【双语灵修】神的公义GOD’S JUSTICE

希伯来书 9:27-28

按着定命，人人都有一死，死后且有审判； 像这样，基督既然一次被献，担当了多人的罪，将来要向那等候他的人第二次显现，并与罪无关，乃是为拯救他们。

10月4日

神的公义

因为你不是喜悦恶事的 神，恶人不能与你同居。狂傲人不能站在你眼前；凡作孽的，都是你所恨恶的。(诗篇5:4-5)

想像你刚买了辆新车。某天发现挡泥板上有严重划痕，车漆也被刮花。你正懊恼时，幸好门前摄像机记录了全部过程——肇事者竟是邻居。他站在法官面前，而法官恰好也是邻居。法官对他说：“你显然有罪，但我记得去年冬天你帮我铲过门前雪，总体看，你这人还不错。本案撤销！”

你回到家，看见法官和那个邻居正开怀大笑。此刻你会怎么想？多数人都会说：“这不公平！法官贪赃枉法！”

如今有许多人这样想：“如果神真的仁慈且充满爱，祂就会宽恕所有人。”但若我们稍加思考，一个将谎言、偷窃、强奸、谋杀、种族灭绝等罪行，掉以轻心的神明，真是多么可怕！对罪恶视若无睹的神绝非良善，反倒与魔鬼无异。

罪必须受到审判，因神是公义的神。既然深知罪的严重性，也明白无人能过无罪的生活，我们内心深处都清楚自己的罪必须付出代价。感恩的是，神已藉着耶稣为我们解决了这个问题。

祷告

主啊，我们承认自己是罪人，感谢你不纵容邪恶。感谢基督的十字架，在那里公义与怜悯相遇。阿们。

Hebrews 9:27-28

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4

GOD’S JUSTICE

You are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. —Psalm 5:4-5

Imagine that you have purchased a new car. Then one day you find deep gouges in the fender and scratches in the paint. You are upset, but fortunately your doorbell camera has caught it all. The perpetrator is a neighbor. He appears before the judge, who also happens to be a neighbor. The judge says to him, “It is clear that you are guilty, but I remember that last winter you shoveled the snow from my sidewalk, so on the whole I think you are a pretty good person. Case dismissed.”

You return home, and you see the judge and the other neighbor having a good laugh. What are you thinking? Most of us would say, “This is not right; this judge is corrupt!”

Today there are many people who think, “If God was truly kind and loving, he would just forgive everyone.” But if we think that through for a moment, a God who dismissed lying, stealing, rape, murder, genocide, and other sins as nothing serious would be horrible! A God who brushed evil away would not be good; he would be like a devil.

Sin must be punished. And God is a God of justice. Knowing that sin is serious and that it is impossible for any of us to live sinless lives, we know deep down that our sin has to be punished. And thankfully God has also taken care of that for us—through Jesus.

Lord, we confess that we are sinful, and we thank you for not tolerating evil. Thank you for the cross of Christ, where justice and mercy meet. Amen.