Exalting God

Consider the following statement: God does not perform an action because it is just; an action is just because God performs it.  This short statement is known as an axiom.  Simply stated, an axiom is a presupposition, a belief which is held to be self-evident and accepted as true.  Axioms are a vital part of Christian learning and living, for it is from these presuppositions that we derive our approach to theology and the Christian life in general.  As with any philosophical system, axioms must be understood and embraced, if the system is to bear any influence upon one’s life.  Such is the situation with the above axiom.

Consider it worded slightly differently: Is the thing good and right therefore God does it?  Or is the thing good and right because God does it? Granted, this sounds like a bunch of philosophical hair-splitting, but in reality our understanding and acceptance of this statement reveals what we believe about the nature and character of God.  For example, if we believe that God simply performs acts which are predetermined to be just, then we are saying that God is to at least some degree bound by something outside of His person, perhaps even what we deem just and right; or that God is defined by external assumptions about morality and truth.  On the other hand, if we affirm that whatever God does must be just and right, then we are basing our understanding of justice and truth and righteousness on His character and not ours.  See the difference?  God is not defined or bound by what we see as right, He defines what is right by what He does.

Embracing this axiom will help us understand and apply the latter half of Genesis 18.  Although commonly interpreted primarily in light of Abraham’s persistent intercession for the “righteous” of Sodom and Gomorrah, this passage is first and foremost about the justice of God.  In fact, what Moses clearly demonstrates to us is that in spite of what we may view as an unfair judgment, it is God’s view of justice that prevails.  We must never presume to know better than God about what constitutes justice.

Read more »