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How
Can I
Live Forever?
Chapter 2
Justice And Mercy Kiss
In
Chapter One, we concluded that a right understanding of the
gospel is the key to success in the Christian life. The
absolute truth is that if we do not have a right understanding of the hope that is bound
up in the gospel, we simply cannot have strong faith, for the
Word of God assures us that . . .
"Faith
is being certain of what we hope for." (Hebrews 11:1)
This
being the case, we have to ask ourselves yet another vital
question, and that is,
Just
where do we begin in our search
for this life-changing gospel of hope?
Once
again Paul supplies the answer. He tells us
that . . .
"We
have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It
enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus,
who went before us, has entered on our behalf." (Hebrews
6:19,20)
Clearly,
therefore, if we study the ministry of Jesus in the most holy
place - behind the curtain - and if we gain a right
understanding of the symbolism depicted by the furnishings in
the Most Holy Place, we can expect to be filled with hope, a
hope that will be to us as an anchor to the soul; an enduring hope that
will inspire us with practical faith and active love.
Let
us therefore take a little time to consider the furnishings
that were housed "behind the curtain" in the Most Holy Place.
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In
the most holy place stood the ark, a chest of precious
wood overlaid with gold, the depository of the two
tables of stone upon which God had inscribed the law of
Ten Commandments.
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Above
the ark, and forming the cover to the sacred chest, was
the mercy seat, a magnificent piece of workmanship,
surmounted by two cherubim, one at each end, and all
wrought of solid gold.
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In
this apartment the divine presence was manifested in the
cloud of glory between the cherubim." (GC11-412)
 Every
one of the items in the sanctuary has very special
significance, but let us first of all focus our attention on
the ark of the covenant and its covering.
The
ark, containing the tablets of the law, represents God's
justice. The gold cover over the ark is known as the mercy
seat and, as the name implies, it represents God's mercy.
"The
ark that enshrines the tables of the law is covered with the
mercy seat, before which Christ pleads His blood in the sinner's behalf. Thus is represented the union of
justice and
mercy in the plan of human redemption. This union infinite
wisdom alone could devise and infinite power accomplish; it is
a union that fills all heaven with wonder and adoration."
(GC415)
In
order to appreciate the broad picture that God is presenting
to us in the Most Holy Place - behind the curtain - we need to
first of all remind ourselves that justice, mercy
and love are the primary attributes of God's
character and that, as such, they "are the controlling
powers in Jehovah's kingdom." (9T218; DA756; 2T210)
It
is highly significant, therefore, that each of these three primary
attributes of God's character is depicted in the most holy
place . . .
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(1)
by the ark containing the law - representing His
justice,
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(2)
by the mercy seat and the cherubim - representing His
mercy, and
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(3)
by the Shekinah, the manifestation of God's presence
that shone above the mercy seat - representing His
character of love.
But
just what is the deeper significance of all this? What is it
about the "union of justice and mercy" that fills all heaven
with wonder and adoration?
Justice
and Mercy Kiss
When
God considered a plan for the redemption of the fallen race,
He found His justice and His mercy standing in direct
opposition to each
other . . .
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on
the one hand His mercy demanded that the sinner be
pardoned;
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on
the other hand His justice demanded that the sinner be
put to death.
At
first we might feel that the demand of justice for the
shedding of the blood of the guilty is somewhat out of harmony
with the ways of a God of infinite love. Yet there was simply no other way
because . . .
"Justice
demands that sin be not merely pardoned, but the death penalty
must be executed." (6BC1099)
It simply could not be otherwise for, . . .
"Were
there no justice, no penalty, there would be no stability to
the government of God." (6BC1072).
Thus
we are led to conclude that the infliction of appropriate penalties is
vital to the maintenance of universal law and order (and this
is one reason why our world is falling apart today).
Nevertheless, we have been told that . . .
"It
was the righteousness of God to maintain His law by inflicting
the penalty. This was the only way in which the law could be
maintained, and pronounced holy, and just, and good."
(1SM301/2)
We
can better appreciate, therefore, why it was that justice
demanded the shedding of blood, and why this demand could not
be denied without placing the entire universe in jeopardy.
Yet God's mercy simply would not step aside and allow His
justice to have it's way. The more that His justice demanded
the death of the sinner, the more boldly His mercy stood in
the face of His justice and demanded the acquittal of the
sinner. Neither His justice nor His mercy could or would bow
down to the other. This was a titanic tug-of-war if ever there
were one.
Yet Infinite Love had a wonderful solution. Because both His
justice and His mercy were unyielding in their demands, God's
love would have to intervene, . . .
"Christ
would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin [and] would
reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race."
(PP63)
Thus
it was that God, in the loving Gift of His only begotten Son,
met the requirements of both His justice and His mercy. "By
dying in man's stead, Christ exhausted the penalty [thus
satisfying God's justice] and provided a pardon [thus
satisfying God's mercy]." (6BC 1099)
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The
Bad
News |
The
Good
News |
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Man's
Choice
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God's
Choice
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Made
Independently
Of God
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Made
Independently
Of Man
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Eve
took
Genesis 3:6 |
God gave
John 3:16 |
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Brought
man under the
condemnation of the law
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Released
man from the
condemnation of the law
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`Voluntarily
our divine Substitute bared His soul to the sword of justice,
that we might not perish but have everlasting life."
(1SM322)
As
the outflowing of unfathomable grace, Jesus "redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."
(Galatians 3:13, KJV)
There
simply was no other way. Only by taking our place upon the
cross, only by being made a curse for us, and by suffering the
penalty that we deserve, was God able to reconcile "the
prerogatives of Justice and Mercy, and let each stand separate
in its dignity, yet united." (7BC935)
In
a nutshell, therefore, Jesus "suffered on the cross, that mercy might be
granted to fallen man. God's justice is preserved, and guilty
man is pardoned." (TMK287)
Notice
that neither the claims of God's justice, nor those of His
mercy were ignored or diminished; the claims of both were
fully satisfied.
"The
reconciliation of justice and mercy did not involve any
compromise with sin, or ignore any claim of justice; but by
giving to each divine attribute its place, mercy could be
exercised in the punishment of sinful, impenitent man without
destroying its clemency [lenience] or forfeiting its
compassionate character, and justice could be exercised in
forgiving the repenting transgressor without violating its
integrity." (1SM260/1)
Yet,
while the claims of both justice and mercy were met in full,
ultimately it was God's mercy, allied with His love, that
triumphed over His justice.
This
is why James tells us that . . .
"Mercy
triumphs over judgment." (James 2:13)
This
glorious truth is symbolically represented by the furnishing
in the Most Holy Place, first of all by the fact that the
mercy seat (representing God's mercy) was positioned above the
ark (representing God's justice), and secondly by the
materials from which the mercy seat and the ark were
constructed. The mercy seat was constructed of solid gold,
while the ark containing the law was constructed of wood that
had been overlaid and inlaid with gold. Exodus 37:1,6. This, of course, is intended to imprint upon our minds the
fact that . . .
"If
there was glory in the administration that condemned [God's
justice], then the administration that acquits [God's mercy -
allied with His love] abounds far more in glory." (2
Corinthians 3:9, Moffatt)
The
gospel of hope tells us, therefore, of the "kindness and
sternness of God." (Romans 11:22). It is the story of how God's love intervened in the conflict between His mercy and
His justice, and how He, the God of infinite compassion,
wrought out for His fallen children - for all of His fallen
children - a hope that is absolute.
Let
us rejoice, therefore, in the knowledge that . . .
"It
is the mingling of judgment and mercy that makes salvation
full and complete. It is the blending of the two that leads
us, as we view the world's Redeemer and the law of Jehovah, to
exclaim, `Thy gentleness hath made me great.' "
(6BC1072)
And
now, thanks to God's amazing grace, and to His love that
absolutely defies understanding, "there is nothing to hinder God's mercy
from descending, abundant, free, and full, in pardon, taking
away sin, and imputing the righteousness of Christ." (HM
11-01-97.8)
"May the God of
hope fill you will all joy and peace as you
trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the
power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
"I
pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order
that you may know the hope to which He has called you . . ." (Ephesians 1:18)
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