June 3, 2006
Newsletter Archives

Most of the time sayings on bulletin boards are very insightful. I have often quoted one I read many years ago. It read: “If everything is coming your way, you are likely in the wrong lane.” That’s worth thinking about.
More recently, however, I read a statement that was a million miles off the mark. It said, “Justice is love at a distance.” For a while I pondered it as I tried to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Then I decided that it was simply not true.
Even a person with a casual interest in the Bible would understand that the Christian message-underscored every Christmas- tells us that God came so near to bring justice that He actually sent His Son down through the immense expanse of space, through the starry heavens until He came to the small planet Earth. Here the Son of God became a man so that He might become as close to us as possible. Last of all, he took our guilt and sins and paid for them Himself. To me, that does not sound like justice being love at a distance. Could God come any closer?
The story of the good Samaritan – one of the classic stories of the Bible – gives us the same beautiful message. A man lies on a road, robbed and beaten. Concerning the dying man, the Lord Jesus tells us that the Good Samaritan “came where he was” Luke 10:33. And the Good Samaritan is the Son of God, Himself.
This message is explained best in John 3:16. “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.” Justice demanded payment for sin. God’s Son came and paid it Himself. Justice is not love at a distance. It was impossible for God’s love to bring His justice any closer.

Russ Nesbit