Questioning God's Justice

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De Jager

Puritan Board Junior
Forgive me if this is very basic, but I could use your help.

In some dealings I have had with a certain unbeliever, this person has conveyed that they reject substitutionary atonement because in his mind it is not "just". In his mind, if someone else pays for your sin, then justice has not been meted. To him, justice has only been meted if each person pays for their own sins.

My response, is that it is not our idea of justice that matters, but God's idea of justice that matters. If God is satisfied with Christ suffering and paying the debt for our sins, then why would we not accept that? To not accept it would be to find fault with what God views as just, which would find fault with God, which would put us in judgment of God, which is abhorrent.

Are there other arguments that can be said? Am I missing something?

Secondly, this leads into a question I have regarding being united to Christ. How does being united to Christ in his death relate to the imputation of my sin to Christ?

Many thanks,

Izaak
 
Are there other arguments that can be said?
Yes. The even more fundamental question with which your unbelieving acquaintence needs to grapple is how he can even account for justice apart from God. (I'll give you a hint: He can't.) Until he answers that question, then he has no right even raising the issue of the justice of substitutionary atonement.
 
Yes. The even more fundamental question with which your unbelieving acquaintence needs to grapple is how he can even account for justice apart from God. (I'll give you a hint: He can't.) Until he answers that question, then he has no right even raising the issue of the justice of substitutionary atonement.

I totally agree. Thanks.
 
Is he an atheist? Otherwise, how does he expect to pay for his own sins? What other option is there?

Maybe explaining the concept of Jesus ransoming us would be more sensible to him. Jesus paid the fine for our release.
 
Secondly, this leads into a question I have regarding being united to Christ. How does being united to Christ in his death relate to the imputation of my sin to Christ?

Hi Izaak,

You may be looking for something less simplistic than what I have offered. If so, I hope you find your answer.

Everything in the perfect life of Christ has been imputed to us by the gracious double exchange. We deserved death, physical as well as Spiritual. So when Christ died, we died. And when He was raised, we rose with Him.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Ephesians 2:5-6
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

See also Romans 6:4
 
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