100 BIBLE LESSONS by Alban Douglas - LESSON # 3

                                      100 BIBLE LESSONS by Alban Douglas
                                            LESSON NUMBER 3
                                       GOD IS A BALANCE BEING

     God is holy, loving, merciful, faithful, yet just and righteous. God's love allows Him to forgive sin
and show mercy to a repentant sinner. The holiness and justice of God demand that sin must be punished
to the full extent of the law.The holiness of God demands that we be holy. The law of God pronounces
eternal damnation on the guilty sinner in accordance with justice of God. One of the greatest marvels of our age is that God found a way of salvation that satisfied both the holiness of God and the love of God. This
solution also satisfied the law, yet left man a creature with a free will who could choose salvation or damnation, heaven or hell.

                                           I - GOD IS HOLY

     We cannot imagine a God who could be anything but perfect holiness. To be holy means to be free from all defilement, to be pure. God is absolutely pure. The holiness of God separated Him from fallen man. The only way that man can approach this holy God is through the blood of Christ. God is holy. God hates sin.
His holy wrath must punish sin. The holiness of God demanded punishment for sin. This demand was voluntarily assumed by the Savior on the cross and completely satisfied the Father.   

                                    
                                          II - GOD IS LOVE

     What is love? Love is a desire for and delight in the welfare of the one on whom the love is bestowed.
True love even loves sinners and enemies. The love of God is manifested toward the Son and all believers
in particular. God, as a loving Father, manifests His love to the Christian by chastening.


                                         III - GOD IS FAITHFUL

     What does the word faithful mean? It means someone who can be safely trusted, who is reliable and
dependable. God is faithful for He is honest and never changes. God's faithfulness is manifested in keeping
His promises and fulfilling every word that He has spoken. God is unchangeable for He neither lies nor repents. God will keep every promise to protect, assist and guide His child in need.


                                        IV - GOD IS MERCIFUL

     Instead of inflicting pain and death as punishment for sin, the Lord is merciful and gives many blessings-
health, comforts and earthly joys-- to the saved and lost. God is sovereign and can choose to whom He
desires to show His mercy. The Lord extends mercy to those who trust in Him. When the repentant sinner
comes to Jesus for forgiveness, he claims not merit but throws himself upon the mercy of the Lord.


                                        V - GOD IS JUST

    Our God is just and righteous and will mete out just judgment for every individual. God being just, righteous and holy must act in a manner that is just, fair and upright. God's nature or character leads Him to do that which is right at all times. God as the just One will be the final Judge of all things.


                                       CONCLUSION

     How can God be loving and demand holiness at the same time? How can He at the same time be both merciful and just to a guilty sinner? The answer can only be found in Calvary. Calvary was the expression
both of the wrath of God against sin and the mercy of God toward the guilty sinner. Calvary satisfies the
holiness and justice of God by fulfilling all the requirements of the law and permits the sinner to enter heaven
legally. Let us bow in true worship before this great God who is a perfect Being.



SOURCED FROM 100 BIBLE LESSONS by ALBAN DOUGLAS