God’s justice is not about punishment, but about accountability, restoration, and reconciliation. What does this statement mean? Is it even correct?
It was made in a sermon on 1 John 1.5-2.2, and so it is within this context that this statement will be evaluated. The reason for this is that God’s justice is a very broad topic, much broader than can be covered in a single blog post. So to keep things short this post will discuss God’s justice in the context of 1 John 1.5-2.2. That context is specifically about how God’s justice relates to humans. Angelic powers (like Satan) are not in view in this passage, so don’t go and apply these conclusions to how God deals with them because you will come to incorrect conclusions.
First, I think the main thought of this passage is found in v.5: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." The verses which follow (1 John 1.6-2.2) are really just explaining this thought and stating some of the implications of it. One reason why I think this is because verses 6-10 all start with the Greek conjunction ἐὰν (ean). At a fundamental level this conjunction “introduces a situation in which given X, Y will follow;” so there is some sort of logical connection between X and Y. Usually we translate this conjunction with “if,” but “when” is also possible in some situations. Another reason is that the same light/dark imagery is continued through these verses also. So what we have then is a statement about God using light/dark imagery, and then a series of (probably hypothetical) situations also using light/dark imagery. The way the logic breaks down in verses 6-10 is shown in the following chart:
|X (the situation given)||Y (the situation which follows)|
|v.6: If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness…||we lie and do not practice the truth|
|v.7: If we walk in the light as he is in the light…||we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin|
|v.8: If we say that we do not have sin…||we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us|
|v.9: If we confess our sins…||he is faithful just to forgive those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness|
|v.10: If we say that we have not sinned…||we make him a liar and his word is not in us|
Hopefully you can see clearly the logic of these verses: If situation X happens, then situation Y will come about is what this chart is showing.
Now, the verse that I am particularly interested in here is v.9 because it was on this verse that the comment about God’s justice mentioned at the beginning was said. But, before I move any further let me say that it is specifically the confessed sins mentioned earlier in the verse which are forgiven. “Our” is most likely not in the original manuscripts. The sins we confess are of course our own, but it is specifically the sins that are confessed which are said to be forgiven in this verse. If we don’t confess something as sin it will not be forgiven.
The main problem with this verse is how to understand and translate another Greek conjunction: ἵνα (hina). In v.9 this conjunction comes right before the verb “forgive” and right after “just.” It has several possible meanings (which will be discussed later), but most English translations, in my opinion, don’t do a good job in bringing out what exactly this conjunction is expressing. A lot of times it is translated with the verb “forgive” as a simple infinitive (“to forgive”). And while this is a possible translation I think many readers will be confused as to how exactly “to forgive” relates to God being “faithful and just.” So, what we need to figure out first is how God being “faithful and just” relates to “forgiving sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.”
In the context of this verse there are 4 possibilities for what ἵνα is doing and how we should understand and translate this verse.
The first possibility is that ἵνα is expressing purpose. In this case “forgiving sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness” is answering the question: Why? “Why is God faithful and just? God is faithful and just for the purpose of forgiving sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” With this option you could translate this verse something like: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just in order that he may forgive those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Another possible way to translate this is with the simple infinitive (“to forgive…"), the way most English Bibles translate this verse. However, I don’t think you can understand this as purely expressing purpose, and I don’t think the translators of most English Bibles intend for the verse to be understood in this manner. I do not think there is a purpose to God being faithful and just. God is faithful and just because that is just who he is by nature; there is no purpose or reason behind it, it just is who he is. When God is faithful and just towards someone he is expressing who he is by nature; he is not doing it for any other reason.
The second option is that ἵνα is expressing result. In this case “forgiving sins (that we confessed)…” is the result of God being faithful and just. So we would translate the verse something like: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just with the result that he forgives those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.”
The third option is that ἵνα is expressing both purpose and result. In this case what we are saying is that we cannot clearly distinguish between purpose and result. I think an example will help illustrate this option: In John 3.16 ἵνα (the “so that” in English translations) is also used, and there it is indicating BOTH the purpose of God sending his only son AND the result of God sending his only son: that all who believe in him should not perish, but have eternal life. God sent his only son for the purpose of giving all those who believe in him eternal life, and the result of God sending his only son is that everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
So in our particular verse that we are analyzing this option is saying that BOTH the purpose AND the result of God being faithful and just is that he forgives (confessed) sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. There isn’t a great way to express this in English, but a good option would be something like: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just in order that (or, “so that”) he might forgive those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The fourth option is that ἵνα is epexegetical, which means that it is explaining or clarifying what “God is faithful and just” means. I think the best way to understand this is to first leave off “forgive sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” and read the verse without that clause. So we end up with: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just.” Then we would likely ask the question: “What does it mean that God is faithful and just?” And the answer to that would be: “he forgives (confessed) sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.” A full translation would be something like: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, meaning that he will forgive those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I think the 2nd option (expressing result) or 4th option (explaining/clarifying) are the two best options here. Personally, I am more inclined towards the 4th option (explaining/clarifying), but the 2nd option (expressing result) would also be a good choice. Like I said above, I think there are some theological issues in seeing this as expressing purpose, which makes option 1 (purpose) and option 3 (purpose-result) unlikely choices.
In any case, it is clear that there is a connection between the forgiveness of sins and God being faithful and just. That is, God’s justice and faithfulness is the basis for him forgiving sins. But what does this say about God’s justice if the forgiveness of our sins is based in it? To answer that question I think it is best if we make another chart.
I mentioned the light/dark imagery before, and there was a reason for it. It is not only a favorite of John (see his gospel), but it is also important to understanding the implications of these verses. Remember, the main thought of this passage is: “God is light, in him is no darkness.” So, if something belongs to the “light” it is found in God or with God. If it is part of the “darkness” it is not found in God or with God. The chart below shows what belongs to the “light” and what belongs to the “darkness” in the verses we are discussing:
|Light (in God or with God)||Darkness (not in God or with God):|
|fellowship with one another (v.7)||lying and not practicing the truth (v.6)|
|the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (v.7)||deceiving ourselves by saying we have no sin (v. 8)|
|forgiveness of confessed sins (v.9)||saying we have not sinned (v.10)|
So, if God is light (v.5) and is in the light (v.7), and if we also “walk” (i.e. live) in the light we are cleansed from sin (v.7), and if the basis for God forgiving our sins and cleansing us from unrighteousness is his justice (v.9), then what does that say about God’s justice? It says that the goal of God’s justice is to once again put us back in the light, where he is. We are held accountable because we must first confess our sins to receive forgiveness. Once forgiven we are restored because we are (again) in the light. We are then reconciled to God because the light is where God dwells.
This is what, I think, the statement at the beginning: “God’s justice is not about punishment, but accountability, restoration, and reconciliation” is saying. God’s justice is about setting things right and putting them in their proper place. Our proper place as humans is to be in fellowship and communion with God. God’s justice puts us back in that place. This passage is just one example illustrating that this is indeed the case.
God’s justice is not like what you see on Law and Order. God is not a judge who renders verdicts and sentences against us because we did something wrong. God’s justice corrects what is wrong.