The Justice of Eternity
Eternity is a long time to have your dreams fulfilled. Even more so, it is a long time to share in the glory of God. Eternity is a long time to fulfill and serve justice. Justice is often equated with rightness. In terms of law, it is fairness, balance, and fittingness of punishments and rulings dealing with criminality and violations. It is a standard that's often quite difficult to weigh, measure, and perceive in many cases dealing with violations and crimes.
It's often hard to measure the fittingness of a punishment when your frame of reference in the law is ambiguous and the circumstances are complex and multifaceted. This is quite often the case, which is where precedents are important and often necessary in determining fittingness and serving justice.
This is very true in regards to worldly justice. We need precedents and standards to operate and work with in order to at least attempt to achieve a more perfect and a more fitting/fair justice.
As for the justice of eternity, or the justice of God? Well, God sees all, knows all, and can measure the substance, severity, and egregiousness of all violations of both a worldly and divine nature with absolute precision. A product of being present in every point in space. I choose to believe this. I choose to believe perfect, precise justice does exist. You don't have to share that belief.
As a result of this, in regards to eternity, God knows the precise fittingness of the judgement and punishment dealt to violators of divine law. Eternity is a loong time. Something we humans have a difficult time imagining or understanding. It is plenty of time to deal justice and retribution.
I used to have a fundamental disagreement with Christians over one particular issue, and it has always been a challenge to my faith and a challenge to my relationship with God. It is the issue of eternal condemnation. Eternal punishment, with no opportunity for redemption and no opportunity for reconciliation.
I mean, C'mon, eternity? Punished forever? Wouldn't a couple thousand years of hellfire do the trick to teach a lesson? A little sarcastic I know, but it has always been an issue between me and the LORD. I had a Christian tell me once that "God is infinitely forgiving, but He's also infinitely just." My question after that statement was "would a just God punish someone forever?" He didn't respond. That's an answer I'm gonna have to get from God Himself.
I won't claim to understand God's justice, but what I do understand is the need for an intercessor in Jesus. God, being the perfect judge with perfect justice, cannot allow corruption and sin into His presence, which is where the Sacrifice of the Christ comes in to pay for our sins, cleanse them out of our system, and enable us to be in the presence of a perfect Creator.
Even though I have some reservations about eternal condemnation, I know some of us leave God with no choice. The devil leaves Him with no choice. I would love nothing more than to see the adversary and his angels turn away from his wickedness and hate, stop leading the world into darkness, and come home to God.
He was a child of God once. What a wonderful healing and restoration that would happen to creation if the devil himself repented and turned back to the light. Unfortunately that's probably not gonna happen. One could hope, though. I'm sure God, in His infinite forgiveness and infinite mercy could redeem even the adversary.
As for myself, I like mercy more than I like wrath. My favorite angel, Archangel Michael, is known as the angel of mercy in some traditions. God extended to me a great amount of mercy. In my attempt to pursue a higher justice, I will try and be merciful to those around me as best I can.
As far as justice goes? I like justice that is abundant in mercy instead of abundant in harshness and cruelty. I like eternal justice to have a level of divine mercy that I don't understand, nor do many of us deserve. That's where Jesus comes in.
Goodnight
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