God's Love and Justice in His Character and Human Dealing

God's character is defined by both love and justice, attributes that are not contradictory but rather integral to His nature and dealings with humanity ^{[3, 4]}. The Bible consistently presents God as loving righteousness and justice, with the earth being full of His loving devotion ^[1].

God's justice is an unchangeable principle of His very nature, not an optional product of His will ^[4]. This perfection means He is infinitely righteous in Himself and in all His actions, exercising this righteousness in His moral governance ^[4]. His legislative justice involves imposing righteous laws on His creatures, requiring conformity to the moral law, while His rectoral or distributive justice concerns His dealings with accountable beings ^[4]. The righteousness of God is described as very high, abundant, beyond computation, everlasting, and enduring forever, forming the habitation of His throne ^[6]. It is exhibited in His testimonies, commandments, judgments, word, and ways ^[6].

Simultaneously, God is characterized by profound love. The New Testament highlights "the kindness and love for mankind of God our Savior" ^[2]. This love is described as sovereign, great, abiding, unfailing, unalienable, constraining, and everlasting ^[7]. It is manifested towards perishing sinners, His saints, the destitute, and the cheerful giver ^[7]. God's loving-kindness is considered good, excellent, marvelous, multitudinous, everlasting, and merciful, and is even described as better than life itself ^{[5, 13]}. This loving-kindness is understood to be extended through Christ ^[5].

Some theologians emphasize that God "is love," meaning He is an infinite fountain of benevolence and beneficence to every human being ^[8]. This perspective suggests that God cannot hate because love is His essence, and He desires that no one should perish ^[8]. His love is demonstrated by His provision for all, such as causing the sun to rise on both the evil and the good ^[8].

While God's justice and love are distinct, they are not separate. They are often seen as different aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection ^[3]. For instance, God's perfections of love, mercy, goodness, and truth are manifested in pardoning sin, with the greatness of sin making pardon all the more necessary ^[10]. God is rich in mercy, which is a perfection of His divine nature ^[9]. This mercy can be general, extending to all people in a providential way, or special, reaching only some through grace ^[9]. The display of His mercy is an act of His will, and special mercy is exhibited in Christ Jesus ^[9].

The Old Testament, particularly in Exodus, reveals God as a God of grace, slow to anger, and full of unfailing love and faithfulness ^[11]. These qualities are presented as the basis for His continued relationship with humanity, even when His justice might otherwise dictate a different outcome ^[11]. The concept of God's righteousness and judgment is also linked to His delight in administering justice and His pleasure in righteous acts performed by others ^[12]. He loves the righteousness of His Son, which satisfies His law and justice, and delights in His people clothed in that righteousness ^[12].

Sources

Psalms “Psalms 33:5 (BSB) — The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His loving devotion.”
Titus “Titus 3:4 (LEB) — But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Savior appeared,”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Goodness of God — A perfection of his character which he exercises towards his creatures according to their various circumstances and relations (Ps. 145:8, 9; 103:8; 1 John 4:8). Viewed generally, it is benevolence; as exercised with respect to the miseries of his creatures it is mercy, pity, compassion, and in the case of impenitent sinners, long-suffering patience; as exercised in communicating favour on the unworthy it is grace. "Goodness and justice are the several aspects of one unchangeable, infinitely wise, and sovereign moral perfection. God is not sometimes ”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Justice of God — That perfection of his nature whereby he is infinitely righteous in himself and in all he does, the righteousness of the divine nature exercised in his moral government. At first God imposes righteous laws on his creatures and executes them righteously. Justice is not an optional product of his will, but an unchangeable principle of his very nature. His legislative justice is his requiring of his rational creatures conformity in all respects to the moral law. His rectoral or distributive justice is his dealing with his accountable creatures according”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Loving-Kindness of God, The — Is through Christ -- Eph 2:7; Tit 3:4-6. Described as Great. -- Ne 9:17. Excellent. -- Ps 36:7. Good. -- Ps 69:16. Marvellous. -- Ps 17:7; 31:21. Multitudinous. -- Isa 63:7. Everlasting. -- Isa 54:8. Merciful. -- Ps 117:2. Better than life. -- Ps 63:3. Consideration of the dealings of God gives a knowledge of -- Ps 107:43. Saints Betrothed in. -- Ho 2:19. Drawn by. -- Jer 31:3. Preserved by. -- Ps 40:11. Quickened after. -- Ps 119:88. Comforted by. -- Ps 119:76. Look for mercy through. -- Ps 51:1. Receive mercy through. -- Isa 54:8. Are ”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Righteousness of God, The — Is part of his character -- Ps 7:9; 116:5; 119:137. Described as Very high. -- Ps 71:19. Abundant. -- Ps 48:10. Beyond computation. -- Ps 71:15. Everlasting. -- Ps 119:142. Enduring for ever. -- Ps 111:3. The habitation of his throne. -- Ps 97:2. Christ acknowledged -- Joh 17:25. Christ committed his cause to -- 1Pe 2:23. Angels acknowledge -- Re 16:5. Exhibited in His testimonies. -- Ps 119:138,144. His commandments. -- De 4:8; Ps 119:172. His judgments. -- Ps 19:9; 119:7,62. His word. -- Ps 119:123. His ways. -- Ps 145:17. His acts. -- J”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of God, The — Is a part of his character -- 2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:8. Christ, the especial object of -- Joh 15:9; 17:26. Christ abides in -- Joh 15:10. Described as Sovereign. -- De 7:8; 10:15. Great. -- Eph 2:4. Abiding. -- Zep 3:17. Unfailing. -- Isa 49:15,16. Unalienable. -- Ro 8:39. Constraining. -- Ho 11:4. Everlasting. -- Jer 31:3. Irrespective of merit -- De 7:7; Job 7:17. Manifested towards Perishing sinners. -- Joh 3:16; Tit 3:4. His saints. -- Joh 16:27; 17:23; 2Th 2:16; 1Jo 4:16. The destitute. -- De 10:18. The cheerful giver. -- 2Co 9:7. Exhibited in The g”
1 John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:8: He that loveth not - As already described, knoweth not God - has no experimental knowledge of him. God is love - An infinite fountain of benevolence and beneficence to every human being. He hates no thing that he has made. He cannot hate, because he is love. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain on the just and the unjust. He has made no human being for perdition, nor ever rendered it impossible, by any necessitating decree, for any fallen soul to find mercy. He has given the fullest proof of his love to the whole human race by the in”
Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 2:4: But God, who is rich in mercy,.... Mercy is a perfection of the divine nature, and is essential to God; and may be considered with respect to the objects of it, either as general, extending to all men in a providential way; or as special, reaching only to some in a way of grace; for though mercy is his nature, yet the display and exertion of it towards any object, is the act of his will; and special mercy, with all the blessings and benefits of it, is only exhibited in Christ Jesus: and God is said to be "rich" in it, because he is free and liberal in dispensing it,”
Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 25:11: God's perfections of love, mercy, goodness, and truth are manifested (his name, compare Psa 9:10) in pardoning sin, and the greatness of sin renders pardon more needed.”
Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 34:6: 34:6 compassion and mercy (see 20:5-6; 33:19 and study notes): The Creator who was revealing himself to the Israelites, and through them to the world, is a God of grace. Neither his justice nor his sovereignty are underlined here, as true as those attributes are. If God were merely just, the Old Testament would have ended at this point, or it would have picked up and started again with an entirely new family. This did not happen because God, in his unique character, is slow to anger and full of unfailing love and faithfulness. These qualities were the basis for hi”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 33:5: He loveth righteousness and judgment,.... Or "righteous judgment" (y); he delights in the administration of it himself, Jer 9:24; and he is well pleased with acts of righteousness done by others, when done according to his word, from love to him, by faith in him, and with a view to his glory; especially he loves the righteousness of his son, being satisfactory to his law and justice, and his people, as clothed with it; and he delights in the condemnation of sin in the flesh of Christ, and in the righteous judgment of the world, and the prince of it, by Christ; the e”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 69:16: Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good,.... His lovingkindness to him, not only as his Son, but as Mediator; and which is a love of complacency and delight, and was from eternity, and will be to eternity: and this is "good", as appears by the effects and evidences of it; such as putting all things into his hands, showing him all that he does, concealing and keeping nothing from him, appointing him to be the Saviour of his people, the Head of the church, and the Judge of the world; and this lovingkindness shown to him is a reason why he might expect to be hea”

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