Do you remember the wonder you felt as a child as you began to see the diversity in other people?
As a child I remember being fascinated with the culture of ancient Egypt. As my mind began to stretch to comprehend different cultures, different races, and different times, I loved investigating to find out more. How did they talk? What language did they use? What did they eat? What was their history?
Looking around, it’s easy to see the diversity in people. We see differences because God wanted it that way. For example, we read in Acts 17:26 that He made every nation on purpose.
God made every nation – and every nation is different.
But at the same time, every nation is the same. They’re all made up of humans, and every human has the same basic nature. We are all made in God’s image – made up of body, soul, and spirit – and we are all born in sin.
It’s this last idea that needs attention. The fact that we are all born with the sin and guilt of our first father Adam means that nothing we do or say is ever perfectly good. The Scripture is clear in describing sin, its origin, and how it affects every person’s nature. As much as we may try to act righteously and justly on our own, we will always fall short.
Our nature, our very foundation, is not righteous. It’s been marred by sin.
Now, it’s not difficult to understand that a broken foundation is unreliable and awaiting destruction.
The same goes for our lives. Our very core nature is diseased with sin, which means that our thoughts, words, and actions all come from an unreliable foundation.
This is why the incredible truth that God is righteous and just is so important to humanity. In fact, it’s essential for humanity’s survival. If it weren’t for God’s righteous and just nature, no one would see Him face to face. Let’s look at some biblical truth about God’s righteousness and justice found in the Psalms, then come back to our dependence on Him.
We read in Psalm 9:8: “He judges the world with righteousness” and “the peoples with uprightness.” Psalm 33:5 says how God “loves righteousness and justice.” In Psalm 36:6, the psalmist declares that His “righteousness is like the mountains of God” and His “judgments are like the great deep.” We also know that “righteousness and justice are the foundation of [His] throne”(Psalm 89:14).
The foundation of God’s throne is an important truth that demonstrates one of the core characteristics of God: His righteousness and justice. Unlike us, God has a foundation that’s pure and perfect. Everything that God has commanded, willed, said, or done, has all been right and just.
We are a broken people, trying to live good lives, but failing miserably over and over again. That’s why we are dependent on the righteousness and justice of God. Through His Son Jesus, we have the ability to step onto His foundation. Jesus stepped off His throne to redeem humanity – all so that we could be made righteous and just.
So, every human may be different and unique, but everyone is born on a broken foundation that only God can restore. How? Through His righteousness and justice.
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