Justice

As God Is Just

Warren E. Berkley

There can be no question the world is overflowing with injustice. Our newsfeeds push out stories and accounts daily of people who are not being treated right. In every such case there are, of course, people who are guilty of that mistreatment. And there are victims that must never escape our notice.

The outcry comes from all ranges of modern society, “this just isn’t right!” There are headlines of economic injustice, racial injustice, political injustice, and the list of claims is supplemented by journalists, advocates and campaigners almost every day. So I am not in denial. And you see what I mean. The world is overflowing with injustice. But how we define the word, what we include and mean by “justice” is vital.

What is often not spoken or circulated is, what justice is as defined by the Creator. I believe that is where most of these public discussions fail. It is one thing to identify and claim an injustice. What is necessary is a clear concept of what justice is. I believe that question ought to take us to the Creator.

The biblical principle of justice isn’t just something in a list of rules, attributes or points of law. Justice in the Bible is inseparably linked to who God is. In reading the Bible, concepts like truth, love, mercy and justice are connected to who God is. Justice is not something God just wrote on tablets and expressed on parchment. God is just, thus those who seek His favor “do justice,” (Micah 6:8). God is merciful, thus those who seek His favor are merciful (Lk. 6:36). God is love, thus those who seek His favor imitate His love (1 Jno. 4:7). God is the “God of all grace,” so those who are recipients of His grace exhibit grace in their lives (Col. 4:6).

Therefore, any claim or personal participation in justice – for Christians – must be in keeping with who God is and what His Word has revealed about justice. That means, for example, since God’s justice is His love for righteousness and His hatred for evil – we should “abhor what is evil” and “hold fast to what is good,” (Rom. 12:9). Further, since God is perfect, merciful and fair in His treatment of people – we should “honor everyone,” and do “no wrong” to our neighbor (1 Pet. 2:17, Rom. 13:10). God “shows no partiality,” therefore His people are not to be respecters of persons (Jas. 2:1-13 and Acts 10:34,35). Justice for Christians finds practical expression when we understand who God is and we think, speak and act in keeping with His model of justice.

Ideas have consequences. True ideas, like biblical justice, are essential building blocks for free, prosperous, and flourishing nations. Bad ideas, like ideological social justice, are terribly destructive, rending the social fabric, exacerbating hostility, and ultimately destroying relationships. It is imperative that Christ-followers, who are called to be ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17–20), carefully discern the difference between biblical justice and the ideology of social justice. Both use the word “justice” but mean vastly different things by it. SOURCE — Allen, Scott D. Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis (p. 20). Credo House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

This leads me to this.

IT ISN’T JUSTICE ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE…

          IF private property is stolen or destroyed. Matt. 7:12; Eph. 4:28

          IF marriage is “redefined.” Matt. 19:4-9

          IF gender reality is dismissed. Matt. 19:4

          IF innocent people are found guilty. Prov. 17:26

          IF fathers are assumed guilty because of the sins of their sons. Ezek. 18

          IF sons are considered guilty because of the sins of their fathers. Ezek. 18

          IF truthful terms are “sanitized.” Isa. 5:20

          IF “situation ethics” is applied. Rev. 21:8

          IF killing babies is tolerated and celebrated. Psa. 139:13-16

          IF oppression is practiced and promoted. Psa. 103:6

          IF modern socialism is said to be the biblical model. Matt. 7:12; Eph. 4:28

            IF anything is practiced or advocated contrary to the Creator’s will.

Legitimate justice not only acknowledges the Creator, but practices what is seen in Him and written in His revelation.

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).