Reading: Justice - A Part of God's Character

Psalm 9:7-9

The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Isaiah 5:16

But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will show himself holy by his righteousness.

Romans 3:25, 26

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

See also Psalm 103:9,10; 130:3,4; Acts 17:30, 31 

Reflection

What do we mean when we talk of justice?

The everyday use of justice usually reflects a couple of important ideas. One has to do with fairness – justice consists of fair treatment for people. People should be treated basically the same. When we respond to discrimination with “it’s not fair,” we are speaking of unjust treatment.

The other idea has to do with consequences – justice means that people get what they deserve for their actions, whether good or bad. So we say “he got what was coming to him,” or “she got away with murder,” to sum up whether or not justice was achieved.

Is this everyday use of justice what the Bible means by that term? Clearly fairness and equal treatment are Biblical principles. Leviticus 19:15 warns, for example, “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”

But the Biblical concept of justice goes beyond fairness and equal treatment. It teaches that justice begins and ends in God. It is not something humans created or can fully achieve. When God – who is just in himself – brought the universe into being, he made it to be a place of justice. Human beings were made to live justly in relation to God, to each other, and to creation.

This justice which comes from God is intimately personal. It is meant to serve people, to foster their well-being. People, then, are at the heart of true justice. But justice is not merely personal and individual – relationships are at the heart of justice.

So in the Bible, justice fundamentally has to do with right and good relationships. It describes conditions – material, emotional, and spiritual – in which people flourish in right relationships with God and with each other. When something damages or ruptures those relationships, doing justice involves setting things right. In both senses, justice involves integrity, wholeness, and wellness for people and their relationships.

Justice is closely linked to shalom. Shalom means “peace,” but it is more than the absence of conflict and wrongdoing. Shalom describes a state of material and spiritual wholeness, wellness, and fullness for people, both individually and corporately. Justice can be thought of as both a foundation for shalom and a result of shalom.

Yet humankind’s rebellion against God shredded the fabric of justice and marred the state of shalom. People, relationships, and all of creation suffered. Where justice had characterized life, now injustice had erupted and spread with terrible and devastating results.

God’s response is to continue to enact justice in the world. God neither ignores nor excuses injustice, but hates it and its effects on creation. By establishing moral law for all humans and a special covenantal relationship with Israel and then the church, God seeks justice and calls us to pursue justice.

In a real sense, the integrity of God requires his acting to eradicate evil and reinstate good – in short, to set things right. This intrinsic integrity is God’s holiness. Holiness requires that creation reflect and express God’s nature and purposes. It is necessary for God and for his people to pursue justice in the face of evil and wrongdoing.

Justice in our sinful world, then, is about restoring shalom or wellbeing of individuals and relationships. It is concerned with upholding rules and laws only as they serve to overcome wrongs and restore people to rightness and wellness.

This means that God’s justice is not simply a matter of formal fairness or equality and “just deserts.” Psalms 103 and 130, among others, demonstrate that to God justice is more flexible, personal, and compassionate than it would be if it were simply a set of rules and punishments. As those psalms indicate, God does not deal with us as our wrongdoing deserves. God pursues justice within a context of grace for those who are wronged and for those who are wrongdoers.

We will see this even more clearly when we look at love as part of God’s character in the next lesson.

Used by permission - www.restorativejustice.org - a ministry of Prison Fellowship International