Then he passed in front of Moses, calling out, “The Lord, the Lord, a compassionate and merciful God, patient, always faithful and ready to forgive. He continues to show his love to thousands of generations, forgiving wrongdoing, disobedience, and sin. He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children and grandchildren for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6–7 GW

• Justice refers the

of God.

• How can God be holy, merciful, gracious, loving, and

?

Justice in the Old Testament

When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land. Leviticus 16:20–22 NLT

• This is called the

Justice in the New Testament

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Romans 3:23–25 NLT

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NLT

And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 1 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that he made of his own body once and for all. Hebrews 10:10 GNT

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 ESV

God’s

are satisfied in the

Reveal Answer

of his Son, Jesus.

The Personal Benefits of God’s Justice

1) God’s justice makes me

to God

Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1 GW

Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words! 2 Corinthians 9:15 CEV

2) God’s justice makes me

before God

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8–10 NLT

3) God’s justice makes me willing to

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 NLT

Memory Verse

But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. 1 John 1:9 CEB

Next Steps

• I will demonstrate my gratitude to God for all He’s done for me by volunteering to serve.
• I will grow in my relationship with God by registering for the next Base below.

My Notes