1. “God so loved the world” (John 3:16).
God’s heart is love, so He loves the world.
2. “Who desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4; see also Matt. 23:37; 8:3; Ezek. 18:23; 33:11; Isa. 49:15; Jer. 3:1).
God desires all men to be saved because He loves man. Because His heart is love, He desires to save men, He is willing to save men, and He does not want men to perish. His love is greater than a mother’s love for her children and greater than a husband’s love for his wife.
1. “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justly?” (Gen. 18:25; see also Deut. 32:4).
God’s actions are righteous. He is the Judge of all the earth, so He cannot act unrighteously. Everything He does is absolutely righteous.
2. “You may be declared righteous in Your words” (Rom. 3:4).
God’s righteousness is manifested and declared even in His judgment and rebuke of men.
3. “With a view to the demonstrating of His righteousness in the present time, so that He might be righteous and the One who justifies him who is of the faith of Jesus” (Rom. 3:26; see also 1 John 1:9).
God justifies those who are of the faith of Jesus because He is righteous. His justification demonstrates His righteousness; that is, it shows that He is righteous. We were sinful and unrighteous and could not be justified according to God’s standard of righteousness. Therefore, God caused Jesus, who was without sin, to receive His righteous punishment on our behalf (1 Pet. 3:18). For our sake, He judged the Lord Jesus according to His standard of righteousness to satisfy His righteous requirement. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, receive Him, and are joined to Him, God must justify us according to His righteousness. He can no longer righteously condemn us. The Lord Jesus, who shed His blood for our sins according to God’s righteousness, bore our punishment. Now when one believes in the Lord Jesus, God forgives his sins because He is righteous. He cannot be unrighteous and refuse to forgive those who believe in the Lord Jesus.
We must know the salvation of God not only according to His love but also according to His righteousness. Madame Guyon once said that even if God wanted to change His mind regarding her salvation, He could not do it, because He had already judged her on the cross. This truly is a word of one who knew God’s salvation, and it truly is a word of one who knew God. Because of His righteousness, God has to save those who believe in the Lord. If God’s salvation was based only on His love, our salvation would not be firm, because He could cease to love us, and if our salvation was based only on love, God would not be wrong or unrighteous if He ceased to love us. Thankfully, our salvation is based on both His love and His righteousness. Because He is righteous, our salvation is firm. His righteousness requires Him to save us when we believe in the Lord Jesus. In this regard, our salvation does not rest upon His love but rather upon the fulfillment of His legal responsibility according to His righteousness.
1. “Nor will I be false to My own faithfulness. / I will not profane My covenant, / Nor will I change what has gone forth from My lips” (Psa. 89:33-34; see also Heb. 6:18; 10:23; Psa. 119:89; Isa. 40:8; Matt. 24:35).
God’s actions are righteous, and His word is faithful. In God’s salvation His word strengthens His actions. God’s actions accomplish His salvation, and His word, which is according to His faithfulness, confirms and establishes His actions as being beyond change. Because of His faithfulness, He cannot nullify the words that have gone forth from His lips. This is true not only of God but of any faithful person; once a word leaves the mouth of a faithful person, it cannot be nullified.
God cannot lie, so the word that He speaks to us is completely faithful and reliable. It cannot be changed or nullified. His word is established in the heavens. The grass will wither, the flowers will fade, but His word is eternally established. Even if the heavens and earth pass away, His word cannot pass away.
Furthermore, the words that God speaks to us in the Bible are not ordinary words or promises; they are a covenant He has established with us. The words of the Bible are a covenant that God established with us according to His faithfulness. The words in the Bible are a testament; consequently, the Bible is composed of the Old and New Testaments. God’s word will not change, and He will keep His covenant. He is bound by His word and by His covenant.