Revelation Day 45 - God's Just-ness

DAY 45
God’s Just-ness
Revelation 15:3-4

God’s wrath in Revelation shows us the ugliness of evil and God’s delight for us. The third and final thing it shows us is God’s just-ness. “Just-ness” is a good word (even if I just made it up), because God’s anger at evil shows us two things. 

First, it shows us the justice that God guarantees and eventually delivers. God will finally hold evil accountable. Evil will end. Every wrong will be made right. Every tear wiped away. Death gets no more victims.

Second, this vision also shows us the just-ness, or right-ness, of God. Heaven sings, “True and just are your judgments,” but also sings, “YOU are just in these judgments, O Holy One.” 

Ultimately, we see all three things dovetail together in Jesus Christ. On the cross, we see the ugliness of sin. On the cross, we see God’s distaste for evil. On the cross, we see God’s just-ness. On the cross, Jesus volunteers to soak up all God’s anger at evil so we can be free from sin and be right with God. God offers this freedom to us because he delights in us. One day, God will close this chapter of Earth’s story so that all of creation can benefit from the healing freedom Jesus won on the cross. That healing includes God’s guarantee of justice.

If we have that guarantee of God’s justice, how does that affect how we live today? We’ve already said that we should seek holiness and delight in God, but I think Pastor John would tell us two more things.

First, seek justice. Work for justice, celebrate justice. Little unfairnesses and big wrongs happen every day. Knowing God’s just-ness means we should seek justice today, as much as it can be had. 

Second, don’t be discouraged by unfairness. John’s churches were isolated, shunned, and sometimes killed because they held on to the Way of Jesus. We suffer life’s unfairness, too, often not to that extent. But generations of Christians have held on with hope, undiscouraged, because God guarantees justice.

REFLECT
How does God’s guarantee of justice give you hope?

PRAY
Father, the world is full of unfairness and injustice. But you promise to one day make it all right. Help me hold on to that promise with hope. Don’t let me be discouraged.