By Tyson Thorne

March 25, 2014
 
 

Justice large

In this foundations series we will be discussing three primary aspects of Christian character: Justice, mercy and love. This is part one.

Justice is a loaded word, one packed with meaning and fraught with myriad divisions. So much so I struggled to find a way to approach the subject. Does one begin with Civil Justice? Social Justice? Personal justice? Then I took a step back and asked a very simple question. While philosophers of old started with the question, “What is justice?” I decided to start with the question, “where does justice come from?” Each of the divisions of justice I examined turned out to be the constructs of man. To understand justice, one must understand that its origin is in the nature of God: “I have no peer,” God says, “there is no God but me, a just God and a savior, there is none but me” (Isaiah 45.21b).

As a characteristic of God, justice is demanding and does not tolerate abuses. For some it is a cause for rejoicing, for others a cause of terror (Psalm 97.1-.2) It is important to note that God’s justice is not man’s. Man’s justice is about fairness and rehabilitation; God’s justice is about righteousness and redemption. This distinction is of first importance for it denies man the opportunity to become “good enough” to be accepted by God. If we fall short of God’s righteousness -- even once in our lives -- justice demands our conviction. This is the place every person who has ever lived (with one notable exception) find themselves.

Last week a new TV series started on the CW network, The 100. In the story, mankind destroyed himself and the planet through a nuclear holocaust leaving only a few hundred people alive on space stations orbiting Earth. Due to limited oxygen and food supplies strict policies went into effect. One such policy was to demand the death penalty for the breaking of any law. While an interesting scenario for a science fiction show, it parallels the spiritual laws of reality. One trespass of God’s law carries with it a spiritual death sentence. This is justice in its highest form.

Justice is demanding, certainly, and terrifying at times as well. Even though we see injustice in this world, justice will have its day of victory. As the psalmist wrote, “For justice will prevail, and all the morally upright will be vindicated” (Psalm 94.15). For this reason justice is worth pursuing.

Deuteronomy 16.20 tells us it is a worthy personal pursuit: “You must pursue justice alone…”

And Solomon advises it is a worthy pursuit of government: “A king brings stability to a land by justice, but one who exacts tribute tears it down” (Proverbs 29.4).

Because God is just, all of humanity is doomed to one day die and enter everlasting separation from God. There is nothing we can do to satisfy the demand of justice. With God, however, all things are possible. God made a way to take the punishment for our every criminal act upon himself so that we would not have to bear the punishment we deserve. This act of loving mercy satisfied the demands of justice.

Tomorrow we will examine Mercy, and the next day Love. Next week we’ll tie all this together into a cohesive whole that the believer can live up to, and live out before a fallen world.

 
 
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