Justice
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
We live in a world where the idea of justice is deeply important—but often deeply misunderstood. People long for fairness, for wrongs to be made right, for the guilty to be punished and the innocent to be vindicated. But when life doesn’t go the way we think it should, we sometimes ask: Where is God’s justice in this?
That’s the exact question that we see in our passage today.
Last week I briefly mentioned Job… a righteous man, who had lost everything—his children, his wealth, his health. He never cursed God, but he was brutally honest about his grief.
In Job chapters 3 through 7, he cries out in pain, wrestling with why these tragedies had happened to him. He was confident that he’d done nothing to deserve such suffering.
And then one of his friends shows up… Bildad… And like many well-meaning people today, Bildad is convinced he understood how God works… and he had the same view of God that many still have today… “God is just. So if you're suffering, you must be guilty. Just confess, and everything will be fine.”
As you will see in our passage today, he asks, “Does God pervert justice?” or in other words… “Is it even possible that God would do something unjust or wrong?”
It’s a strong and important question. And in a way, he’s right—God does not pervert justice. But Bildad’s application of that truth is way off. He thinks God’s justice is like clockwork — if bad things happen, you must’ve done something wrong, and God’s just giving you what you deserve.
But God’s justice isn’t that simple.
A.W. Tozer said…
“Justice is not something God has. Justice is something God is.”
That means God’s justice is not just about fairness—it's about His very nature. It’s holy. It’s perfect. It’s infinite. And it’s often deeper and more redemptive than we realize.
So today, as we look at Job 8, we’re going to explore what true justice really looks like—not the flawed version that Bildad defends, but the unchanging, trustworthy justice of God.
(Read Job 8)
Meat:
As it is with all of His other Attributes…
God’s Justice...
1. Is Part of His Nature
1. Is Part of His Nature
You and I have to learn justice. We’re shaped by our upbringing, our experiences, our culture. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we’re way off.
But God isn’t influenced by anything outside of Himself. He is perfectly holy, perfectly wise, perfectly good—and because of that, He is perfectly just. Always.
That means God doesn’t wake up and decide to be fair today and harsh tomorrow. His justice isn’t reactionary. It doesn’t depend on public opinion, legal technicalities, or social pressure… It is steady, unwavering, and pure—because it flows directly from His character.
In v.3 Bildad asks the question… “Does God pervert justice?”… Which is the right question, and the quick answer is, No… But Bildad draws the wrong conclusion…
Yes, God is Holy. He is fair. He never makes mistakes…
But here is where the misconception comes in… he assumes that since God is just, then anyone who suffers must deserve it. In other words, if Job is in pain, Job must be guilty.
Bildad didn’t realize that God may allow the righteous to suffer—for their growth… for His glory… or for purposes we can’t see yet.
We have to remember that God’s Nature is…
1.1 Infinitely Holy
1.1 Infinitely Holy
He is utterly pure, completely separate from sin, and totally perfect in all His ways.
Unlike human justice—which is often flawed, biased, or incomplete—God’s justice is a holy justice. There is no sin in Him, no shadow, no selfish motive, no corruption.
That’s what makes His judgments always right. His decisions aren’t based on emotion, prejudice, or incomplete knowledge… They are rooted in His perfect, moral purity.
If we want to understand God’s justice rightly, we must start with His holiness… Because the God who judges the world is not only strong—He is pure. He never gets it wrong.…
Which leads to our second point on your outline…
God’s Justice…
2. Is Always Right and Fair
2. Is Always Right and Fair
If you look at vv.5&6, you can see that Bildad had the wrong formula for God’s Justice…
Job 8:5–6 “5 If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty, 6 If you were pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place.”
He thought if you just pray hard enough and live good enough, God will bless you — and if life falls apart, it must mean you’ve sinned.
But that’s not how God works. His justice is always right, always fair — but it’s…
2.1 Not a Quick-Reward system.
2.1 Not a Quick-Reward system.
One of the biggest misunderstandings people have about God’s justice is thinking of it like a spiritual vending machine: “If I do the right things, then God owes me something good in return.” So when life doesn’t go according to plan—when suffering comes, or prayers go unanswered—people start to say things like:
“God, I prayed. I went to church. I tithed. I read my Bible… Why is this happening to me?”
And there are many people today who believe, the same as Bildad, that God’s Justice was manipulated by cause and effect… Good people prosper, bad people suffer. And if you’re suffering—like Job—you must’ve done something wrong. In other words, “God pays back according to your behavior—instantly.”
Bildad believed in the prosperity gospel before it was even a thing!
People of that movement teach that if you pray right, give generously, and live a good life, God will reward you with health, wealth, and success right now.
But if that were true, then that would mean that we control God… and if that were the case… then God really isn’t God at all…
The reality is, God’s justice is far more complex and wise than that. Sometimes the righteous suffer, and sometimes the wicked prosper—for reasons only God fully understands.
His justice is not about quick paybacks or instant blessings; it’s about His perfect holiness and timing.
Sometimes, when we face hardship or see injustice around us, it feels unfair—like God has forgotten us or isn’t doing His job. But what feels unfair from our limited view can actually be part of a much bigger picture.
God’s justice isn’t just about punishment or reward—it’s also about redemption and restoration. He often allows trials and difficulties to shape us, to teach us, and to draw us closer to Him. Sometimes, suffering is the soil in which faith grows deeper and character is refined.
Think of Joseph, sold into slavery and imprisoned unfairly… You can also look at Jesus, who suffered unjustly on the cross…
Both experienced what seemed unfair—but through those hardships, God’s greater plan of salvation and blessing unfolded… … because His Justice is ALWAYS right and fair…
Now… I’ve been beating up on this Bildad fella for a bit… but he did get at least one thing right…
God’s Justice…
3. Demands Accountability
3. Demands Accountability
In the next few verses of our passage, Bildad uses a few word pictures — he talks about plants withering without water and spider webs that look strong but collapse with just a touch.
He’s saying that those who turn their backs on God might seem strong or successful for a time, but it won’t last. Their lives will fall apart, just like a plant without water or a weak spider web.
And then he drives home the point in v.13…
Job 8:13 “So are the paths of all who forget God… ”
God’s Justice Means Every Person Will Be Held Accountable…
3.1 Nobody Can Escape
3.1 Nobody Can Escape
Every person, regardless of status, background, or reputation, will one day stand before God and give an account for their life.
God’s justice isn’t selective or partial. He doesn’t overlook evil just because someone is wealthy, powerful, or well-liked. Nor does He forget the quiet faithfulness of those the world ignores. He sees everything—public and private—and He will judge all things with perfect fairness.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
We live in a world where injustice often seems to prevail. But God’s justice assures us that no wrong will be overlooked, and no right will be forgotten. Every person will answer to Him—and He will judge with perfect righteousness.
This next point is one that can be difficult to wrap our finite minds around, but…
God’s Justice…
4. Fulfills His Mercy
4. Fulfills His Mercy
From a human perspective, justice and mercy often seem like they’re in conflict. Justice says, “You will get what you deserve.”… Whereas Mercy says, “You will be spared from what you deserve.”… And if we’re not careful, we might start thinking God has to choose between being just or being merciful.
For many people, one of the biggest barriers to believing in God is the question of…
"How can a loving, merciful God send people to hell?"
It seems like a contradiction… if God is merciful, shouldn't He forgive everyone? Shouldn’t He overlook sin in the end?… But this question misunderstands both God’s mercy and His justice.
In God, there is no tension between justice and mercy. He is infinitely both… And He doesn't compromise one to show the other.
Bildad’s entire argument in Job 8 is built around a merit system: “If you’re upright, God will bless you. If you’re suffering, you must have done wrong.
But Job’s story breaks that system. Job was upright. He had done nothing to deserve the suffering he endured. So we’re left asking: If righteousness doesn’t guarantee blessing, what hope do we have?
And that’s exactly the point. Job’s story shows we need more than a system…
God’s Justice fulfills His Mercy…
4.1 By Revealing Our Need of a Savior
4.1 By Revealing Our Need of a Savior
As I mentioned last week and also briefly today… Job was…
… was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.
But this account drives home the point that even the best of us fall short.
We sometimes compare ourselves to others and think, “Well, I’m not perfect, but at least I’m not as bad as so-and-so.”
But God’s standard isn’t comparison—His standard is holiness. Perfect righteousness. And no one meets that standard on their own.
10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
In other words, even our best moments aren’t enough to make us right before a perfectly holy and just God. Here’s the sobering truth… If God were only just—and offered no mercy—we would all be condemned, annihilated… . Not because He’s harsh, but because He is holy, He is Just, and we are not.
Job was the most upright man of his time. God Himself called him “blameless and upright.” And yet, Job still suffered. He still questioned. He still needed an advocate.
By the end of the book, Job cries out for someone to mediate between him and God—someone to plead his case, someone to bridge the gap.
Job’s story shows us that even a good man can’t save himself. Even the best human effort falls short.
We don’t just need justice—we need mercy. We don’t just need fairness—we need a Savior.
We need someone to meet God’s standard for us, to take our judgment and offer us grace…
And we have just that… in Jesus…
God’s Justice fulfills His Mercy…
4.2 At The Cross
4.2 At The Cross
At the cross, Jesus took the justice we deserved
This is the beauty and the scandal of the gospel: God did not ignore sin—He judged it fully in Christ.
Jesus took the wrath, the penalty, and the justice that our sin demanded. And in doing so, He opened the way for mercy to flow freely.
A.W. Tozer says:
“The cross is the place where justice and mercy meet.”
Hell is not the absence of mercy. It is the result of rejected mercy.
God doesn’t send people to hell out of cruelty—He honors their choice to reject His righteousness. He does not force Himself on anyone. If someone refuses His mercy—offered at great cost through the blood of His Son—then justice must still stand.
So when people ask, “How could a merciful God send people to hell?”—we can respond with:
How could a just God let sin go unpunished? And how could a merciful God not offer a way of escape?
He did both—He judged sin at the cross and offers mercy to all who believe.
God’s justice doesn’t fight against His mercy—it fulfills it… it makes His mercy meaningful. Because He dealt with sin fully at the cross, He can offer complete forgiveness for every sin we have ever committed.
Closing:
So where does this leave us?
If God is truly just—and He is—then every sin will be accounted for. Nothing escapes His sight. No wrong goes unaddressed.
And if God is truly merciful—and praise God, He is—then there’s hope even for the worst of us.
But here’s the catch: You don’t get to choose which side of God you face.
You will either face God’s justice in judgment, or you will face God’s justice at the cross, where it was fully poured out on Jesus in your place.
You see, the cross is not where God ignored justice—it’s where He satisfied it.
It’s not where mercy canceled the law—it’s where mercy fulfilled the law by meeting its demands with blood.
You and I can’t earn it.
We can’t work our way to it.
We can’t be “good enough.”
We need grace—we need a Savior.
And that’s exactly what Jesus offers.
So let me ask you today:
Have you trusted in Him?
Not just believed in your head that He’s real, but trusted with your heart that He died in your place, took your judgment, and rose again to give you new life?
Because if not… then you are still under justice without mercy.
But if you turn to Christ in faith, then you receive the most beautiful, undeserved gift ever offered:
The cross is proof that God is just.
The cross is proof that God is merciful.
And the cross is the only place where we can be saved.
So come to Him… Trust Him… And live not just under the weight of justice… but under the covering of grace.
Prayer:
