Think Wink.

One of the primary debates in the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate is whether God is just to sovereign elect according to his own will and choice and not according to man’s decisions, beliefs, or works. How one defines justice in this question has major implications to how one answers the question. Webster.com does not define justice as a term of equality. But in today’s culture, the world has applied such a definition to the term “justice.” So let us first assume the dictionary definition supplied to define justice and work with it.

Justice would then basically mean to get what you deserve. When you are getting justice, you are rewarded with what your works and thoughts have merited. If you have done good, you will be blessed and rewarded. If you have done evil and wrong, you will receive punishment and curse. Justice is to get what you deserve.

The opposite of justice would be non-justice. Non-justice would be to not get what you deserve. This can happen in one of two ways. First, the one who has done good would receive punishment and curse and wrong instead of being blessed and rewarded. Second, the one who has done wrong would receive a blessing where he or she should receive punishment and curse. The first is injustice, the second is mercy. The first is unacceptable, the second is most desired by the one who is receiving the mercy.

Let us translate this into the realm of God’s dealings with man. All men are sinners (cf. Romans 3:9-12) and as such are deserving of hell. Hell would be justice for the sinner because he or she has violated God’s glory by violating God’s laws and decrees and commandments. Thus any man who goes to hell would be getting God’s justice. God is a just God who deals with man according to his deeds. In man’s case, all of his deeds are evil and sinful.
Now, for God to not punish a sinner is non-justice, more specifically mercy. God is a merciful God. He does not desire the death of the wicked. He desires to have mercy upon sinners and to not punish them that they might live.

Then there is the other form of non-justice, that is injustice. God is incapable of injustice because he is good and just. He would not be God because to be Yahweh is to be just (cf. Exodus 34:5-7). Thus this is not a divine attribute but a man-made condition.

In following this line of thinking, God is incapable of injustice because no man is treated unfairly. All men are guilty of sin, there is no one who has lived the righteous life except the God-man, Immanuel, Jesus Christ. All are guilty of sin, no one is righteous. God therefore would send all to hell for eternity and no one can complain because they are guilty of violating the glory of God in breaking their covenant with him. But there are some who God has chosen to not destroy in hell but to save from hell. To them he is merciful. In the case of those chosen to receive mercy, Jesus willingly volunteered to bear their sin and punishment on their behalf so that God’s wrath may punish the sins of those receiving mercy. There will not be a sin that is not punished by God. Those who he has not chosen are given justice and wrath, those who are chosen for salvation are given mercy and grace. Because there is no righteous man, injustice is impossible. Because God is good and just, injustice is impossible. Thus no one can complain about what they get nor can they call it unfair.

Now let us suppose that justice is to mean equal. God judges all men equally because it is based upon our own choices and actions. God judges based upon whether we have used our freedom to choose him or reject him. It is the most fair and equal for all men. God is not a respecter of persons. Thus God can’t have mercy on a special few people because he would be respecting them more than the others.

Let me ask this, is God really respecting anyone if his choice has not concern of whether those chosen deserved it? If God chose you not because you did something but because it suited his purposes best, is he respecting you or himself? I would argue himself because the choice was made with absolutely no regard to the person being chosen. Equality is a non factor in this choice because it has nothing to do with what God is trying to accomplish. If God were to chose based upon man’s actions, choices, thoughts, and beliefs, he would be respecting their actions over his own. He would be a respecter of persons because he can’t act until he sees exactly what it is that man will do. If he is override the free will, then we are slaves and don’t have freedom. Therefore God must respect our free will. But Arminians say God is not a respecter of men. Calvinists say God doesn’t care about who the person is and what he might do with is given freedom in sin. God only respects his own sovereign glory and purposes.

Thus I conclude that God is just. He doesn’t punish a righteous man and all sin is punished, whether on the cross of Christ at Calvary or in hell for eternity. All men and women whose sins are nailed to the cross, they have received mercy. No one can claim to have been treated unjustly. It is utterly impossible. In regards to equality. Equality has nothing to do with election but God’s sovereign purposes are what is in view. To say that God doesn’t treat all men equally and thus he is a respecter of persons is to misunderstand the Calvinist position and to not truly understand the Arminian position. For God to treat all men equally as Arminians purposes God does, he would be the respecter of persons that the Bible claims he is not. In Calvinism, this whole mess is avoided because the idea of equality is not imported into justice and it does not force God to be a respecter of persons.

Mercy and Equality

Edwards, Mercy, Fairness, and Predestination

Justice Mercy and Homework