Not Against But Have to Ask this One

[edward]

If God is Just Love and Not Justice too

Are we only acknowledging one side of what exists, and dismissing what is a possibility?

[martincisneros]

Are you assuming that eternal punishment is just for some things?  It would be a violation of each and every law and legal precident in the Scriptures, properly translated and rightly divided.  Father never eternally punished in the Old Testament, and even spoke of some being doubly recompensed for all of their sins which would be impossible if every sin required an infinitude of punishment.  Infinite deeds requiring infinite punishments are not possible for finite beings.

[autoimmune]

If God is Just Love and Not Justice too

Are we only acknowledging one side of what exists, and dismissing what is a possibility?

My signature says: "Mercy without justice is permissiveness--which harms us as surely as punishment without mercy."  Neither yields Love, Edward.

Justice executed through Mercy is Love.

The assumption in your question is that Love and Justice are unrelated, or opposites in some way; that God can offer us one or the other, but not both. Many Christians cannot see the part mercy plays in uniting the two, so they fail to understand what Jesus meant when He said God desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Because of that underlying human assumption that Love and Justice are mutually exclusive, people minimalize the truth about justice and love on both sides. One side preaches others will suffer torment and thinks it's justice (without recourse to God's mercy). The other side wants everything to "mercifully" be easy in the end (without recourse to the concept of justice).

Both are needed for Love to operate. Since God is Love, His Justice cannot exist without Mercy.

Pax,
Mary Ellen

[willieH]

willieH: Hi Edward... :hithere:

:welcome: to Tentmaker!  :cloud9:

If God is Just Love and Not Justice too

Are we only acknowledging one side of what exists, and dismissing what is a possibility?

GOD is Working ALL THINGS Edward... and within that WORK, the transpiring and responsibility for EVIL in TIME... is found IN His JUSTICE...

If GOD decides to forgive everyone... without beating them with a hammer for a thousand years, are we gonna hold a protest?

And because MARY ELLEN says:

My signature says: "Mercy without justice is permissiveness--which harms us as surely as punishment without mercy."  Neither yields Love, Edward.

Is her NATURAL eyes viewing SPIRITUAL JUSTICE...  :dontknow:

NATURAL JUSTICE demands AN EYE for an EYE... (Mt 5:38)

SPIRITUAL JUSTICE demands FORGIVENESS (Mk 11:26)

GOD's "JUSTICE" is JESUS CHRIST, tasting DEATH for EVERY MAN (Heb 2:9)

LOVE does not look for recompense... It seeks to FORGIVE, and RECONCILE...

Rather, it sought to conquer DEATH by power of LIFE... JESUS said:  I am the way the truth and the LIFE...

pEace...
...willieH   :pointlaugh:

[auggybendoggy]

Willie,
Well said bro.  I stand applauding.

God's love and justice are not in opposition.  Mercy triumphs over judgement does not mean the two are totally exclusive.  Mercy (forgiveness) is Gods way of dealing with people who deserve punishment.  But it does not logicall follow that judgement then has to be from hatred. 

God can judge and punish in love as we parents do with our own children.  It keeps us safe and though it may feel ugly to the child, it's for their own protection....LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS.

Aug

[LCDuplatt]

Justice?  Then that would make God a Judge, would it not?  I do not see it this way at all.

Let's look at a parable that talks about "the judge" in Matthew Matthew 5:25-26...

"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him: least at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.  Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

This parable deals with unforgiveness toward others.  What's important to understand is who the adversary and judge are, and that is "us."  We are our own adversary, making our conscience into the judge.  When we think and react contrary to truth, we become an adversary to ourselves and thus create our own turmoil.  This creates fear and especially guilt within us.  No one better heaps condemnation and guilt upon a person other than their own self.  This thought process produces the self-created emotional prison spoken of in this parable, and it is created when we wrong others.  We wrong others, because we see them as separate from us and are unable to comprehend to harm another is to harm one's own.  Sooner or later we all must face what may seem forgotten or buried deep within us - and that is all fear-based thinking.  Condemnation, guilt, doubt, worry and even hope are all forms of fear.  When we are able to see our mistaken thinking, we can then forgive ourselves and move on, leaving fear behind.  Mistaken thinking is what Christians call "sin."  Sin means to "err, miss the mark, make a mistake."  A mistake is something that is correctable, not something to receive eternal condemnation from!  We truly need to learn to forgive ourselves... ;c)