Justice and Non-justice

As a practiced apologist, Paul was used to anticipating objections to his teaching. We have seen him doing this throughout Romans, including today’s passage, in which he answers the objection that is raised whenever the doctrine of predestination is taught: “That’s not fair!” It is thought that God’s predestination of some to heaven and others to hell makes God seem unjust. But does it?

Predestination and its related doctrines are sometimes called “the doctrines of grace.” This term puts the accent where it belongs, on the grace of God. Grace, in its most basic definition, is “unmerited favor.” It is a blessing or favor from God that we have not deserved. Instead, it comes to us as a gift from Him due to the wideness of His mercy. And this is exactly where Paul directs our thinking as he seeks to answer the fairness question. He reminds the Romans (and us) of what God told Moses: “ ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy.’ ” God’s mercy, therefore, is sovereign. He does not owe it to anyone. If He did, it would be justice, not mercy. And justice is what we deserve, having sinned against God’s righteous rule.

Let’s ask Paul’s question a little differently: “Is there non-righteousness (or non-justice) with God?” Actually, the answer to this question is yes. We know this because anything outside the category of justice must be non-justice; the two are mutually exclusive. And the Bible clearly tells us that some (those who are saved from the wrath of God) do not receive His justice. But there are two kinds of non-justice: mercy and injustice. Injustice is an evil thing, the antithesis of justice. If God ever committed an injustice, He would not be a righteous God. However, there is no reason a just and righteous God cannot grant mercy, for mercy is a good thing.

Of course, Paul’s hypothetical question is asked because God’s grace is not given equally to all people. But there is no law that demands that if one receives mercy, all must receive it. God’s words to Moses clearly indicate that He retains the right to show mercy “ ‘on whomever I will have mercy.’ ” Thus, it is His prerogative to predestine whosoever He chooses to receive heaven, and since such predestination constitutes mercy, and since mercy is not injustice, God is not unjust in His acts of predestination.