Friday: Further Thought – God’s Love of Justice
Daily Lesson for Friday 7th of February 2025
Read Ellen G. White, “God’s Love for Man,” Pages 9–15, in Steps to Christ.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“The word of God reveals His character. He Himself has declared His infinite love and pity. When Moses prayed, ‘Show me Thy glory,’ the Lord answered, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee.’ Exodus 33:18-19. This is His glory. The Lord passed before Moses, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.’ Exodus 34:6-7. He is ‘slow to anger, and of great kindness,’ ‘because He delighteth in mercy.’ Jonah 4:2; Micah 7:18.
“God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. Through the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly represent His love. Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,—one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, Pages 10, 11.
Discussion Questions
|
(10)
Reading the question on Friday's submission:
"Have you ever questioned God’s goodness? Do you know anyone who has questioned God’s goodness because of the way those who claim to follow God sometimes act, or simply because of all the evil in the world? How did you work through that question for yourself, and how might you be able to help someone struggling with the question of God’s goodness?"
Losing my son(Derrick Annan)in 2014 was a heart-wrenching experience that forced me to confront some of the most difficult questions about God’s goodness. In the midst of the grief, there were moments when I found myself questioning how a good God could allow such pain. Watching the world move forward while I felt stuck in a place of loss made it hard to reconcile the idea of God’s goodness with the reality of the hurt I was experiencing. I struggled with the seeming unfairness of it all, wondering how I could continue to trust in a God who allowed such deep sorrow to touch my life.
However, through the pain, I found that God’s goodness wasn’t always visible in the moment of suffering. It became clearer to me that God's goodness isn’t defined by the absence of pain or evil in the world, but by His presence with us in those moments. Over time, I learned to lean on His promises, even when I couldn’t see the full picture. The comfort that came from knowing He was near, even in my darkest moments, became a testament to His goodness.
For anyone struggling with this question, especially those facing deep loss or pain, I would encourage them to allow themselves the space to grieve and question, but also to remember that God’s goodness is not bound by our understanding of the moment. I found comfort in the fact that even in loss, there can be an unshakable peace that comes from knowing God is still with us, walking alongside us in our pain. It’s a journey, one that doesn’t always make sense right away, but in time, I’ve come to see that God's goodness is far deeper than the surface of life’s struggles.
Amen Josiah! I'm sorry for your loss but grateful for your testimony. God is fully acquainted with your grief, He lost a Son too.
“There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still”-- Corrie ten Boom.
Many years ago (1992 actually - just to show that my brain still works some of the time) Carmel and I did the big European trip. We visited friends in Switzerland, England and did the usual crowd-tourist bus tour through 13 countries in about as many days. We visited many of the great cathedrals; Notre-Dame, St Peters, St Pauls, St Marks, as well as a lot of smaller Baroque churches with their ornate architecture. Some of them were very impressive. When you look at a Gothic Cathedral with its flying buttresses you have to marvel at the the design and engineering that went into these buildings in the days before computers, and even standard measurements.
These buildings were built ostensibly for the glory of God. Today, they are no longer filled with worshipers. Tourists with their cameras and phones fill the aisles, capturing the sweep of an arch or the colour of a stained glass window. Even in St Peters, on Sunday, the nave echoed with the hum of a thousand tourists as they "Oohed and Aahed!" at the extravagance of marble and gold surrounding them. Built for the glory of God but now just another tick for the tourists in hundreds of buses as they rush from one city to the next.
In an age when the glory of God is fading and being defaced by self-centeredness, commercialism and willful ignorance, where does one look to see that glory? Fine buildings? Well-defined doctrines? Beautiful music?
The enigma of Christianity is that the glory of God and his sense of justice is found in God dying, rejected by those who claimed they knew him best. Where does one look to see God in 2025?
How can we relate to a Christian keeping Gods commandments, loving God, helping humanity but never goes to church?
I believe that going to church is important but for one reason or another some people don't or cannot go to church. I have a close family member who suffers from social anxiety. Church going for him is akin to torture. It is not a matter of changing him but rather ensuring that I include him in our Sabbath as often as we can.
I also live in a community where there are many ex-Adventists, They believe and live an Adventist lifestlye but they have a disagreement with policy doctrinal position or have had family breakups and feel uncomfortable with Church attendance. Many of them were my friends. They are still my friends and whenever the opportunity arises I connect with them in shared activities and interests.
I am mindeful that the time will come when I will no longer be able to attend church. I hope I can put it off for a while longer but I notice that a lot of my older friends don't attend church because they are old and infirm. I hope that when that happens to me someone will bring the affirmation of social contact on Sabbath to me.
Similarly: How can we relate to one who attends every church occasion; but, does not demonstrate love for God, His word or fellow members?
Love them, for we see only one side of the coin. “And they know we are Christians by our love.”
“God’s Love of Justice” — what a profound statement! It reveals that nothing is more important to God than for Justice and Righteousness to be established and maintained in His Creation.
I recently asked AI, "Are justice and righteousness the same?" If you allow, I would like to share the response, as it may help when discussing God's love for Justice with someone unfamiliar with these concepts.
AI: "While closely related, justice and righteousness are not exactly the same. Justice typically refers to fairness and equitable treatment in society, while righteousness emphasizes personal moral uprightness and adherence to ethical principles, often with a stronger spiritual connotation. Essentially, justice is about acting fairly in social situations, while righteousness is about being morally good on a personal level."
To know this distinction is essential because it highlights God’s character — His Goodness and Mercy. When Moses asked to see God's Glory, God replied by 'letting all His Goodness pass before him.' Ex.34:6-7 declares: ‘The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. His Goodness is contained in Justice and Righeousness through Mercy.
It is essential to recognize Justice, Goodness and Mercy as reflections of God, as it was He that revealed them to Moses when asked to show His Glory - qualities we should strive to express in our lives and interactions with others. Ultimately, God asks only that we love Him with all our being. When we do, His Righteousness and Justice – Mercy and Grace - will manifest in our lives.
That God loves justice is a source of tremendous comfort.
Dear God,
Thank You for Your abundant mercy towards me. Please grant me the grace to be loving and forgiving to those who have treated me unjustly. May Mercy and truth characterize my dealings with all whom I encounter; for You have promised: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Praise the name of our faithful and true Way-Maker and Lord, who has done [continues to do] wonderful things! (Isaiah 25:1)
Forever grateful,
Rosamund
I couldn’t find the appropriate topic.
It is apparent that we, SDAs, have concluded that what God was trying to convey to Israel in this clear statement addressed to Israel -“I have loved you…was not Esau/Edom Jacob’s brother (twins)? Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau…”— was that He actually loved Esau equally or a little less or just less.
God’s testimony about that love of Esau was this: “…I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the LORD of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.” Your eyes will see this and you will say, “The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!”(Mal 1 1:3-5)
Later under the Spirit’s inspiration the letter to the Hebrews declared, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a meal… when he desired to inherit the blessing he was rejected for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”(Heb 12:15-17)
It matters what God says or concludes.