The Scriptures teach us that God is Righteous and Just. He is the great Lawgiver, and that he will judge all people according to his law. God has not only revealed his law in the Holy Scriptures, but he has written them down also in a general way in human hearts and conscience. Those who have the law of God written in their scriptures will be judged according to the scriptures and those have that law revealed in the hearts will be judged accordingly. We read in the New Testament book of Romans: “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God, nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:19-21). People everywhere and at all times possess sufficient knowledge of the one true God so that they do not have excuse for the sins that they commit against God. In Romans 2: 14-15 we have these words: Indeed when Gentiles, who do not have the law (Mosaic law), do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them”.
God made it clear that there is one true God. God has made his general revelation in and through his creation, in nature for all people to see. The universe reveals the One true God worthy of the obedience and worship of all people. God has imprinted his moral law requiring people to love God and love fellowmen on everyman’s heart. People who do not have God’s written law have in their hearts the essence of his moral laws in their hearts and conscience. Though these may not be very specifically and or elaborately set down as in written form they are enough guide and help for people to discern their duty to love God and respect other people and as such one day they will have to give an account before Almighty God, who is just and righteous. He has love for all his creation.
The Holy Bible teaches that God is righteous judge for all. He is also holy and loving. He must administer his sovereign justice. He will reward the good works and punish the evil. He is no respecter of persons. He must restrain wickedness. But we need urgently to know that God works with people who believe in and love him. In a world as we have it today, and have always where there is injustice, wars, killings, selfishness, greed and wanton destruction of people and property, exploitation of people by people we do not see justice. There is no justice, so there is no real peace. We believe in a God of justice and peace. But why we do not have justice and peace? We lack in a genuine faith in God. Most of us pretend to be God’s people. God’s people must do the work that God wants us to do. Otherwise people must continue to suffer from injustice, war and exploitation. During the last century two World Wars created unprecedented havoc and miseries almost all over the world. Still now there is war continuing in so-called Christian Europe. There is no peace. Efforts to remove the curse of war are sham, not sincere. God will not do what man should and can do. He wants to see that people who believe in him does his work for peace and amity among people. All people, people of whatever faith or ideology have in their conscience written down God’s eternal law, law of love and respect for God and people. God had promised in olden days, through his prophet, prophet Jeremiah to write down his new Covenant, his new law in human heart. This was written, not on stone tablets, not on paper by in human heart. We, Christians believe that this was written in the blood of Christ in our hearts and in our conscience. Jesus Christ told his disciples that the new covenant that he made was to be sealed in his innocent blood. He sacrificed his life for our love and peace. It is not in mere believing, but it is in living the life that the Savior gave us that help us transform our condition. Our sincere prayer for our restless and unhappy life is that we, people of all faiths may not only long for peace, but work for peace.
The writer is a Christian theology teacher and church leader
