“GOD—RIGHTEOUS AND JUST IS HE”

Of God, Moses said: “…all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4). When God informed Abraham of the judgment purposed for Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham replied, “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25). God did indeed act justly, punishing only the guilty. Such righteousness was even recognized by wicked monarchs such as Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:37). 

There are many times wherein God demonstrated that He was just and righteous in how He dealt with humanity. God was not merely consistent in His dealings, He always acted in accordance with His word whereby He forewarned of His intentions. His word was the basis for His actions. Never once did God act contrary to His word. In this we also have proof that God was just and righteous.

When God purposed to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, God revealed His intentions beforehand to Abraham (Genesis 18:17). Examples of God forewarning abound. We find it in the pre-flood warnings given to Noah (Genesis 6:13, 17). Noah was shown mercy and favor from God because God was just and righteous. God never once said that He would punish an obedient person. As Abraham, Moses, and Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged, God never once punished the righteous with the wicked. God spoke to Noah words of salvation that Noah and his family might be saved from the impending destruction upon the world of the ungodly (Genesis 6:14-16, 18-21). Noah, by faith, obeyed those words (Genesis 6:22; Hebrews 11:7). 

Who would dare accuse God of giving Noah commands that were impossible to understand? Why give Noah any words if those words could not be understood? God spoke His will to man solely in order that man might know and follow His will. When it comes to the revelation of His will to us in the Bible, consider this: How fair and just would GOD be to place my salvation upon that which is written and then give me that which is written (the Bible) knowing all the while that I could not understand it?

The apostle Paul affirmed that the things God revealed to Him could be understood. Speaking of himself and of the other apostles in Ephesians 1:9-10, Paul said, “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.” Could the apostles understand this great plan of God? Certainly so! Paul then says in Ephesians 3:3-4, “that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.  By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ…”. Here Paul speaks of his own insight and of how those to whom he wrote could understand. 

Paul speaks further of the just-ness and righteousness of God in declaring that it was God’s desire for man to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Truth, of course, is contained in God’s revelation to man.

In view of this would God have revealed His will in such a way that it was impossible to comprehend?

What are your thoughts about this matter? Do you believe that the Bible CANNOT be understood, or do you believe it CAN? We can agree on what is written. That brings us to another matter which needs addressed. If we can understand and agree, why is there so much disagreement surrounding what the Bible teaches?

The disagreement is not in reference to the teachings in the Bible, but over matters that are not taught or found in the Bible. We can agree on what is written, but we disagree when we focus on what the Bible does NOT say. Here are two examples:

1. Exodus 3:1-3. GOD spoke to Moses out of a ‘bush that burned with fire’. We know it was a ‘burning bush’, and there is no reason for anything but unity on what is revealed. Anything beyond that will be speculation and opinion. Speculations are to be avoided, as they promote division (1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:14, 23; Titus 3:9).

2. John 8:1-8. This scripture explicitly states that Jesus “wrote on the ground”. What did He write? We do not know because the Bible does not say. On this we can all be united. Unity comes from ‘that which is written’. We will never agree on that which is NOT written. That which IS written is the standard for unity. Let us put our faith in it alone (Romans 10:17). Let us not make, nor use such careless statements as to the capability of understanding God’s word as an excuse to NOT put forth the effort to TRY.

9/12/21