Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you

— Psalm 89:14

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

25 God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

— Romans 3:23-25

Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

— Ezekiel 33:11

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

— 2 Peter 3:9

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Bountiful grace and mercy from Jesus Christ to you.

We may struggle to understand God and His ways. We may ask how God can be both just and merciful. Does God violate His goodness by exercising judgment on sinful people? How do we reconcile God’s violent wrath against sin with His tender love for sinners? We know everything God is and all He does reflect His unified perfections. His attributes operate in perfect harmony. He never exercises one attribute at the expense of another. In the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God extends mercy to sinners, without compromising His holy standards. His execution of justice is perfectly balanced with His good, sovereign plan and offer of salvation.

In Revelation 6, John saw the worthy Lamb open the first six seals of the scroll He took from God’s hand. The progressive opening of each seal unleashed frightening scenes of calamity and suffering that set the stage for God’s final judgement. Here in Revelation 8, the Lamb opens the seventh seal to reveal further cataclysm, with opportunities for repentance, as God’s consummation of judgment approaches. Each person bears responsibility for the choices he/she makes. God’s warnings of judgment constitute a merciful call to repent.