Verses: God's Character and Justice¶

A. God's Self-Revealed Character¶

Exodus 34:6-7 -- "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation]."

Deuteronomy 32:4 -- "[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he."

Psalm 103:8-14 -- "The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep [his anger] for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth [his] children, [so] the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we [are] dust."

Psalm 145:8-9,17,20 -- "The LORD [is] gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD [is] good to all: and his tender mercies [are] over all his works... The LORD [is] righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works... The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy."

Nahum 1:2-3,6-8 -- "God [is] jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and [is] furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [wrath] for his enemies. The LORD [is] slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit [the wicked]... Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. The LORD [is] good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof."

Micah 7:18-19 -- "Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

Lamentations 3:22-23 -- "[It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness."

Isaiah 55:7-9 -- "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

B. Proportional Punishment Passages¶

Luke 12:47-48 -- "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."

Matthew 10:15 -- "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

Matthew 11:22,24 -- "But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you... But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Hebrews 2:2-3 -- "For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation..."

Hebrews 10:28-29 -- "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

Romans 2:5-12 -- "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil... For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law..."

2 Corinthians 5:10 -- "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad."

Colossians 3:25 -- "But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."

Job 34:10-12 -- "Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, [that he should do] wickedness; and [from] the Almighty, [that he should commit] iniquity. For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to [his] ways. Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment."

Psalm 62:12 -- "Also unto thee, O Lord, [belongeth] mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work."

Ezekiel 18:25,29-30 -- "Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?... Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin."

Jeremiah 17:10 -- "I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings."

C. Biblical Punishment Patterns (Historical Judgments)¶

Genesis 6:7; 7:21-23 -- Flood: "And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth..." / "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth... All in whose nostrils [was] the breath of life, of all that [was] in the dry [land], died. And every living substance was destroyed..."

Genesis 19:24-25,28 -- Sodom: "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities..." / "And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah... and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace."

Numbers 16:31-35 -- Korah: "And it came to pass... that the ground clave asunder that [was] under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up... They, and all that [appertained] to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation... And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense."

Leviticus 10:1-2 -- Nadab/Abihu: "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."

Genesis 4:11-15 -- Cain: "And now [art] thou cursed from the earth... a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth... And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." (Note: punished but NOT killed -- proportional)

D. Death as the Stated Penalty¶

Romans 6:23 -- "For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Ezekiel 18:4,20 -- "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." / "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."

Genesis 2:17 -- "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

James 1:15 -- "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Ezekiel 18:23,32 -- "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: [and] not that he should return from his ways, and live?" / "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye."

Ezekiel 33:11 -- "Say unto them, [As] I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"

E. God's Desire -- Not Willing That Any Perish¶

2 Peter 3:9 -- "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

1 Timothy 2:4 -- "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

John 3:16-17 -- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

F. Cross-Testament Parallels (Hybrid Analysis)¶

Exodus 34:6 Parallels¶

OT: Psalm 86:15 (0.723), Joel 2:13 (0.634), Psalm 103:8 (0.623), Jonah 4:2 (0.600), Psalm 145:8 (0.566) -- all echo the "merciful, gracious, longsuffering" formula

Romans 6:23 Parallels¶

OT: Proverbs 10:16 (0.395) -- "labour of the righteous tendeth to life; the fruit of the wicked to sin"
NT: Romans 5:21 (0.522), Romans 8:2 (0.500), Romans 5:17 (0.481) -- death/life contrast chain

2 Peter 3:9 Parallels¶

OT: Deuteronomy 4:31 (0.384) -- "the LORD thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee"

Ezekiel 18:23 Parallels¶

OT: Ezekiel 33:11 (0.603) -- "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked"
OT: Ezekiel 18:32 (0.586) -- "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth"

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