TRUE AND FALSE JUSTICE

 

God cannot be righteous and not judge sin; He cannot love good without hating evil. He says “I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” Jeremiah 9:24. Jesus died to serve God’s righteous justice and holy wrath that should have fallen on us.

He delights to see justice in us. In fact, the cross requires it in us! But our God-given sense of justice is perverted by sin and tainted with self interest. We love justice for our offender. Perversely, we don’t see ourselves as needing it quite so much! We look at our offender for a sign of repentance and restitution, but when no recognition of the hurt he has caused us is forthcoming our violated sense of justice quickly turns into bitterness and revenge.

The false “justice” that originates with us is the sin of taking God’s place as Judge, and demanding our own “justice” when we are offended, thus demonstrating that we, rather than God, are the center of our universe. God says “Their justice and authority originate with themselves,” Habakkuk 1:7.

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” James 4:12

Still, God requires justice in us.

Micah 6:7-9 “…He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”  and in Prov. 21“2-3 “To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.”

I am not in a position of authority to mete out justice. When I demand “justice” for the wrongs against me, it not only isn’t holy it isn’t helpful. So when “Justice” began to light up in scripture for me, I wondered how I was to exercise this quality that delights God and expresses His justice.

Dependably, when God raises a question about scripture, He also sensitizes us to see the answer! My answer came through a hurtful sin against me. I was awash in pain, but the offender offered no recognition nor repentance that would promote forgiveness. I remembered the Word, “He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way,” Psalm 25:9 Through His Word, God showed me this:

The justice He wants from me is to see his innocent Son serving God’s justice of death for my sin, and to follow him in the holy justice that requires death for sin--that I myself suffer the consequences for the offender’s sin against me, without demanding a just payment from him to appease my indignation and personal loss. Then to extend the grace of forgiveness and a clean record to the offender.

True justice is choosing to “pay” in myself the painful consequences of sin against me for love’s sake, because I love Christ (as He chose to love the Father by paying the price of God’s wrath and justice for my sins).

Not being sinless, I cannot make payment for my offender’s sin against God. It delights Him, though, when I ask Him not to condemn him for his sin against me, because I have forgiven him and suffered the justice that, in my eyes at least, was due him. This is the “fervent” love that “covers a multitude of sin,” (I Peter 4:8), in order to extend to my offender the grace that God has overwhelmingly extended to me through the holy justice of the cross.

“…But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” I Peter 2:20-24

“…be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Eph. 4:32-5:2

There are many examples of humbled believers faithfully and joyfully--and yes, painfully--practicing this holy justice in scripture. Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, filled with the Holy spirit, breathed the words of holy justice, “Lord do not hold this sin against them!” Acts 7:60. Paul, unjustly in prison, without defense, wrote “…no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.” II Timothy 4:16

The same people that lied to put Paul in prison and hunted him down with murderous intent are the ones he prayed and mourned for to be saved. He so desired their good that he wished he could die an earthly death for them, thus serving justice for them as Jesus did, if it could promote their saving faith in Christ. (Romans 10:1, 9:1-3)

Neither Paul nor Stephen took into account how they personally were hurt by the offenses they suffered. Certainly they felt the anguish and pain! But always humbled by the holy justice paid on the cross for their sins, and the grace extended to them by that substitute justice, they were able to extend it to their offenders. They had moved out of the subjective “What about me?” into an objective cause greater than themselves--the cause of Christ, in the Kingdom of God.

Justice will be served by God for the sins against us, and for our sins! The death penalty for sin will be carried out either from the Holy Judge, or safely covered in the Holy Judge who has satisfied the holy justice due us who trust Him.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord’….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:18-21

“Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.’ Proverbs 20:22

Choosing this, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are freed to forgive even “the unforgivable” offense, and to absorb the pain in a holy justice that identifies with our Savior’s cross, and forgives, invests in, and loves our offender.

Practically, there is simply no other way to “die to yourself” and experience the resurrection Life we are promised. “Unless a seed falls into the ground a dies, it remains by itself, alone.” This is the death! You will know you are dying! It is painful. But Life results. (OR, we can choose revenge and unlove/unlife, which is ultimately a lot more painful!)

What effect does this have in the offender? Hopefully, reconciliation with you and with God. That was the purpose of God through the cross of Christ. But really, is that our concern, when obedience is our focus? The result in the offender is up to him and to God. Even if the offense happens “seventy times seven” we can say,

“I have done justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors.” Psalm 119:121

What effect does this have on us? Hugely, It gives us a greater awareness of our own sinfulness and sins, leading to the humility that elicits God’s grace; and it mitigates our pride which elicits God’s opposition (I Peter 5:5-7). We are freed to forgive even “the unforgivable” offense, to absorb the pain in a holy justice that identifies with our Savior’s cross, to forgive and love our offender, to make peace, to be blessed, to LIVE, to really be His disciple.

Unrighteous “justice” diminishes the soul. Holy justice identifies us with our risen Savior. It teaches us the obedience of love. Also, holy justice/forgiveness is how we ourselves experience the love and forgiveness of God. Each time we practice the forgiveness of holy justice, our own sense of being loved and forgiven grows.

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:14-15

We all have been called upon to “dance upon injustice,” with the holy justice of the cross, to forgive with His grace without any demand of “justice” for injustice, tit for tat, tooth for tooth. When my surrender is tested, and it regularly is, I chose to DANCE on the injustice that tempts me toward a false justice. Dance with me! Let’s delight our God.

Rae Edlin