God is Righteous and Just, God is Compassionate and Gracious

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS AND JUST

The fact that God is holy and transcendent does not mean that He has made himself unaccountable. It is God's nature to be righteous and just, and therefore He reflects those attributes consistently. When at times it may appear that He is not being righteous or just, we cannot assume that He defines those terms arbitrarily to suit His own whims. Rather, such instances reflect our inability to see the larger picture. Righteousness and justice can only be absolute in the company of sovereignty. Our only boast is in the firsthand experience and knowledge of this God:

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boast boast about this:
that he understands and knows Me,
that I am the LORD, who exercised kindness,
justice and righteousness on the earth
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.
-Jeremiah 9:23-34


GOD IS COMPASSIONATE AND GRACIOUS

God's righteousness and justice have at times been viewed as negative attributes because they lead to the judgement of the wicked. Since no one but God can claim absolute righteousness, that puts all of humanity in jeopardy. It is therefore essential to balance God's righteousness and justice with His attributes of compassion and grace. These are the attributes that lead Him to act upon behalf of humanity by forgiving and by giving second chances, rather than imposing immediate punishment. They are evident in Nehemiah's prayer of confession on behalf of his forefathers.

"But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they put Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. So You handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
"But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in Your sight. Then You abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, and in Your compassion You delivered them time after time.
"You warned them to return to Your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed Your commands. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on You, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. For many years You were patient with them. By Your Spirit You admonished them through Your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so You handed them over to neighboring peoples. But in Your great mercy You did not put an end to them, or abandon them, for You are a gracious and merciful God."
-Nehemiah 9:26-31