:16).

With justice satisfied by the redemptive death of Christ Jesus, true love is manifested from the Father (Eph 1:4–5; 1 Jn 3:1), from the Son (1 Jn 3:16; Eph 5:25), and we know this love because the Spirit has poured out God’s love in our hearts (Rom 5:5). We are saved (Titus 3:5), and we have His life indwelling us (Jn 14:17; Rom 5:10; 8:9, 11; Gal 4:6; 2 Tim 1:14; 1 Jn 5:12).

God has done all of this to show that His justice and His love operate together, to facilitate the reconciliation of enemies He has made to be His children (1 Jn 3:10; 4:19). See how great a love God has for us (1 Jn 3:1)? See what a price was paid to satisfy justice (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23)? This is not just love…it is love that is just.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

April 28, 2022