"I am trusting to the justice of God," said a dying woman in answer to a question put to her by one who had come to visit her. "To the justice of God!" replied the surprised visitor, "had you said to His mercy I could have understood you, but you are trusting to that which condemns you because of your sins!"
"I say what I mean," responded the woman, "and, though I am a sinner, yet the justice of God is the ground of my hopes of heaven; for I read in Rom. 3:2626To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:26), that God is just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. " For a criminal evidentially and confessedly guilty, to throw himself on the justice of the court before which he is arraigned, would clearly be to run into the arms of judgment. Justice demands his punishment. To trust to justice, in such a case, would be folly in the extreme. But not so, my dear reader, in the case which we are now considering.
True, God is holy-so much so that, in His presence, the very angels veil their faces-and yet this woman, about to appear before Him, and a sinner on her own acknowledgment, was not wrong in trusting to the justice of God for her salvation. But how comes this? How can one who "pleads guilty" reckon upon acquittal when he throws himself on the justice of God?
This is an important and most interesting question. Let us look carefully and prayerfully into it. I have quoted Rom. 3:2626To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:26); for that verse is the result of the argument in the preceding passage. But let us examine the context. There are three points worthy of notice. First, "now the righteousness of God is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ."
Second, that "there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;" and third, that this righteousness of God "is unto all, and upon all them that believe."
Now, inasmuch as all have sinned, it is evident that no one has any righteousness, any justifying, merit of his own. But we find that the righteousness of God is manifested; and not only so, but that whilst it is unto all, it is upon all that believe. That is, when man had no righteousness before God, God had righteousness for man, for all men; and those who received it were those who believed. The righteousness of God is "upon him who believes." In other words, the man who believes from amongst the all who had sinned, is justified.
But here comes our question, " How can a holy God maintain His holiness and yet justify a „sinner?" In this way-and oh, that the living luster of the verse may shine before our adoring hearts-" being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood." Yes dear reader, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the work of Christ on the cross, furnishes the answer. There Christ as substitute bore judgment and underwent the wrath, drinking, to the very dregs, that bitter, bitter cup. " He took the guilty culprit's place, and suffered in his -stead. For man, oh! miracle of grace! For man the Savior bled." And what then? The sword of divine justice, which had fallen on the willing victim, now returned to its sheath satisfied, and the same God who, in mercy, sent His only begotten Son that we might live through Him, now, on the ground of that wondrous and perfect work, justifies freely by His grace. Nothing stands in the way for the outflow of His heart of love. His grace is the source, the work of Christ on the cross the ground, and a free justification for the sinner the precious consequence-and this, observe, on the thorough maintenance of the character of God.
I remember, so many years ago, some one telling me that when she thought of the justice of God she was troubled. But she was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. We were standing outside her house. I said, "if the door of your house were locked so that we could not enter, we should be exposed, by our position, to any storm that might come-but, supposing we were inside the house, then the massive walls which had been the barrier against our security in our former position, would now be our safeguard and shelter from the storm; and so with the justice of God-so long as a man lives in sin and unbelief he is exposed to wrath, but when, through grace, he believes, then the justice of God is on his side." The illustration was, I believe, useful to her.
Oh! how deep the significance of the word-" It is God that justifieth." How amazing that our holy, sin-hating God should interpose as a justifier! How infinitely precious is the redemption in Christ Jesus, which has put God in that position that He may be "just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."
" Our holy God did hide His face,
Oh! Christ, 'twas hid from Thee,, „
Thick darkness veiled Thy soul a space,.
The darkness due to me;
But now that face of radiant grace
Shines forth in light on me. J. w. s.