The Bible is clear: the God of the universe constantly, perfectly, and impartially does what is right and good. He is just. It was to God’s justice that Abraham appealed when interceding for the godly in Sodom: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Gen. 18:25). Moses sang of the Lord, “His work is perfect, for all his ways are just” (Deut. 32:4). The Psalms celebrate a God who “loves righteousness and justice” (33:5).

God is just. But the fallen world in which we live isn’t and when God’s people inevitably experience this apparent inconsistency—whether personally or vicariously—they may echo Job’s confusion: “I shout for help, but there is no justice” (Job 19:7). We’ve all watched greed succeed, selfishness be admired, idolatry go unpunished, and blasphemy be cheered. We’ve felt the plight of the righteous and seen the victories of evil and thought to ourselves, “I know God is just. But is he, though?”