Love and (versus) justice

The two most talked about traits of God these days are love and justice. Or love versus justice. This most often crops up in the bipolar discussion of whether God will save everyone in the end or whether he will punish some endlessly. So religious pundits call out their reasons for one or the other understanding of God.

I follow the Hebrew understanding that they are part of an integrated whole. But does one spring from the other? If so, I can certainly see justice springing out of love—a desire for the right treatment of those around me because I love them. But in no way do I see love springing out of justice. It just wouldn't happen. So to those who claim that at the most fundamental level God is just—more so than loving—I would encourage them to consider whether the kind of love that God displays toward his creation could ever originate from their conception of his justice.

In the end, God may punish certain communities endlessly. My proposal that God is love first does not negate the fact that he could bring retribution. But we need to (lovingly) quash logical fallacies before they twist our thinking further.