Justice or Mercy (TrueCrime.#9.2024.08.11)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website at beholdingbibletruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:49

Well, we've been going through truth in, the truth in true crime. And if you've been following in the book, I I, pulled an audible and skipped a chapter. So if you're surprised by that, sorry about that. I'm the teacher. It's my class. I get to do this.

Audience [: 00:01:08

I get

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:08

to do what I wanna do. Yep. So we, we did skip a chapter, and we only have time for, I don't know, 3 or 4 more before we finalize. Plus, I wanna bring in a couple that's, ministering, and I'm gonna interview them. So, anyway, we're not gonna be able to go through all of those. If you like the series, you can get it, get the book, get the videos. It's certainly worth time and effort. It's a great series.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:34

I'm very enjoying it. I'm enjoying it from good. Yeah. Good stuff. So how many seen the movie Gladiator? Remember at the part where Maximus is standing over the guy with the sword, and and the emperor does this or this. Right? This or this. Right? He says this or this. And this is right? Put him to death.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:56

Right? Or this is put him to death, and I think this is right. And they call him, Maximus the merciful. You see, Maximus doesn't put him to death. And we tend to think about justice as this and mercy as this. Right? Justice is give them what they deserve and more, but give them what they deserve. Right? Where mercy is let them off scot free and some version of those 2. Right? Mercy is maybe some version of those 2. And that they they stand in opposition to one another.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:29

Right? It's either justice or mercy. It's thumbs down or thumbs up. Well, we're gonna discover today, in addition to this video, we're gonna do what we should always do, which is go back to the source. Because the biggest challenge today, actually, it's all days, we think it's only today, is the desire to suck the definition out of words. Well, that shouldn't be a surprise for us. Why are we surprised? If if if the lord is the word and scripture is his word, if you're god's enemy, what will you do what would you do? What would be one of your stratagems? You want to defang words. Right? How do you defang words? Take away their definition. Change their definition.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:18

Make up word. Right? Change language scores. So we shouldn't be surprised that's happening. Right? So it's always important for me to understand what are we talking about. And as you talk with people, if they say justice or mercy or whatever the words are, my favorite is help me with with what you mean by that. Right? Let's let's see if we can get some definitions together because it's important. When they say a word, they are thinking something, and it's probably different than what you're thinking. Does that make sense? So as you have conversation with people about these, how many concepts.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:59

Right? So let's take a look at this. Let's read righteousness 8914 together. Righteousness and justice are the.

Audience [: 00:04:13

Love and kindness and truth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:17

If you look at that, so it says righteousness and justice are the foundation. What's the foundation? It's Righteousness. The immovable the immovable. Right? Right? Foundation means that the core. Right? It is unchanging. It is the foundation of God's throne, which means his kingship. Who's on the throne? King is on the throne. Right? So the foundation of his throne, the very the very unchangeable character is righteousness and justice.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:57

And it says, loving kindness and truth go before him. It literally means they stand ready to do his bidding. In other words, as his his work goes forward, it goes forward in loving kindness and in truth, which would suggest, okay. What do these things mean? What we think about, right, when when when people will say something's wrong with the world, something is wrong. Right? Something is not right, which would would suggest there is a right. Now, normally, what that means is something wrong from my standpoint. Right? Something my

Audience [: 00:05:43

the the

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:43

question is what is the right? What is what is what is right? And and the word for righteousness in Hebrew is is that idea of equity as well as prosperity, it's righteousness. And all the versions that come from that. So righteousness is at the foundation of God's throne. Also, justice, which has this idea of a verdict or or divine law on penalty, the consequence, right, of breaking righteousness. That make sense? Righteousness is what is right. Justice is the carrying out of what happens when, right, break righteousness. What happens with unrighteousness? So god is bold, and it also suggests that he has the ability since these are things that are him, that he has the ability to define righteousness because he defines righteousness. We're getting he's not making up a a a law.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:50

He's not making up the definition. He is the definition. He's the definition of righteousness, and he's the definition of justice. They're at the core of who he is, unchanging. So if you look at those 2 righteousness and justice, set us the foundation of his throne, Bible Dictionary said that essential essential and infinite an underlying infinite because it speaks to the unchangeable nature, and it's an attribute. What do you mean? It's it it's who he is. It's part of his character, which makes his nature and his ways, his nature at the center of who he is and how he operates. Right? His nature, his core, what he's like, and how he operates.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:41

Right? The perfect embodiment of equity equity. So righteousness society of equity constitutes him the model and the guardian. He's the king of equity throughout the universe. He's the king. He's the king. Never having grown up with a king or grown up in a culture that embodies king because in the United States, who's king?

Audience [: 00:08:15

Me. I'm king. Right?

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:18

I'm king. We are we are all our own king. Right? Scripture says if work is perfect. What does that mean? Perfect. Right? Full. Right? Fully mature, like complete. Oh, his work is perfect, and all all his ways are are righteous. The god of faithfulness oh, no.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:49

No. All his ways are just. All his ways are just. I thought it in my got the first. Although it's saying I mean, similar. God of faithfulness and without injustice. He's righteous. The 2 of them.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:09

Right? Righteousness and justice, they go together, and he is without injustice. That's why in Isaiah 40 where where they cry out, where is the justice? Do me. God says, what are you asking? Where is the justice? Do me. As if I went on vacation or not god. Have you not heard the you know, the the everlasting god, the creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired, and his understanding is inscrutable. Beyond scrutiny, which would suggest my thought, who said this, b, here I am. Right? A question mark. There's god.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:59

There's the difference. It says as high as the heavens are above the earth, last they checked, that's about 90,000,000,000 light years. Distance it takes for light to travel in a year. You took light when you turned on a switch. If you were to beat light, you'd have to get in the car. You drove for 4 and a half miles or 4 and a half months at 60 miles an hour and never stopped. That's how far light went in one second. You drove 60 miles an hour, 4 and a half months, never stopped, light in one second.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:40

So how far would light travel in a year? About a 1000 years. About a 1000000 years. About a 1000000000 years. How about 90,000,000,000 years? That's as far as we can see. So God says, that's the difference between what you think about justice and what it really is, what you think about righteousness and what it really is. We need our definitions redefined. We need our perspective re reset, if you will. So when you think about that, what do you see in that righteousness and justice? What do you see in that? Righteousness and justice are together, and they are the foundation of his throne.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:25

One of the key things in there is all his ways. That means whatever he does is just, is righteous. Right? His judgments and scripture will say his judgments. That means the way he operates, the way he carries out his justice, so all his ways. But he also says that standing, if you will, the picture is, of course, not, but standing at his right and left hand are loving kindness and truth ready to go forth, ready to do his bidding, if you will, standing at his right hand and his left hand. Loyal love, loving kindness. Right? The sense that, love and loyalty together, love and and and and commitment, dedication, which inspires merciful and compassionate behavior. His loving kindness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:22

Thank you. And his truth is his, faithfulness, his certainty, his unchangeable mess. Right? His trustworthiness. So we have these two parts of his character that are ready to go forth. So imagine, if you will, those are gone and all we have are righteousness and justice. Where would we be? Up a creek. Mhmm. Without a path.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:53

Yeah. We would be we'd be in deep trouble. Right? We would indeed be in deep trouble. Well, scripture says that he loves righteousness and justice. He loves righteousness and justice. What would that tell you? God is telling us what is favorable to him. It's not only part of his character, but he loves it. And yet, at the same time, what is nearest full of? Just loving kindness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:29

Loving kindness. When Isaiah sees him and the the the say, holy, holy, holy. It's the lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of your glory, and the whole earth is full of his loving kindness. Right?

Audience [: 00:13:45

The whole earth is full of his loving kindness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:48

And he says in Jeremiah, let him boast boast in this. So he understands, and he knows me. What are we boasting? Right? What what have we know? That Yahweh exercises of loving kindness, justice, and righteousness. He exercises it. He carries it forward. Puts those 3 together. Loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, where I delight. These are delight.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:16

These are good for God. So he says, give thanks. Why? He is good and his his his covenant loving kindness is ever lasting. So we build our house on both sides of our property. We put evergreens. They're just not so ever. They get brown. Someone get disease.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:47

They die. You have to replace them. Right? So when we think of ever, we have kind of this thing, what does ever mean? Well, ever, right, to me means it must be from this point forward because I was finite because there was a time when I wasn't. So ever must be from some point in the past forward where no everlasting is just always. Never without. Right? It just is. It just is. I was listening to bible teacher, and he said, if if an unbeliever says to you, I don't get it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:20

It doesn't make god doesn't make sense. The fact is he's right or she's right. In some ways, god doesn't make sense. Is it right? There are mysteries about who god is. Right? Because he's not us. Well, we see these 2 are together, loving, kindness, and truth. Scroll and say, god who is all love, all grace, all mercy, that'd be nice. Right? Well, only when it comes to me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:46

So what I want is grace for me and give everybody else justice. Right? But he said, no sovereignty, no justice, no holiness, no wrath is an item. But we tend to lean one way or the other. Right? So it's likely you're wired as somebody who leans toward mercy or somebody leads toward justice. And if you're somebody who leans toward mercy, you think, what's wrong with those people? They're just tight. You know? They're always tight. You know? Over here, you link toward justice. You go, what's wrong with those people? Just always merciful.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:27

Well, Lord is not one or the other. He's not either or. He's all. How is he all? I don't know. I really don't know. The description says he's all of these at once. Are you glad? Please. We should be deeply, deeply grateful that he's not one or the other.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:48

It is not justice versus mercy. Justice versus mercy. So his loving kindness, his mercy, his compassion, his compassionate and gracious. When he's when he when he descends in the cloud with Moses, he said, the lord, the lord god, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and truth, Abounding in loving kindness and truth. Keeping loving kindness for 1,000. Forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet, you by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Visiting the inequities of the fathers to the children of the grandchildren to the 3rd 4th generation.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:35

To the 3rd 4th generation. So he's both. He's both. So in order for God to help us understand and, of course, to bring about his purposes, God has demonstrations. God god's demonstrations. That's with the blankets. God's demonstrations. And there's 2 words that are used for demonstrate in the bible.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:06

There's in Gibson, which is a showing or a proof or a sign, showing or a proof or a sign. So that demonstrate means show, prove, to give a sign, providing clear and convincing proof. Everybody say that there? Providing clear and convincing proof. Okay. So where is that used? Well, it's used in Romans. He said, because by the works of the law, no flesh is justified.

Audience [: 00:18:43

So you can underline

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:44

that, justified in his sight. The law doesn't justify. You're good evangelical. You already know that. Thankful for it. But through the law comes the knowledge of sin, but now parts come the law of the righteousness of God. There we go. Righteousness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:02

So now we have justice and righteousness. Right? That's been manifested. Right? Being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even, again, the righteousness of god through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. So there's a righteousness that can come through the law, and then there's a righteousness in Jesus Christ for all who believe. There's no distinction. All of sin. All of sin.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:29

Well, everyone else has sinned. I've sinned. All all of sin means there's all and there's there there's no kinds of people. It doesn't mean just everyone. It means all kinds of people. Jew then, Gentiles. Right? All kinds of people. For all sin, all of the glory of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:49

Being justified as a gift by his race. How was it made possible? Redemption, which is in Christ Jesus. So God displayed him publicly as a propitiation. The the just do the just do. The the payment, right, if you will, the payment in his blood. It took the blood. He ate with his blood.

Audience [: 00:20:29

Right? The blood through

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:32

faith. We applied through faith. Now he says this was to demonstrate. This was to prove. What did he demonstrate? His oh, he demonstrated his righteousness on the cross. And because in the forbearance of God, he passed over the sins previously committed. Who's that? Everybody he saved before the cross. You would say, wait a minute.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:06

How can Abraham be saved by faith, right, if Christ hadn't paid the price. Well, of course, God's economy, Jesus Christ was slain before the foundation of the world. So God displayed it publicly to show to demonstrate, to prove his righteousness. We're going to he forgave in the past. For the demonstration, again, I say of his what is he demonstrating? Righteousness. His righteousness at the present time so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. He's demonstrating his justice and his righteousness that are the foundation of his throne in Jesus publicly on the cross. He could have done it not visibly.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:03

He did it publicly on the cross in order to demonstrate. We wanna see that the righteousness and justice of God were indeed fully satisfied in the past, in the present, in the future, in all of time because it was done apart from time. It was carried out at a point in time, but it was done apart from time. Forget it? Seem like, what? I mean, they're like, what? Yes. So the answer is, god, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Which is what it should be if you have simplified god so that you get it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:45

Right? So we demonstrate this. Right? What do you see? Uh-huh. So he'd be the just and justifier became a basic price. Okay. Flip over another demonstration. So let's read this verse. But God

Audience [: 00:23:04

demonstrates his own blood for us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:07

In that body, he has sinuses. Christ has

Audience [: 00:23:10

died for us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:11

What's more than

Audience [: 00:23:12

having been justified by his blood,

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:15

we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. This is a different demonstration. This means literally to set together, to bring together, and to commend. Right? In other words, to bring it together and to say, look. This is this is a demonstration. Something being commended or introduced, the act of bringing together to form a coherent call to establish something. So he's saying he is commending. He is demonstrating.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:48

He is revealing, if you will, putting out before you. What's he revealing? His love toward us. It went okay. So what did his love toward us look like? While we were yet sinners, while you were enemies in opposition, broken fellowship, Christ died for you. That's what his love is. And they said much more then, let's bring this back. Having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved in the future from the wrath of God to come. So he brings together his love and his justice.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:37

You see that? His mercy, his loving kindness, and his justice brought together at the cross. He brings them together, and he commends them. He demonstrates his love toward us. He puts it out there for all to see. He demonstrates his own love towards us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Audience [: 00:25:02

Scott, if anybody's asking the question, what are we saved from, This passage makes that pretty clear. God's wrath.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:11

Which is what?

Audience [: 00:25:13

God's wrath.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:14

God's wrath. Yes. And I thank you, Roger. And I say it again because I have to remind myself. We think of wrath as the, like, no. It's the justice of God. It's this the the the the justice of God carried out for unrighteousness. He he carries out a just sentence.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:39

It's called wrath. It's the wrath of God. Why? Because God is a, a God who's wired for righteousness. If if you if you are unrighteous, his righteousness cries out. Do we get that? It demands that it's justified. Otherwise, he's not righteous. If he if he if he doesn't respond to unrighteousness, he's not a righteous judge. He's not righteous.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:05

His righteousness demands that he cries out. So we're gonna look at, like, a video on mercy and justice from a practical standpoint, and then we'll come back and wrap up with some thoughts at the end. Interesting. I think it is our nature depending on how we're wired. They appreciate 1 or the other, and we we tend to do the pendulum thing. Right? That we swing one way or the other. Right? We swing toward just this or we swing towards mercy. And they seem to be opposites.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:51

Now the all this idea, they seem to be in opposition to one another. But scripture is really clear that God is has integrity. Right? And integrity means he is integral. Right? He is who he who he is, what he says, and what he does, they're all the same. For for us, we're trying to to bring those circles together. Right? Who you think about who he there it who he is, what he says, and when he does, they're all the same. And his righteousness and justice, loving kindness, and truth, which means they're woven altogether. His loving kindness is righteousness and just, and his justice is loving kindness, and and that's why he says, his mercies are over all his works.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:51

His loving kindness and his his his faithfulness are woven into his justice and righteousness. It's all integral. It's it it it's all one mix. We we try to pull the pieces apart and say one verse to the other. So we'll swing the potential. 1st, we're gonna go over here, then we're gonna go over here. Right? Whereas, if he is that way, then what he wants us to do is to let to to move into him and out through him becomes that balance. Because otherwise, it's a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:33

Let's try to be and I'm gonna you know, if I if I tend to lean toward justice, I'm gonna try and be burst upon the prod. Let's do some stuff. Right? So I pulled out the other side here. How do we apply that? First of all, let's start with worship. We worship God's righteousness and justice. We should be in awe of it. We should stand in awe of his righteousness and justice, and we should receive his loving kindness and mercy. Why? I want to be I want to be washed with it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:11

Right? Loving kindness. And how should I do that daily? What's one of the best ways to do that? Worship and confess. Mhmm. If you see his his righteousness, what is our response? See your sin. What's the response to that? Confess. Preach the gospel. Right? What? Embrace the gospel. Be the gospel every day.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:47

Be the gospel every day. Receive his mercy, embrace, Appreciate value. Thank him for his kindness and see the Lord Jesus as your righteousness. It says he is our righteousness, our justification, our redemption. Right hand is our righteousness. He's our justice, didn't he? Let me hear your by in the morning. For trust in me. Teach me your ways, oh lord, for I lift up my soul to thee.

Audience [: 00:30:23

There let therefore, let's draw near with confidence

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:28

to what? Throne of grace that we we may that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need. Mercy because I've fallen. That's what I need is mercy regularly. Right? In grace, the time of need. The other piece to that to me is to, you know, to go back to Micah, he says he's told you, old man. So they're they're worshiping. They're bringing sacrifices, and they're not their heart is far from God. So he says, forget your sacrifices.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:05

Here's what you need to do. He's told you, old man, what's good? What's good? What's the Lord require of you? What does he require? Justice, loving kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Well, I can't do that. Exactly. Okay. That's the law. Right? Love the lord your god with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:33

Yeah. You can. Yeah. And I need to. So I demonstrate god is calling us to demonstrate, into the world, his justice and loving kindness. Right? As I allow him to live his life out through me just like he demonstrates at the cross, he demonstrates his loving kindness. Right? So I demonstrate God's justice and loving kindness. Is that easy? No.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:05

But it is what John the Baptist said. Oh, I get it. Less of me, more of you. Less of me, more of you. Galatians 2/20. It went blank. Or I've been crucified with Christ. No longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:34

Right? So the life which I now live in the flesh shall live by faith in the son of God who loved me and delivered himself up for me. Thank you. Thank you. In me. So he's he's demonstrating through us. Less than me, more of them. And what do we do about the injustice in the world? Right? Is there injustice? We now have our justice system. No.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:58

We now have our injustice system. Right? Publicly displayed. Leave it to God. Leave it to God. Dang. He says, never take your own

Audience [: 00:33:12

revenge, but but leave room. I told them,

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:16

leave room. What are we leaving room for? Wrath of God. It is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay. So in life, there's gonna be injustice injustice to us. Everybody's had it, haven't they? Some gross injustice, these believers over there, these 13 believers may experience gross injustice. They they pay with their life. God says, I'll deal with it because he's coming to judge the earth. He is coming to judge.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:50

He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his, thankfully, his truth. He's saying this these are there. Here's my justice and truth. That's they're combining together. They're all together with God. I saw heaven open. This is to me, this is the scariest passage in the Bible. Right? White horse he sat upon is called faithful and true.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:16

And in righteousness, he judges he judges he judges, and he wages war. And he will tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God. We wanna take it. That's the justice of God. You gotta you have to replace wrath with justice. It's the fierce justice of God. We want a God who is fierce. We just go in.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:47

I wanna judge who's fiercely just and to know that's what we are saved from. We are saved from the wrath of god. He is king of kings, and he is the lord of lords. And like we saw back in there, we are saved we are saved much more than having now been justified by his blood. We are saved from the wrath of God to come. So we worship him. We give thanks to him. We receive his grace and mercy.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:22

We allow him to live and demonstrate through us his justice and his love and kindness. Alright. Quick on insight. Let's share a few or something that you'd like to share. At the end of the day, I can't I can't display his righteousness apart from him. Right? It's the indwelling, and the life that he's living through us. Right? Otherwise, we try and do it in our own strength that lasts about 12 minutes. And then I get either really just or seemingly my own pride.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:59

So it's it is about what's the, you know, what is the basis of what you when you say just or righteous or you know, that's what I'm saying. If you're in a conversation with folks or staff, tell tell me what you mean by it. Give me, you know, give me an example. You're right. Our life experiences help define it.

Audience [: 00:36:18

Scott Scott, to to to follow on that, we can take our life experiences out of the equation if we look at what happened at the cross. This, to go back to the earlier discussion, to me, this represents the epitome of balance. In Genesis 2, God lays out the plan. In Genesis 31 through 8, the plan is is failed. 9 through 14, God shows that he is a just God and demands penalty. In 3:15, he starts his plan of mercy. And on the cross, these come together. His justice is satisfied by what has been already laid out in Genesis 23, but yet his mercy is demonstrated in his fullness for what he has done on our behalf.

Audience [: 00:37:26

To me, that's and that takes out our prejudices of purse of life experiences. Look at the reality, the objective things that happened in that sequence. So okay. A couple of other things here since I have the floor. I don't wanna go long on this. Early on, you talked about equity. I think we're you talked also about confusion of words. Our present 2024 society has used the word equity.

Audience [: 00:38:04

Maybe we are using it wrong, but it has become a commonplace term in the last couple years in our society. So we just need to need to think about that. The other thing is I believe there are many in our society who confuse justice with revenge. Revenge is viewed as one and the same, that only justice can be imposed if it is 1 or an act of revenge. Mhmm. This is this is a bad path to follow.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:44

Is indeed. Right? Is indeed. Those are good points, Roger. Good points where it says, you know, leave room. Leave room. I like that. Sorry.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:58

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.