The justice of Christ in the Old Testament

   Can we see the justice and the righteousness of Christ in the Old Testament? Which is the difference between the justice in the old and the New Testament and in which way will God judge the people who lived in those times?

   To get some insight on this topic, we need first to have a look on a passage found in Ezekiel 18:1-4

   1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, 2 “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:
‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge’?
3 “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.

   We can see the proverb they were saying in Israel stating that the fathers have eaten sower grapes and the teeth of the children were set on the edge. With this proverb they were saying that there is a consequence that the children were going to bear depending on what their fathers did. There were consequences that were going to be inherited from one generation to another. There are various passages in the Old testament saying that the children were supposed to pay for their father’s sins and sometimes to even inherit their curse (Exodus 20:5). What God was saying here, was that this wasn’t going to be heard any longer as there was going to be a change that God was going to bring. This change was that each person was going to face and pay for his own unrighteousness. Of course, that the sins of the fathers pass on their children, but today we all have opportunity through Christ to get delivered and freed. Even if the sins pass on to the others and all of us have been born with a sinful nature, we all choose to walk willingly in those sins, meaning that we are responsible for our own choices. The blessing is that we have an opportunity through Christ.

  4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. Ezekiel 18:4

   This is something that we see happening in the New Testament. It means that God here was speaking for the times that were about to come – the times of the New Testament. In the times in which we live today, each soul, each person needs to give an account in front of God for his own actions. This is what also God desires; that everyone can have an opportunity to repent, by hearing the good news of the gospel. In many places in the book of Ezekiel and in the Old Testament in general, it speaks about the promises of the times that were about to come. God was telling already His nation about the messiah. That was one of the main and most fundamental promises of the Old Testament.

   Let’s read the next verses from the same chapter.

   5 But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right;
6 If he has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife,
Nor approached a woman during her impurity; 7 If he has not oppressed anyone, but has restored to the debtor his pledge; has robbed no one by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing; 8 If he has not exacted usury nor taken any increase, but has withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed true judgment between man and man; 9 If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully—he is just; he shall surely live!” Says the Lord GOD.

   In these next verses of Ezekiel 18, we notice that it gives something like a list of righteous deeds that a man needs to perform, so that he can live and be approved by God. We know from various passages of the Old Testament that the people living in that time, the people of the nation of Israel weren’t able to keep up with all of the commandments. No one actually was able to fulfil all the law and righteousness by himself. Same is today. No one can really be righteous by himself and fulfill all the commandments to perfection. We always fail at some point. How then can someone be saved and approved by God? Because Jesus says in the New Testament that even if we didn’t do something physically, but we even did it in our heart, then we still sinned (Matthew 5:27,28).
It looks like chapter 18 of Ezekiel is exhorting people to perform something for God and is exalting the deeds we can do. But it is not quite so in all of it, because we know that we are not capable by ourselves to perform that to the standard that God requires from us. There are many other passages also suggesting that the Old pact and testament is not enough that there is something else needed to complete that. That was the coming of Jesus and the New Testament. He is the one accomplishing and completing all. He made all of this possible through His death on the cross and resurrection.
If we can be righteous and we can walk in God and put his commandments in practice, is possible by His grace alone. The grace is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 8:3, 4). In this way is possible to be righteous as these passages from Ezekiel tell us.

   17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17

   This is what Jesus was saying about the law. That He came to accomplish it. There wasn’t and it is not any other way for us to accomplish and practice the law. We can see some other verses of the Old Testament.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

   How can someone be able to practice this? How can someone have really a clean heart? This passage was written by king David in a petition for repentance after he sinned. To have a clean heart is something that the New Testament is talking and focusing more about. We can see here how people inspired by God were already writing about the promises of the New Testament, about what was about to come. David wrote this psalm by which we can be still inspired today and get an insight on how to humble and repent in front of God.
We see that when the Bible speaks about practicing the word and walking in His statutes, is giving us as a solution and way His grace. People talk of practicing His word sometimes, but I think that what a believer needs to talk more of, is the grace of God as this is the way in which this can be done. The Pharisees surely talked a lot about following the law and this was right, but they actually couldn’t manage to walk in the right way in front of God.
We find other verses in Psalm 24

   3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
Psalm 24:3-5

   Here we see again something that without the grace will not be possible. Who is the one worthy to ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who is worthy to enter there? No one actually. The one who was able to accomplish this was our Lord Jesus. He had completely pure heart and clean hands. He is also the one who can enable us to do it. He began, He set the mark and the example in which we need to walk into and opened a way for us through His sacrifice. An example that is too high for us, but that’s why He also promised us His Spirit through which we can be empowered. Through Him is that we can enter into the hill of the Lord and be saved. Through Him is that we can finish the race in the right way and be accepted. God is going to save us through His grace, but this grace will also work in us and make us people with clean heart and hands, because these are the people that God accepts. I mean that the work of the grace doesn’t just save without leaving any sign in the life of the believer, but also transforms our heart. Obviously even as believers we are still living in a sinful body and in a sinful world and we can fall, but we don’t belong to the sin anymore. We don’t persevere into it. God is giving us a solution. I am saying this because many people can say that have been saved by grace and that was it, but I think that the real grace of God, I mean when God really reaches a person, keeps on working and performing His work in him.

   17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

    From this passage we see that He didn’t come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to accomplish them. Throughout the whole Old Testament we see the promises about His coming, about the One who was going to help us to accomplish the law, I mean to obey His word. Without this it is impossible for us to do it. In Him is the fulfillment of the law. His sacrifice is justifying us and making us righteous in front of God. This sacrifice is also leaving a sign in those who have accepted it. They are righteous, their nature is changing. Still sinning and having sin into them, but without willingly following it.

  17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

   V. 19 of Matthew 5 says:
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19

  This verse confirms that Jesus still wants from us in some way to accomplish the law, to practice His commandments and word. Something that is impossible with our own strength as we said. This verse tells us that the salvation is not a matter of a cheap grace that only saves at the moment without leaving any sign of change in us. We are speaking about the God almighty the creator of the heavens, of the universe and the earth. Don’t you think that such a mighty God wouldn’t leave any trace or sign in the person in which He has been working? Of course He will. Even in the weakest person there could be. His grace is more than sufficient and is making us to love and follow His commandments.

20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20

   The next verse is speaking about the righteousness we need to have, and this mustn’t look as something impossible to us. It is impossible for us of course, but with Him it is possible. This is the work of His grace. A work that is performed inside someone’s heart, because it is there that the righteousness needs to reside. Not only on the outside. The Pharisees were looking for a righteousness that is on the outside only. They were keeping certain laws and commandments that could be seen on the outside and had a religious appearance. Jesus often rebuked them saying that the cup needs to be cleansed on the inside also and not only on the outside, meaning that the righteousness should be on the inside, in the heart.

  25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matthew 23:25, 16

   Notice that it says that once the cup is clean on the inside, it will be such on the outside too. This is the righteousness that Jesus is talking about. The one that the Pharisees were not having and the one through which we can exceed theirs. This is only possible through Jesus. No one can control his heart from not having bad feelings or thoughts. Many times when we speak about sin and about falling into such, we think of something that we did with our actions, with our hands, but when Jesus talks of it, it looks like He speaks of something that comes in our thoughts and desires first. This is the one that contaminates us and it is considered as a sin in front of God. This is the one that if we don’t control, will grow in something bigger and will be too late then and the consequences will be much harder. That’s why He was speaking about a justice on the inside, about cleaning the cup on the inside. Not only to prevent sin from growing further but also because God is looking for such justice – on the inside. Obviously, speaking about the sins we commit on the inside, we will find ourselves often falling into them, but then we will at least have a reason to repent and to depend on God’s righteousness, seeing that we are sinners and that we need His forgiveness and righteousness as we are not righteous by ourselves. This will not only prevent it from growing further, but it will let us see that we are sinners and that we need Him. It is not the same when people are not acknowledging this kind of sin, (the one on the inside), and in the same time they consider themselves as righteous persons just because they don’t perform certain actions on the outside. This is the issue the Pharisees were having, They considered themselves as righteous because of that.

   27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27, 28

   This is one of the examples about sins that we can commit in our thoughts without doing them just physically. As we said before, we can often find ourselves in this situation, and obviously God can help us to go through it and overcome it, but this is also with a reason, so that we can know that we cannot be righteous by ourselves and we need Him to make us such. Because no one can actually control his heart from some things. We can manage to control in part some actions and some outwardly attitudes, but what God actually looks at, is our heart. Only with His help we can obtain such a justice. Because when we are in His presence, when we are close to Him, our thoughts and attitudes are pure. This is possible only through the sacrifice He did for us. And not only because our thoughts are pure, we will be saved, but by the sacrifice of Jesus.