In his newsletter today, former Roman Catholic, now evangelical Protestant, Mike Gendron had the following:

How Can Sinners Escape Divine Justice?
Divine justice is a central theme in the Bible because it reflects God’s holy and righteous character and His commitment to uphold moral order. Justice is a foundational characteristic of God’s relationship with humanity. His punishment of sin is necessary for justice to be upheld according to His perfect and righteous standards. Everyone needs to know that they are accountable to their Creator, who requires us to be perfect as He is perfect (Mat. 5:48). Since this is impossible, our only hope is to trust the crucified Savior, who died as a substitute for sinners to satisfy divine justice (Isaiah 53:4-11). His resurrection assures us that divine justice was satisfied (Rom. 4:25). There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). His righteousness has been given as a gift to all who believe (Rom. 5:16-18).

Divine Justice Must Be Satisfied
Divine justice must be satisfied because our holy and righteous judge in heaven must punish every sin that has been committed by everyone who has ever lived. We know that any judge who pardons law-breakers and lets the guilty go free is not a righteous judge. But God, in His profound wisdom, provided one specific way to pardon sinners that would not violate His righteous and holy attributes. In His love and mercy, He graciously provided a sinless substitute to die in the place of sinners to satisfy divine justice. The same God whose justice demands satisfaction for our sin made satisfaction by offering Himself for those who trust Him. The world needs to know that divine justice for sin must be satisfied and there is only one way to escape it.

How Can God Be Just and Justify the Unjust?
Jesus was born to die. “The Son of Man came…to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This was to demonstrate His righteousness so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). Since all have sinned and broken God’s laws, divine justice had to be satisfied by Christ before forgiveness could be applied to sinners. By dying as a substitute for sinners, the Lord Jesus paid the eternal debt for sin and satisfied all the demands of divine justice so that He could extend mercy and grace to those who trust Him. Man can never DO what Christ has Done. He died “once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18).

Divine Justice at the Great White Throne
Those who reject the Lord Jesus as their substitute will come face to face with Him at the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). Since they did not trust Him as a gracious and loving Savior, He will be their holy and righteous judge. Divine justice will be dispensed in the eternal fires of hell. The punishment and separation from God will be everlasting because every sin is committed against an infinitely holy and majestic God. There will be no escape because God is “a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).

Let’s look at some of the above in the light of scripture.

First of all, the main theme of the Bible is NOT justice per se, but love.

In John 3:16-17, Jesus said:

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Notice that love was the motivator for God to send His Son to die so that the world may not be condemned but may be saved.

Furthermore, Mike Gendron quoted 1 Peter 3:18 which shows that Jesus did die for the unjust.

Secondly, what about mercy?

Notice some scriptures and comments in our free online e-book Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation:

Mercy is so important, that the English term ‘mercy’ is shown 282 times in the NKJV of the Bible and 289 in the Douay-Rheims Bible.
Notice, for one other example, how Jesus referred to it in Matthew 23:23:
23 … the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.
Mercy is one of the weightier matters of the law. It is more important than most realize.
It has been claimed that “The Mercy Seat of the Holy of Holies was the earthly representation of the very Throne of GOD in heaven” (Armstrong HW. Plain Truth, June 1967). The expression ‘mercy seat’ is used 28 times in the Bible (NKJV). It is shown as a place that God speaks from (Exodus 25:22).
Does God have a mercy seat because He expects to mainly provide eternal condemnation at the white throne judgment of Revelation 20 like many seem to think?
Obviously, since there is a mercy seat (cf. Exodus 25:17-22; Hebrews 9:5), this is a clue that God plans to have mercy.
While judgment will happen in Revelation 20:11-12 and people will be found guilty (as “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” per Romans 3:23), it will not be for eternal condemnation.
Why? Because, God will plead with His handiwork (Jeremiah 25:31), and mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).
Is not that what mercy is for?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines mercy as:
compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power
also: lenient or compassionate treatment …
a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion
Furthermore, mercy is not just for those who are truly Christians in this age.
While God has mercy on those called now, God will also have mercy on those not called to be firstfruits in this age.
But, this teaching is hard for many to understand now as Romans 11:30-33 teaches:
30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Notice that God’s plan ‘has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all’. Also notice that Paul is teaching that God’s mercy and judgment is apparently not easy for most to figure out.
Is it someone’s fault that they were born in an area that no one knew or taught Christ? Or if Christ was taught, He and God’s plan were not properly taught?
God knew that most would not at first obey, but that He has a plan to have mercy on them.
Thus it should be clear that God INTENTIONALLY is allowing some to be disobedient now, so that they will get mercy later and that those called now (the firstfruits) will have mercy now.
And God has done this so that He might have mercy on all–this apparently could not have happened any better way. The only way for God to have mercy on ALL is for salvation to be offered to all in a manner they can properly comprehend.
Yet, these concepts are offensive to many.
Because of their traditions, miseducation, biases, and pride, many cannot accept that God is so merciful.
Most who followed Jesus were offended after He spoke and turned away from Him, despite seeing miracles (see John 6:1-66). Most will not believe what we in the Continuing Church of God point out that the Bible teaches–this includes most who claim to believe the Bible.
Yet, it is only those who intentionally reject God’s mercy, who will be destroyed in the lake of fire, the second death (Revelation 20:14) to put them out of their misery (cf. Revelation 21:4).

Thirdly, does the Bible teach that the unrepentant will continue to burn in eternal torment?

No.

While Mike Gendron referred to the fact of a “consuming fire” in Hebrews 12:29, he seems not to consider that a CONSUMING FIRE, consumes, burns things up.

[C]onsistent with Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28, the wicked who will not repent and support God’s Kingdom will be condemned (John 5:28-29), burnt up (Revelation 20:14), annihilated, totally destroyed:
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. …
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. …
20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. …
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. (Psalm 37:1-2,9-10,20,38)
4 You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. 5 God shall likewise destroy you forever; (Psalm 52:4-5)
2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. (Psalm 68:2)
1 “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:1-3)
The Bible calls this the ‘second death’:
11… He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:14)
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Thus, it is a type of death, but permanent. Note: The fact of the boy God had Elijah raise (1 Kings 17:17-22), Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead, (John 11:11-44), and all those who were raised after Jesus was executed (Matthew 27:52-53) shows that human beings can physically die more than once. For those who have been resurrected to physical life prior to the 21st century, their experiencing physical death again is NOT the second death of Revelation 20:14 and Matthew 10:28. THE SECOND DEATH IS DEFINED IN REVELATION 20:14 AS WHEN DEATH AND HADES ARE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. It is not a reference to any humans who, after being resurrected, die again.
Now, the permanent second death, is not eternal torturing like many claim. Jesus came so we would not have to PERISH, but have eternal life:

This ends part 1, and will continued in the audio article titled ‘MG on ‘Divine Justice’ at the ‘Great White Throne judgment,’ but what about James 2:13? Part 2’ - coming soon.

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