Justice
By Linda Lee
There's a lot of buzz about justice on the internet, with the nations of Arabs and Jews, inner city gang lingo, on the news. All the time I hear people say, “I hope he rots in hell”, “our family needs justice to have closure”, “we seek justice for this heinous crime”, or an attorney might say, “this family deserves justice”.
It sounds very close to getting even. In fact, in some religions, justice “an eye for an eye” is their mantra. Christianity of the New Testament, the New Covenant recognized that God is the only just judge. We know that if we do not forgive others their sin (injustices) God cannot forgive us ours.
We know that if I demand that my brother gets justice, then I, too deserve justice, not just for my deeds, but as Jesus said, even he who thinks evil in his heart against his brother is a murder. Really? Do you want complete justice for every thought and deed YOU have committed?
Do we know that the day is soon coming when God, the complete Sovereign Judge will mete out justice on the world. This will not be pretty. Those of us who have been “covered” completely by the blood of the substitutionary lamb/sacrifice will be “saved”. I have heard people ask, “Saved from what?” Saved from ourselves, saved from eternal judgment, saved from the effects of our sin and the consequences of our immature, selfish actions.
Along with this time of justice, God says that He will also “pour out His Spirit on all flesh”. That is very interesting. Is this the universalism view of the Gospels? Did Christ die for all? Isn't he unwilling that any should perish? What about the “son of perdition”--what will happen to him and all his comrades (murderers, adulterers, liars, thieves?) And who are they according to Jesus words? If we have entrusted our lives and will to the only Savior of the world, then we are “free”. If not, then the label and weight of sin is still upon us. And EVEN if we were completely innocent (who is that?) but could not forgive those who sin against us, then our Father in heaven cannot look upon us or our sin. Jesus is the ONLY way, the ONLY truth and the ONLY light. Some might say that is narrow minded. Well, yes, that is the point. --Straight is the gate and narrow is the way to life everlasting and wide is the way to destruction.
I am not saying we throw out our criminal justice system in favor of grace. But our motives need to be pure. If we lock someone up, is it to protect society at large or to “get even”? Is it for their benefit, is it for protection of innocents or is it to mete out our own justice? Do we offer opportunities for those who have grievously sinned to be redeemed? Do we recognize that no one has the ability to redeem themselves? Again, there is only ONE who can do that. But, we, can work in tandem with the Holy Spirit, giving up our “self-righteousness” and relinquishing it to the Judge, trusting in HIS divine Sovereignty, and freeing our own soul from the penalty of murderous sin. We need to recognize “but for the grace of God, go I”. My life has been “spared” by grace, and we need to readily be willing to offer that same grace to others. Can we do that when our child has been hurt, killed, raped, or evil has been deliberate? Forgiveness, then, is a process which requires much prayer, many helpers, time and grace as we pass through the grief and forgiveness process. Not on our own strength. We cannot be just, we cannot be forgiving, we cannot be Holy but for the strength afforded us by Christ on the Cross. We cannot be just without a personal indwelling of the only one who CAN judge rightly.
It's quite alright to be angry at sin. But we are told in our anger, do not sin.
Again, who can do that? Christ in me. Only Christ in Me. I cannot be angry in complete righteousness without the power of Christ within me.
And, for those enemies of the Cross? Leave them to the Judge. That end times judgment is coming soon, and I don't want to be caught with my bones all dried up in bitterness, but flowing freely in the oil and power of the Holy Spirit.
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