JUSTICE AND MERCY!
The sacrifice of Christ unites all the attributes of God together for a believer’s interest. The flames of justice focus on Christ so that the streams of mercy might flow down to us. Rivers of mercy do not quench the flames of justice nor the flames of justice suck up the rivers of mercy. As the sacrificing of Christ is a vengeance against sin, it is an act of justice; as it is the means of remission of sins, it is an act of mercy. Both justice and mercy join hands to lift the fallen creature up. God is just in being merciful and merciful in being just so we well may cry aloud with the Psalmist, “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous” (Psalm 116:5).
Justice
struck Christ, the sacrifice, that the streams of mercy might be
fully released to sinners. Compassion helped justice to a
satisfaction more honorable than could have been had from creatures
for it was fully satisfied in punishing Christ for our sins; and
justice helped mercy to a fuller and more illustrious exercise of
itself than ever it could have had without it. From being an
adversary against the sinner, justice has now become an advocate for
the sinner. God must be unjust if He be not merciful to every sinner
in whose stead Christ tasted death. Since our High Priest has been
faithful to God, God will not be unfaithful to Him nor to those for
whom He offered up Himself. Happy must he be that has both mercy
supplicating for him and justice pleading for him.
-copied
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