lly wicked. The question at hand seems to concern inconsistency. If God rewards good people with good, then He ought to punish all of the bad. Right? This is not, however, necessarily the best logic to apply. God is being just to both the wicked person who is punished and the wicked person who is forgiven. That is, He is being just to both of these wicked people, but in different ways. God is just in one way by punishing the wicked and in another way by sparing the wicked. Anselm explicates this, "For when You punish the wicked it is just, since it agrees with their merits; however, when You spare the wicked it is just, not because of their merits but because it is befitting to Your goodness." (Pros. Ch.10 p.93) Through this, Anselm proposes that there is a different way that God is just in either punishing the wicked or forgiving the wicked. These two types of divine action are just only each has its own justification of being just.
             Being just by punishing the wicked is in relation to humans. This is our simple perception of being just (good for good; bad for bad). But, Anselm holds that God is not limited to this model of justice. God also is just in relation to His self and His goodness. In other words, He spares some of the wicked because a supremely good being is able to do so. It suits an ultimately good and just being to forgive some of the wicked. In addition, it must be noted that those wicked people who are saved by God become good men. Anselm states, "...it is just that You spare the wicked and make good men from bad." (Pros. Ch.9 p.93) In this way, God is being just because he is forgiving. It is better to forgive than not to forgive, just as it is better to be good than not good. Thus, God is not only just through retribution (giving the wicked what they deserve) but He is also just because he is forgiving, which befits His supremely good and just nature. Both punishing and spari...