Foundations of Faith
THE MORAL ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (II)
Once I had to fly to the West Coast on short notice, resulting in having to pay full fare, about $1,000, for my ticket. I sat next to a man who paid less than $300 for his advance purchase ticket. Was it fair? Yes, because all the different fares, and the conditions attached to each, are public knowledge. The Lord Jesus told a parable about a man who hired laborers early in the morning to work in his vineyard for a penny for the day. As the day progressed, he hired additional laborers, even as late as one hour before quitting time. He then gave each worker a penny, regardless of when they started. Was he fair? Yes, because he gave to each one what he had agreed to give them when he hired them. (If he wanted to give proportionately more to those who started later in the day, that was his privilege as the boss.) God created man with the ability to sin and rebel against Him. But now He condemns to eternal judgment those who continue in that rebellion until they die. Is He fair? Yes, because God has sent His own Son to live a perfect, holy life as a Man upon earth, and then to bear the punishment that rebellious man deserves because of his sin; the free gift of eternal salvation is available to all who will take it.
God is righteous; God is just and fair. He does not play favorites; He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34); it is not possible for anyone to bribe Him or bargain with Him. All of His acts are perfectly consistent with one another. He establishes the rules, the rewards, and the penalties, and no one is unfairly treated when the rewards and penalties are distributed. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). “The Lord is righteous in all His ways” (Psa. 147:17).
Our salvation is closely linked with God’s righteousness. Sometimes I ask people the question, “When you come to God confessing your sins and asking Him to save you, why should He save you?” Often they will answer, “Because of His love,” or “He is merciful,” or “He is a forgiving God.” These are not the correct answers. It is not possible for a holy God simply to turn His head the other way and overlook or pardon our sin. Rather, He is able to show mercy to us and forgive us only because His justice, His righteousness, already has been satisfied. His holy judgment has been fully executed upon our sin through the sufferings and death of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross who “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24).
Was it fair for the sinless Son of God to suffer God’s judgment instead of the sinners themselves? If He had been forced to do so against His will it would indeed have been unfair. But in His infinite love for sinners, He voluntarily, willingly died on the cross in place of the sinner. It was His right and privilege, as God, to do so. As a result of God’s righteousness in dealing with our sins in this way, we who have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation are pronounced righteous, or justified. This means that the entire record of our sins, iniquities, and offences against God and man has been totally erased. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). In view of this pronouncement of righteousness upon those of us who are saved, it surely is worthy of God that we should seek always to live righteously (Rom. 6:12,13), dealing honestly and fairly with everyone, not playing favorites, having no respect of persons (Jas. 2:1-9), rewarding or praising those who do well, and reproving those who do evil (Gal. 6:1; Prov. 17:15).
In Psalm 107 we read of different ways God has helped His people. He has delivered them from the hand of the enemy (107:1-9); delivered them from bondage and prison brought about by their own rebellion (107:10-16); delivered from sickness and death, again brought about by their own foolishness and transgressions (107:17-22); and delivered from persecution (107:23-32). Each type of deliverance called forth the exclamation, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (107:8,15,21,31).
Yes, God is good, and the word “good” in the Bible usually carries with it the special thought of being helpful. Do you remember the story of the “good Samaritan”? This man was characterized as being helpful to the one who had been robbed and beaten. As we can see in Psalm 107, God’s goodness is not limited to those who help themselves. Rather, God seems to take delight in helping–doing good–to people who are totally unable to help themselves. The apostle Paul, through continually depending upon the Lord, learned by experience that his “strength [was] made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
In response to God’s great goodness to us, we are called upon to “do good and to communicate” (Heb. 13:15,16), that is, to share our time, energy, talents, and material goods with others who are in need. Our display of goodness is not to be limited to those who help themselves or to those who are good to us. Rather, Christ urged His disciples, “Do good to those who hate you” (Matt. 5:44).
Running the Race
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE (in View of God’s Moral Attributes)? (II)
Have you ever:
Tripped a runner who was challenging you for the lead in a race?
Underreported your income from tips and miscellaneous sources on your income tax return?
Copied your schoolmate’s homework or his/her answers on an examination?
Not pointed out to your waitress that she totalled your restaurant bill incorrectly–in your favor?
Treated two people differently, simply because they had different skin color? because one was rich and the other poor? because one was smart and the other dumb? or because one was a good athlete and the other was not?
Bought a car from another party and misrepresented the selling price on the title so that you wouldn’t have to pay so much tax?
Found the $20 bill your friend lost and didn’t tell her?
Advertised your car as in good running condition, all the while knowing that the engine was on its “last legs”?
All of the illustrations given above are examples of unrighteous, that is, dishonest, illegal, unfair, or unjust, behavior. Having just given some examples of unrighteous behavior, let us now illustate how goodness added to righteousness is better, and more Christ-like, than righteousness alone.
Suppose a landlord charges fair rental rates, carries out his responsibilities in maintaining the property, and only evicts the tenant who does not keep his part of the contract. Such a landlord would be considered righteous. However, if a tenant cannot pay the rent because he has lost his job, the landlord has the privilege, if he is a good man, of not evicting the tenant and of helping him to find a job.
If I slip on my neighbor’s icy sidewalk and break a leg, I have a legal right to sue him for damages. However, I have the privilege of being an example to him of Christ in doing good to him by not suing him, and further, by helping him in the future to keep his sidewalks shoveled.
If my friend has lost the $20 her mother gave her to buy groceries and I happen to find it and return it to her, I am righteous. However, suppose I help her look for it, and we don’t find it, and I know that her mother will beat her when she returns home empty-handed. If I give her $20 out of my own pocket, I am showing goodness to my friend.
If I am trying to sell my car, and I freely tell the potential buyers what things may need fixing, I am righteous. However, if in addition to that, I lower the price to help a poor fellow who desperately needs a car to get to his job, I am showing goodness.
Assignment 28: The following is a review quiz based on the 1993 issues.
1. (Jan.) Write out two verses in Proverbs, one that speaks of the results of refusing reproof, and one that speaks of the results of receiving reproof.
2. (Feb.) Write out (a) a verse in the Old Testament that gives a prophecy concerning Christ and (b) a verse in the New Testament that gives the fulfillment of that prophecy.
3. (Mar.) What three kinds of details are found in the Bible that identify it as a book of history?
4. (Feb.-Jun.) What piece of advice you have learned (either from GROWING or from some other source) about the best way to study the Bible.
5. (May) Write out a verse that shows that the Bible teaches that the earth is a sphere and not flat.
6. (Jun.) Write out at least one verse that identifies the author of the Scriptures.
7. (Jul.) Write out two verses that show that God is a Person, that is, a rational being with personality, intellect, emotion, and will.
8. (Aug.) Write out a verse that tells how long God has existed.
9. (Aug.-Oct.) Which of God’s divine attributes is illustrated in (a) Psa. 139:1-6? (b) Psa. 139:7-12? (c) Rom. 9:20?
10. (Oct.) What attributes of God are mentioned or implied in Psalm 104? (Give a verse to support each attribute you list.)
11. (Nov.) Rom. 12:1 speaks of how we should present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Write out a part of a verse elsewhere in this chapter that exhorts the believer to behave in a holy way (though without referring to the words “holy” or “holiness).
12. (Dec.) Can you think of an incident in your life that illustrates someone being righteous but not good?