LOVE AND JUSTICE

What would love look like without Justice? A situation filled with injustice does not sound like love. And it isn't love.

unjust laws, false scales, and injustice and oppression of the vulnerable, betrayal, false witness, that's injustice. God is just, patient, loving, forgiving, merciful, looking out for our eternal wellbeing.
There will be no injustice in heaven.

We talk a lot about God's justice, debating what that means. God is love and God is just. It's part of His very character.
But are we looking at all the injustice in our hearts?

What's the difference in being "just" and being "honest" in our dealings with others?

When God calls us to do justly, what does that mean?
(Micah 6:8)

How would you expect a just and loving man to act in troublous situations?

So what do we picture a "just" God to be like?

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Love, real, principled, genuine LOVE, is the gift of God in righteousness.
God is love with perfect holiness -- Godly love encompasses honesty, unselfishness, goodness, kindness, peace, joy, faith and hope. This is all part of the gift God offers to all Who come to Him and make Him the center of their lives.

This alone will bring a realm where there is no more pain, no more sorrow, no more sickness or death.
NO MORE EVIL.




People may rationalize evil as being "good". But evil, is evil. Evil is the enemy of honesty, unselfishness, goodness, kindness, peace, joy, and hope. Evil is the author of misery, deceit, selfishness, pain, sadness, sickness, hatred, meanness, cruelty, hopelessness, and death. Evil is just plain BAD. Evil is not love, the two are incompatible, and the only way to find true goodness and true love, is to turn away from all evil and come to the ONE Who is Love.

Turn to Jesus, for He is Life and Light, and Love.

Love Lifted Me
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more;
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me,
Now safe am I.

Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!

All my heart to Him I give,
Ever to Him I'll cling,
In His blessed presence live,
Ever His praises sing.
Love so mighty and so true
Merits my soul's best songs;
Faithful, loving service, too,
To Him belongs.


Souls in danger, look above,
Jesus completely saves;
He will lift you by His love...

Out of the waves of evil
Into His kingdom of love

We asked, at the beginning of this quarter, "what is love"?

Again, that is an important question, for our understanding of love, can change the whole meaning in the lessons we are studying.

Trying to channel everything about God in the "HIS LOVE" concept, can be good in that God is LOVE and everything He does is motivated by love.
Yet, we must understand that God's love is not just a warm, tender feeling towards someone, even though He does have warm, tender feelings toward us. God's love is "tough love", and sometimes can even appear to be cruel. Yet God's love encompasses far more than just a feeling towards us, it is a very active love, with a very definite plan for me. But not just for me, it's for the whole universe, Even though each person, individually is precious to God.

The question. "Why does a God of love allow so much evil and suffering?"


We can look at the question from a focus on "me". God is shaping my life to fit into the kingdom of glory. He wants me to depend fully on Him in spite of everything around me, good or bad. He wants me to get a glimpse of the battle between the concepts that, "total freedom is to live outside of God's law" and "real freedom and happiness is living with Christ within His law".

Somehow, people just have a hard time comprehending the horrific evil of evil. In it's early stages it often doesn't seem that bad, in fact it may even feel exciting and good. But in the end, evil always hurts us, hurts those around us, and the ripple effects hurt and damages millions who may not even be guilty of that particular sin. To comprehend the horrendous truth as to what constitutes evil, it's indisputatble evil
And often we don't understand the peace that passes understanding which only God can give us. A peace we can have, even when the world is falling all around us. But we may never experience it, unless we reach a point where we desperate need that peace and find it with Jesus.


On broader scale.

We find that God's plan is much greater, it is to forever free the universe of sin!
Bible talks of thousands upon thousand and ten thousand beings out there.
They witnessed the most powerful, smartest, created being (one who was highly trusted in the heavenly courts) launch a case against the Almighty God of all Creation!
Even though 2/3 dismissed his case, yet the questions had been introduced into their minds.

As long as there are still questions in the minds concerning this topic, sin will present itself again.
But the cross, and the thundering evidence of the depths evil drags people to,
will fore ever make sin totally abhorrent to all in God's kingdom. And then God's true love will reign, from God and from the hearts of the redeemed and the angelic hosts.

This weeks lesson deals with an age old point of controversy. Yet, it is an integral part in understanding some of the deepest questions in our lives.

Why is there so much evil in the world if God is an all powerful God of Love?
That question blames evil on God, instead of recognizing that sin has evil consequences.

If God is all knowing and all powerful, if He knows the end from the beginning and everything in-between, how can we have free will? Don't we just have to follow the script as he already knows what we will do and where we are heading?
Throw in a misunderstanding of predestination, as in God determines who is saved and lost before you are even born and the holy Spirit is commissioned to save those predestined to be saved, and leave in sin, those predestined to be lost?

In all those questions there is a lack of understanding that God gave mankind "free will".

Let's take Judas, and see if we can find some answers to those questions.

Judas was one of Jesus' twelve closest followers. One of the disciples.
Jesus accepted him into his inner circle -- why? He knew Judas would betray Him.

Were those lessons unheeded because God had chosen Judas to be the betrayer and he couldn't do anything about it? No! Jesus was appealing to his heart and mind to be an "overcomer" not a "betrayer".
At the last supper Jesus longed to reach Judas and turn him away from his evil course:

God's for knowledge did not make Judas betray Christ. God also saw a different path that Judas could have taken. Judas made his own choice. He had free choice.
And by making the wrong choice, the night of evil fell upon him.