January 31 – LD 5, Day 3: The Need for the Satisfaction of Divine Justice

Exodus 20:5, “I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

The only escape from the punishment for sin is in the way of paying the penalty. We now face the question, why must man die if he is ever to be received into favor with God?

The catechism answers this for us, “God will have His justice satisfied.” Justice indicates God means what He says and will act accordingly.

This satisfaction includes two things.

First, God must visit the iniquity of the fathers upon them … because their sin is an expression of their hatred of God. This is why our sins offend God. He responds with justice, He rightly, and according to His perfect law, brings upon the guilty sinner punishment both temporal and eternal. The sinner has to bear this punishment; otherwise God’s word means nothing at all. Reflect on this and tremble before God for your sins.

Second, the guilty sinner must not only deal with the jealous God as He visits his iniquity, but more so, he has to stop hating God. This is the second part of God’s sentence of death upon the sinner (it is both legal and spiritual). In His judgment, God gives him over to sin so that he finds sin his pleasure and makes a real mess of his life. Exodus 20:5 refers to God visiting the iniquity of fathers upon their children. God does not punish innocent children for parent’s sins. Rather, God carries out His punishment for sin in such a way that the sins of parents become the sins of their children. See the evidence of this in today’s world. Natural families do not generally improve spiritually, the children are worse than their parents.  This explains why mankind and society become more wicked from generation to generation. It is due to the righteous judgment of God who punishes them.

If the fallen sinner will ever be received into the arms of divine favor, the justice of God requires that he must both pay the penalty for his sin and turn his life around so that he loves God instead of hates Him.

Now you begin to understand why salvation is of the Lord, man cannot satisfy such divine justice.