Christians: Is God a “just” god, or a “merciful” god?

Christians: Is God a “just” god, or a “merciful” god? Dec 20, 2018 4:02:35 GMT

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Post by captainbryce on Dec 20, 2018 4:02:35 GMT

Dec 20, 2018 0:45:37 GMT Isapop said:

Dec 19, 2018 23:55:49 GMT @graham said:

I don't see any need for Christians to recoil from the idea that God sometimes suspends justice in favor of mercy, making God not always just. If I were a Christian I would only object to calling it "unjust" because that word always connotes some sort of badness, while mercy can be good. (Maybe Christians need to coin a word, like "extrajust".)

I think the OP's question was intended to mean, "Is God ever unjust?", rather than, "Does God ever exercise some alternative to justice?"

As to why God isn't always merciful, I suppose the Christian response is to answer that God, being God, has perfect knowledge of when mercy should and should not be extended.

Kind of an argument of semantics though. I agree with graham that mercy is by definition "unjust". And the bible contradicts itself many times with respect to whether God is a just god or a merciful god.

Proverbs 21:3
To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. (kind of destroys the entire narrative of Christianity.)

James 2:13
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (Contradicts Proverbs 21:3, and shows that Jesus's sacrifice is more important than justice)