The Justice of God … (March 2023 Update)
If there is no hell, then God is not just! Many Christians today shrink back from the doctrine of hell and from the justice of God. They often ask how a loving God could create a place like hell. Some atheists even use the doctrine of hell as an excuse for not believing in God.
But God’s love demands that there be a hell with eternal punishment. If God is truly loving, completely loving, then He must punish sin or He would not be just. A truly loving God would not allow injustice to go unpunished. So, God’s love and God’s justice go together. They are like two sides to the same coin. You can’t have one without the other.
However, the justice of God is almost completely ignored by many today. But this is not new to our age. At the beginning of the 20th Century, A. W. Pink wrote: “It is scarcely surprising that far less has been written upon the justice of God—than upon some of the other Divine perfections. We are accustomed to turn our thoughts unto those objects and subjects which afford us the most pleasure, and to avoid those which render us uneasy.” But God’s justice should not make us uneasy – it should give us confidence that, even though evil might reign for a season, it will ultimately be judged by God. But, if there is no hell, then evil will have escaped any just punishment. And God would not be just.
Let’s look briefly at the justice of God.
There are two aspects to the justice of God: Distributive and Retributive. In His Distributive Justice, God is not just if He does not reward those who follow Him in righteousness. For example, in Mark 10:29-30, Jesus’ disciples are concerned to know if leaving all to follow him was worth it. Jesus responded: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” That’s Distributive Justice. We may serve in many ways that seem to go unnoticed or unrewarded but God, in His perfect justice, will repay all our service for Him – sometimes in this life but mostly in the life to came. That’s why Hebrews 6:10 promises: “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” God is completely just – nothing we do for Him and His kingdom will ever be forgotten!
But it is His Retributive Justice that we usually think about when we hear about God’s justice. In retributive justice, God will judge and punish every sin and evil action because justice demands punishment for sins. If God does not judge all sin, then God is not completely just. God’s judgment often comes in this life. We see this clearly in the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and in the death of King Herod in Acts 12. Also, in 1 Corinthians 11:30, Paul seems to indicate that some in Corinth were weak and sick and even died because of God’s judgment on them – “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many have died.” So, some judgment comes in this life.
But most of God’s justice comes after death. Most of God’s judgment is eternal. That’s why the doctrine of hell is so essential. If there is no hell, then there is no justice. If there is no hell, then God is not completely just. In his book, If God is Good, Randy Alcorn says, “When most people speak of what a terrible notion Hell is, they talk as if it involves the suffering of innocent people. That would indeed be terribly unjust—but nowhere does the Bible suggest the innocent will spend a single moment in Hell.” Then he goes on to tell about a man he met in Kyiv that he met on the train. The man told him that his mother was the only one of twelve children in her family to survive Stalin’s enforced starvation in Ukraine (1932-33). If there is no hell, then there is no justice for any who were murdered by tyrants such as Stalin, or Hitler, or Putin. Randy Alcorn concludes: “Hell exists precisely because God has committed himself to solving the problem of evil.” If there is no hell, then evil prevails and there is no real justice.
Hell and the justice of God are two of the most misunderstood doctrines. Here are some excellent corrections from Randey Alcorn about hell. First, “Hell is not evil; it’s a place where evil gets punished…. Hell is morally good, because a good God must punish evil.” Again, if God does not punish evil completely, then God is not just. God’s justice is dependent on His punishing evil. Second, “Hell will not be a blot on the universe, but an eternal testimony” to the justice of God. Third, our modern aversion to hell is not logical. Randy Alcorn explains:
We cry out for true and lasting justice, then [we] fault God for taking evil too seriously by administering eternal punishment. We can’t have it both ways. Sin is evil; just punishment of sin is good. Hell is an eternal correction of and compensation for evil. It is justice. To fear and dread Hell is understandable, but to argue against Hell is to argue against justice.
If there is no hell, then all our cries for justice are empty and hopeless. A just God must punish sin or He is not just.
As we enter Ukraine’s second year of war with Russia, we are acutely aware of the importance of the justice of God. If there is no hell and no eternal punishment for the atrocities that have been committed by Russian soldiers, then God is not just. But a proper understanding of God’s justice also motivates us to not seek revenge but to leave the final, ultimate judgment to God. In Romans 12:19, Paul reminds us, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” It is so tempting to want revenge for all that has happened. But it is better to leave the matter of judgment in God’s hands. He alone knows all and sees all. If we would judge, our judgment would be inaccurate and incomplete. But God’s judgment is precise and also comes with many opportunities for mercy and repentance. And God’s justice covers every deed – good and bad. People might escape the justice of man; but no one escapes the judgment of God!
Finally, God’s justice is fully revealed in the cross of Jesus. In Romans 3, Paul explains that God must be just and punish all sin. But He also became the justifier by sending Jesus to take our punishment by dying on the cross. By doing so, God remains completely just because He paid for our sins through Jesus. And He offers eternal life to all who receive Jesus by faith. Some call this the Restorative Justice of God. In Jesus, God makes all things right again. Most refer to this as Substitutionary Atonement.
In his song, Hallelujah! What a Savior!, Phillip Bliss expressed this great truth:
“Man of Sorrows!” what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
As we enter the second year of this war, we might be tempted to hate or to seek revenge. But, if we understand the justice of God, we can be patient and let God execute His just judgment on the invaders. God is just and in that and that alone can we take comfort in these days!
Teaching – one year later …
If you had told me a year ago that I would still be teaching students in Ukraine, I would have thought you were crazy. Yet that is exactly what I have been doing! In fact, last year I taught more classes with more students than I ever taught when we lived in Ukraine! Amazingly, students in Ukraine wanted to continue to study and be equipped for ministry. In fact, one person explained the reason for continuing studies: “Knowledge is power and Biblical knowledge is the most powerful of all.” Even though a war is going on, they are still committed to ministering the gospel to the people of Ukraine!
All my classes this past year have been online. I have taught classes on Prayer, Worship, Evangelism, Theology, Church History and Research and writing. Some of these were taught multiple times at both seminaries. One class I taught 4 different times to 4 different groups! One class had 77 students while most of the classes were slightly smaller than normal with about 20 students in each class. Students studied without lights at times and without heat. And they had to schedule their meeting times around the time when the electricity would be on (usually only about 4 hours a day). A couple of students even met on Zoom when the air raid sirens were wailing. One student was studying from near the front lines. Another student was on guard duty, walking around with his cell phone to listen to discussions!
In February, I taught Theology 1 to a group of students at Kyiv Theological Seminary. Our pastor from Kyiv, Sergey Bochko (and his wife, Natasha), translated the class for me. It is always great to work with them. We had a great class with many very practical questions and issues, especially about the war in Ukraine. I am so grateful for these students and their passion to minister for the Lord during some extremely difficult times!
I’m also still grading papers from my classes in November, January and now February. I had so many students that I am really behind in grading. Fortunately, I have a little break before my next class. It looks like I will be teaching classes online for Ukraine at least until next winter 2024. I am so grateful for this opportunity to teach, especially since the war has interrupted our plans to teach in Ukraine for a few more years. We will see if the need to teach online continues into the coming year. Be praying for me and for the students that I am teaching.
Please continue to pray for Ukraine and for the seminaries there. Both seminaries are still having classes and they are even offering specialized seminars to help people minister during the war. Please continue to pray for those that are being trained for the sake of the gospel.
Housing – one year later …
One year ago, we were wondering what we were going to do. When the invasion came, we were in shock for a few days, even though we fully expected the invasion (we left in January to avoid the possible invasion). Even a few weeks into the war, it looked like there was no hope for Ukraine as Russian troops poured into the country. We had tickets to return to Ukraine in April, but that looked unlikely. In a few weeks, the airline even cancelled our tickets because there were no flights into Ukraine.
We also had to figure out what to do with our house. It survived the initial assault and was one of a handful of areas in Vasylkiv still intact. At the airbase in our town (less than a km away), partisans and regular forces bravely fought off Russian special forces and paratroopers and prevented them from landing troop transports that Russia planned to use to assault Kyiv from the south (we are just 20 minutes south of the city).
Over the last year, our house has been a blessing to many people. In the beginning of the war, it served as an air raid shelter for neighbors. We had a cellar so some families with small children came to stay there at night. Since electricity was frequently off, some came to get warm because we had a woodstove to heat the house. After the initial threat from the Russian paratroopers, our house was used by members of the Territorial Defense as a place to sleep while they were taking a break from guard duty for the town. And after the Russians withdrew from Kyiv, our house was used to house a refugee family with small children. Finally, our house is also being used by friends from Without Excuse ministry to have a place to store and sort seeds that they are distributing to Ukrainian families so they can have gardens this summer. While we have not been able to minister directly in Ukraine during the last year, our house has been a blessing to many!
One of our great needs this year is to try to sell our house in Ukraine. This will be very difficult to do, and we will be fortunate to get even 50% of the value, but we need the money to complete our house here. Please pray for us and for the sale of our house in Ukraine.
Also, a year ago, we came to the US unsure where we could find able a place to stay. But we were blessed to be able to stay until September in a basement apartment with a family in Fayetteville. Then, when we needed to find another place to live, God provided some housing at Hiding Place Hollow. This ministry is providing houses for missionaries. We have been greatly blessed to be able to stay here!
As the war dragged on, we decided that it would be wise to transition to living in the US. We had planned to do this in a couple more years, but now seems to be the best time for us. Housing prices were sky high, so we bought some land near Fayetteville in the fall. It has taken a while to get started on building, but last month we were able to get the excavation done and this month we have our footers in. Hopefully, we will get all the walls up by the end of March and start with the roof in April. We are praying that we can sell our property in Kyiv because we need the extra money to continue building. Please pray for us as we continue to build our home.
Family – One Year Later …
Last year was filled with lots of uncertainty and it was especially hard on our girls. They wanted to be back home in Ukraine. But they have adjusted well and, even though they still cry and talk about wanting to be back in Ukraine, they have adjusted to life in the US. It has been especially helpful that they are able to spend much time with Haven and Harley. And they have been really blessed with the children of some other missionary families who also live with us at Hiding Place Hollow. The girls love living here, and they continue to enjoy being homeschooled. We have even been surprised with snowfall in Arkansas a number of times. Last month, we had a snowstorm that was mainly ice pellets and the girls took advantage of it and made their own snow cones!
The girls had a great time celebrating Valentines Day. They made cookies and a number of crafts that we shared with some friends. And we all enjoyed a Valentine’s dinner at a newly opened restaurant in Huntsville and had a special Valentine’s breakfast at home.
Finally, please pray for Katya’s documents to come soon. That would help us a lot in so many ways.
Ukraine – one year later …
Please continue to pray for Ukraine. It was clear in Putin’s anniversary speech that the war will not be over for a long time. He continues to accuse Ukraine of being Nazis and claims that the territory that Russia has captured is and always will be Russian territory. More troops and tanks and weapons continue to be sent to Ukraine. It does not look like the war will end any time soon.
Continue to pray for the churches of Ukraine. Many are ministering to physical needs as well as meeting spiritual needs. For example, our neighbors in Ukraine purchased boxes of seed packets and sorted them into packets to give to families in Ukraine so they can have food from their own gardens. They also cut and delivered wood to many families over the winter. Pray that the Lord will continue to give believers in Ukraine the creativity and resources to help as many people as possible.
Additionally, pray for Russia and the Russian people. Most of them believe what Putin said in his speech and they support the “special operation” in Ukraine to get rid of the Nazis there. Pray that their eyes will be opened to the truth about Ukraine and the war there. And pray that they will desire a change in the current government in Russia. Most of all, pray too for their salvation.
We appreciate your support so much during the past year. It has been the most difficult time of our lives. And we know that the coming year will also be difficult as we try to provide a house for us here. Pray that we can sell our house so we will have the money we need here. Also, it looks like I will be busy teaching for at least another year here. I have been asked to consider helping with a number of ministries here in the US and we are praying about those possibilities. All of them would involve raising our own support just as we have in the past. Thanks again for your prayers and your support! We are grateful for God’s justice – both retributive and distributive. We know that He will punish all evil. But we know that He will also reward all good – including your support for us and other missionaries. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister (Hebrews 6:10).” Thank you for ministering to us and to the people of Ukraine!
By His Grace,
Jim, Katya, Kristina and Nadia
If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .
Also, some have asked about how to support us. You can send checks to Teaching Resources International, PO Box 1025, Cabot, AR 72023 or pay through PayPal on our website. Just put “#1000 Ehrhard” in the memo so our treasurer knows where to allocate the funds. If you want to help with our relocation fund or building efforts, put Relocation in the memo.
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