As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.
Around 250 AD, the Plague of Cyprian ravaged the Roman Empire. While pagans fled for their lives from sick friends and relatives, Christians responded differently. According to Dionysius of Alexandria, Christians “showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of the danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ.” In fact, “many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead.”
Nothing about this is “fair” for those who lost their lives in place of others, but it is loving. Christ’s justice is loving. For those of us who follow this Savior, we surrender what is “fair” for us in order to show love to those in need.
What is Justice?
When young, justice is a simple concept. If my sister gets a piece of candy before dinner, then I should get one also. If I have to share my toys with a friend, my friend should share toys with me. If my friend breaks my toy, I would expect an apology and the toy to be replaced. We have a sense of justice even as children, however simple, that the world should operate a certain way.
For adults, justice is a deceptively complex concept. Philosophers have pondered the nature of justice for centuries. Justice is also a broad concept. It is a legal matter for courts and a moral matter for every person conducting their lives among others. People quickly become angry when they think, rightly or wrongly, that they have been treated unjustly. Then there are different kinds of justice. There is distributive justice, retributive justice, and restorative justice.
Justice is also a theological matter. God is just (Deut. 32:4; Isaiah 30:18; Rev. 15:3). Also, the Bible calls us to be just in our dealings with others (Lev. 19:36; Deut. 16:20; Is. 1:16; Micah 6:8; Matt. 23:23).
Justice is therefore a critical concept for Christians. Since justice is important to the God we love with our whole heart, it is important to us also.
But the Bible has a way of shattering all the notions of justice I have ever held.
The Bible’s Justice
Jesus’ parables paint different pictures of what God’s justice is really about. Consider the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16), where a caring landowner goes out to hire more workers again and again. This is obviously because he cares about the people looking for work so they can feed themselves and their families. In the end he gives the same pay to all the workers so that everyone will have money to feed their families. Some are given a day’s wage for a day’s work while others are getting a day’s wage for one hour of work. Those who worked the whole day complained. The act isn’t fair, but the principle is compassion for the less fortunate.
Other parables make justice murkier. The Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30; and the similar parable of minas in Luke 19:11-27) has the master giving 5 talents to one servant, 2 to another, and just 1 to a third. Then, when the servant with the 1 talent fails and the talent is taken from him, it is given to the first servant who now has 10 talents. Plenty of difficulties arise with this parable. It certainly does not seem just or fair to give 5 to one and 1 to another. But then to give the one talent taken and give it to the one with 10 talents?
Then one time reading Romans 3, my notion of justice completely shattered.
Romans 3:25-26: God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Notably, the NIV 1984 translation (above) is one of the only translations that shows the redundancy of “justice” in the Greek text. The word for "justice" and "righteousness" is the same in Greek so most translations will say God presented Christ to “demonstrate his righteousness” then shift to “just” and “justifies” in verse 26. But Romans 3:25-26 uses the same root word for justice four times here in these verses to describe the cross. The beating of a dead horse reinforces the dilemma all the more.
The Knockout Blow
Christ on the cross is justice.
This is a knockout blow to every idea of justice I have ever had.
Jesus’ death on the cross was the atonement or propitiation for sins. Christ crucified was not an empty exercise to inspire us. Jesus on the cross was the heavenly gavel slamming down an eternal “not guilty” verdict for all who belong to him by faith. God's justice was done. Accomplished. Finished. Sins erased from the record forever. A startling joy for all believers everywhere, but what sort of justice is this? The sinless dying for sinners? The Creator dying for the creature? The immortal dying for mortals? The infinite dying for the finite?
The sinless Son of God becoming mortal, walking our accursed sinful ground (Gen. 3:17) for 30-some years, dying a sinner’s death that was reserved for the most despised of all people, based on trumped-up charges in an unlawful court, rejected in favor of a notorious murderer, subjected to a death of maximized pain for the longest amount of time, all while being cursed and degraded on public display.
Everything about this seems wrong. This is the most unfair exchange ever. Nothing about Jesus dying for my sins is fair. I deserve punishment for my own wrongs. My sins are a gross offense against divine majesty and cry out to heaven for justice. I deserve the cross, dying in utter shame and disgrace. His holiness deserves eternal praise and honor. He not only deserves to live but deserves endless respect and reverence for all he is. Yet he received what I deserve, and I receive what he deserved. Nothing about this is fair—and this is God's justice.
More baffling is that Jesus, the champion of justice (Matt. 12:20), made no attempt at all to bring justice for himself as the most innocent person to walk the earth. Jesus said nothing in his defense. He surprised even the governor with his silence (Matt. 27:12-14; Mark 5:3-5).
Every human being, born into sin and perpetrators of sin, must echo the words of the second thief on the cross: “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41).
Every sense of justice within tells me Christ on the cross is wrong, but the God of justice ordained this plan for the Son of God to take my place. The Christ of justice willingly went forward with this plan, not resisting arrest, staying silent when falsely accused, not even speaking in defense of his own innocence.
God of Grace
The mystifying nature of God’s justice is because God is more than just. The God of justice is also the God of grace. God’s attributes do not cancel out the other but always go together as two sides of one coin.
Christ on the cross was full payment for sin. “God's justice demands that human nature, which has sinned, must pay for its sin” (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 16). Of course, a sinner could not pay for another sinner, so Christ was fully righteous. Being fully divine, he could bear the infinite weight of sin. Thus, the sins of all believers were atoned, covered, paid, conquered.
The cross is unfair because God is also gracious. Grace, by definition, is unfair. Grace is undeserved merit, receiving what is not earned. The master who hired workers in the vineyard asked the complaining workers, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matt. 20:15)
God’s grace is “lavished” in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:8). Why give the reclaimed talent to the one who already has 10? Because God’s grace is exceedingly generous.
Christ crucified is not fair because God is not only just but also gracious and merciful. God’s grace means a radically unfair measure of favor and kindness in our direction. Christ’s death means sins are paid for. Justice is done. Christ’s death is also an overwhelming act of love and grace toward us as his people. In the cross, God’s love and grace meet his justice and judgment. It is the perfect solution to fulfill all divine attributes.