One more time before we discuss thanksgiving we discuss the justice of God that must be met. We are depraved and inclined to all evil and infected with that disease and are brought into His Kingdom through sin and grace as is God's good pleasure. But we ask the questions is it right of God that He requires of us that which we cannot do? Is it really just to require this of us? Does God have to implement the punishment just because we sin? We are again brought to the foot of the cross here where His justice and mercy KISS each other!

Rightly: We are born in sin so is it right for God to require perfection of us? Even though we know we were made in His very image and made perfect and once dwelt in full communion with God before sin and the fall we stand under the law of God and His holiness demands we pay the penalty! Does God really have to punish us with temporal punishment? Many now days in the church world are drawn away from the mercy of God and blanket EVERYTHING with God's love. They want to talk and speak of a loving God with the conversation ending there. They speak nothing of God's justice. This is dangerous however because:

1. It does injustice to God's justice and how scripture defines God Himself to us. God IS indeed a loving God, but we may not play His very virtues against one another or nullify another one of His virtues! God IS a JUST God! God's mercy does not cancel out His virtue of His righteousness or His righteous justice.

2. Righteously: All things must renown to His glory and this is so His people may live in the full knowledge of His mercy and His righteousness. The concept of love covering all also does violence to the church itself as it "cancels out" sin so that sin becomes insignificant along with everything else like prayer, redemptive knowledge...and there becomes no need for the cross! It we do not understand God's wrath and indignation it does not help a child LIVE and STRIVE to live a sanctified and holy life as he knows God's very hatred of sin and His justice against it! We have original sin from Adam and also our daily sins that God is displeased with and He punishes ALL sin temporally as there is repercussions of sin both here and in life eternal!

Merciful: But God is also merciful! He is merciful BUT also just! He vindicates Himself in regards to sin and the very cross vindicates and He satisfies His justice on it. His wrath against it is laid upon the shoulders of His Son as He perfectly satisfies both His justice and His mercy! We need to have this deeper understanding of our God. Would the church world understand His justice more today there would be more spiritual strength and spiritual life among us! We would see His satisfaction on the cross and live in thanksgiving and praise and live a new life.