The justice of God

[Rose]

This is copied from the front page:

If you owe God a small coin over some matter, He is not going to accept from you a pearl in its place.
—St Isaac of Syria

Can someone explain this for me?

[Jurretta J. Heckscher]

I'm the last who should claim expertise either on theology or on so great a saint as St. Isaac, but let me hazard a guess:

If you owe your brother an apology for some small hurt, giving a costly set of candlesticks to the church instead will not answer the problem.

But I, too, would be interested in the interpretations of wiser others.

Yours in Christ,

--Jurretta

[Owen Jones]

It means that God is a God of justice, and he does not require us to pay a price in punishment for our sins that is not commensurate with the offense. This has all kinds of implications since many people blame God for all kinds of suffering they go through and say, what kind of evil God would punish me the way He is doing for either nothing I've done or way out of proportion to anything I have done.

[Matthew Panchisin]

Dear Rose,

Saint Isaac (Syria) also has this to say, I copied it from the front page as well.

"Do not call God just, for His justice is not manifest in the things concerning you. And if David calls Him just and upright, His Son revealed to us that He is good and kind. 'He is good', He says 'to the evil and to the impious.' How can you call God just when you come across the Scriptural passage on the wage given to the workers? How can a man call God just when he comes across the passage on the prodigal son who wasted his wealth with riotous living, how for the compunction alone which he showed, the father ran and fell upon his neck and gave him authority over all his wealth? Where, then, is God's justice, for while we are sinners Christ died for us!"

I think that if you look at it from the perspective of a parent that might be of some help, although the degree of my understanding is very limited. Nevertheless, if a child owed you an apology over some matter and came to you with a pearl of much repentance and contrition in it's place would you accept it? I don't think you would accept it, you would be moved and I think you would prefer to embrace any child who acted in such a manner.

The degree that the aforementioned is a bit different because children are very innocent, however the relationship is the primary concern. The grace of God is boundless for we can be much less than innocent and he still is most merciful and embraces us.

Matthew 5:45
"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

We can learn much from children for they are a precious gift from God. I was speaking to a friend who has a 3 year old girl who had a nightmare. My friend explained that her daughter woke up crying upset and very concerned. She told her mother she had a terrible nightmare, because she was carrying a bunch of flowers and the little birdie flew from the sky and took one away.

Goodnight Rose.

In Christ,

Matthew Panchisin

[Owen Jones]

Of course we all know that in fact God IS just, so St. Isaac is trying to make a point that we do not judge God by the world's standards of Justice. By the world's standards, of course, Christ's passion was unjust. Which gets back to my earlier point. Of course, there is the added possible meaning in the first quote, that we cannot bribe God by offerings in order to store up Grace on our behalf.

[Rose]

Thank you for your insights on this quote. Your words are very much appreciated.

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear all,

I've just come back from some time away, and was very interested to read this particular thread. The apothegm of St Isaac which you've been discussing, is one of my favourites. I had wondered since first putting it into the database, perhaps about a year ago, how long it would be until someone raised a question over it.

Startling wisdom is sometimes the most profound.

INXC, Matthew

[Eugene]

The thoughts of St. Isaak are so deep and reach of meanings, I can never understand them fully. But may I try? Don't laugh at me if I'm wrong http://www.monachos.net/mb/clipart/happy.gif

Here is a possible explanation:

What we owe is only a coin, because, as one father said, "all our sins are a handful of sand compared to the ocean of God's mercy". From the other hand, we only think that we posess a pearl that we can give to God in return to His mercy, and we also think that we make a great favour to God by presenting Him this pearl. This thought by itself is a hudge pride - we are nothing and we posess nothing. We posess nothing but our sins (that little coin, everything else is not our's), and all God wants from us is to repent them - throw this coin into the abyss of His mercy.

[Kusanagi]

This is copied from the front page:

If you owe God a small coin over some matter, He is not going to accept from you a pearl in its place.
—St Isaac of Syria

Can someone explain this for me?

Render unto God's what is God's. He won't expect you to overdo yourself and have you give more than what is due otherwise people will think He is being unfair.