JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE IN COURT - ON TRIAL – BUT WHAT IS THE VERDICT? PART 2 OF 2
I would like to take up our examination from last time and am repeating the last two paragraphs. This time we will be looking further into biblical justice.
JUSTICE IS CRYING OUT FOR SATISFACTION
Our governments and the people who elect them can not carry out justice because they all are seriously flawed. Romans chapter 3 would clearly show that. Therefore individually, nationally and internationally, injustice is everywhere. It is as if the persecuted, the oppressed, the neglected, the deprived and the downtrodden are crying out for justice in this world but it does not come. It is as if justice is crying out in the street; weeping in the street; failing in the street.
The expression about crying out in the street is not mine. It is God’s and if you wish to turn to this passage in Isaiah you will see this as we read. You might think Isaiah is describing our time, our world, but he speaks of his time. Human depravity is the same yesterday and today - - - and forever, UNTIL the Lord returns.
{{Isaiah 59 v 9-13 Therefore, justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us. We hope for light, but behold, darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope along the wall like blind men. We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight. Among those who are vigorous we are like dead men. All of us growl like bears and moan sadly like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us. Our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us for our transgressions are with us and we know our iniquities: transgressing and denying the LORD, and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words.
Isaiah 59 v 14-15 Justice is turned back and righteousness stands far away for truth has stumbled in the street, (it cries out for justice) and uprightness cannot enter. Yes, truth is lacking and he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice.
Is. 59 v 16-19 He saw that there was no man and was astonished that there was no one to intercede. Then His own arm brought salvation to Him and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on His head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay - wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies. To the coastlands He will make recompense. They will fear the name of the LORD from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun for He will come like a rushing stream which the wind of the LORD drives.}}
Isaiah finishes this passage with hope. The last verse speaks of a people living correctly for God and His glory being known. However in the dark night that precedes that, we find ourselves today. We live with unrequited injustice.
Truth does not matter anymore. A former Premier of Queensland, Peter Beatty, declared in parliament that it would be acceptable in the Queensland parliament for politicians to lie. Truth and justice are related. How many of you have heard these infomercials or “shop at home” videos on TV – “Buy one and you get one free” (that is because you pay way too much in the first price). But you also hear his – “Call now! If you are one of the first 15 callers then you will also receive . . .” There is no accountability of how many call, so it is an outright lie. When the truth is so badly disregarded, so also then, will be truth’s cousin, that is, justice. Don’t expect justice when you don’t have truth. Ravi Zecharias stated it this way, “Justice is the handmaiden of truth, and when truth dies, justice is buried with it.”
What justice does the unborn child have who is murdered in abortion? What justice do the poor have when the rich take their job, land and freedom? What justice does the Christian have when he has homosexuality pushed at him from every angle? I mentioned that truth and justice are cousins. One engenders the other, begets the other. When one is abused it will destroy the other. I believe all our governments have destroyed truth so then we see justice has failed. God knows this. We ought to know it too. We must uphold truth. Some Christians mean well and set out to establish justice in their country but they must first establish truth before justice can come. Truth is the name of the fountain; justice is what flows from it.
TRUTH AND JUSTICE
Truth has stumbled in the street in our pre-Second Coming world, but it will not always be the case. Even Isaiah explained the streets of his time – {{Isaiah 33 v 7-8 “Behold, their brave men cry in the streets; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. The highways are desolate, the traveller has ceased.”}} Zechariah clears that up for us in this passage that relates to the time the Lord Jesus Christ will reign over all the earth in His Millennial Kingdom – {{Zechariah 8 v 3-5 “Thus says the LORD, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. ‘And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.’}} [NOTE BOYS AND GIRLS] God will do away with this sexual destruction of children and this counter culture rubbish where they are trying to abolish the terms “boy, girl, man, woman, husband, wife”. Breast milk has to be referred to as “chest milk”. The government has asked that the term “pregnant women” be replaced by “pregnant people” and “birthing people”. What garbage all this is! I believe it is called WOKE but I am not sure. God will have none of it when all things are set right.
Do you know how many times Isaiah uses the word “justice”? Well it is 26. In the following two verses he does not use the word but speaks of it - Isaiah 10 v 1-2 “Woe to those who enact evil statutes, and to those who constantly record unjust decisions, so as to deprive the needy of justice, and rob the poor of My people of their rights, in order that widows may be their spoil, and that they may plunder the orphans.”
Be absolutely sure, God hates injustice, and the greater cousin, “truth”, is upheld by God. Jesus never said, “I am the just One”, but He did say, “I am the truth”. What does this mean for Christians? Well it lays on us two of the most difficult traits for us Christians to maintain, those of justice and truth. Justice is very hard to dispense, for we are influenced by our own biases and also by our own interests, and sometimes by restrictive laws of society. “How does it affect me? I don’t want to be seen as a goody-goody. What will people think of me?” Therefore we remain inactive.
The word “Just” is often translated by righteous. To be just is to maintain righteousness. Justice is the maintenance of righteousness. How can we do that? Paul has quite a bit to say on this subject. {{[It is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (Gal 3 v 11) Romans 4 v 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Romans 6 v 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Philippians 1 v 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Hebrews 12 v 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.]}} Faith builds righteousness, and faith centered in Christ is the key.
The second trait to maintain is TRUTH. Truth is eroded by the acid of compromise, and by lying, turning your back on what’s right, going with the flow, and being neutral when you ought to say “No” or “Yes”. As faith and trust and belief are the growth foods of justice, the Lord is the growth food of truth. He is THE TRUTH so it is He we must listen to and follow. How can we do that seeing He is not on earth so that we can follow in His steps? Well, we can follow in His steps. God’s word is truth and we gain truth from the word including the Old Testament. Do not neglect the Old Testament. All our doctrines, theology, manner of life, understanding for decisions, all come from the bible.
For the pursuit of justice, pursue faith. For the pursuit of truth, connect with God’s word, the bible.
Injustice can impact us even without warning. We can all be affected by injustice and it does take its toll. What can we do in such circumstances? 20 years ago I wrote a piece which I found in a search this week, called “Reciprocal Justice”, and here it is -
RECIPROCAL JUSTICE
One Bible verse says that whatever someone sows, that substance shall the same person reap. It is very much like a reciprocal justice. Maybe we can say a person earns his correct wages, or reaps according to his effort. All human beings are adding to an account, whether that be an account of unrighteousness (for those unsaved), or an account of holiness (for those who are Christians). There are only two accounts.
The prophet Micah was upset after reflection on the unjust deeds of the unjust rulers of his time and the Spirit of God caused him to state this in quite direct and graphic language:- {{Micah 3 v 1-3 “And I said, “Hear now, heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know justice? “You who hate good and love evil, who tear off their skin from them and their flesh from their bones, and who eat the flesh of my people, strip off their skin from them, break their bones, and chop them up as for the pot and as meat in a kettle.”}}
What a vivid way to describe the manner in which the poor and defenceless of the land were being exploited by the rich and arrogant and hard-hearted men. Does God identify with the ones suffering unjustly? He certainly does, as verse 3 in that passage clearly says, “My people.” All the injustices of this world since the creation of Adam and Eve have been marked by God and every man will account for his own share. People of every age have lived in ignorance of their sin account, and even in defiance against the God of heaven, but their sins are on their account and will be revealed on the great day of judgment. No one will escape the justice of God.
Each one will reap according to what he sows! Each one will earn what he deserves! Each one will receive reciprocal justice! Now note how Micah concludes this section with a message for the oppressors of justice:- {{Micah 3 v 4 “Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time, because they have practised evil deeds.”}} Those who have persecuted others will one day cry to God but He will not hear; they will cry out for God’s help, but God will be hidden from them. God’s justice is framed by His holiness and righteousness.
Mark carefully - God is not mocked.
Galatians 6 v 7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
If only non-Christians can understand this and come to God for forgiveness so that the weight of God’s judgment and justice is removed from their souls. God loves them and wants them to be part of His family, to turn to God and receive Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Saviour.
CONCLUSION
To finish, we will look at the cross. I want to leave you with a few comments about this.
1. The cross was God’s justice against sin; against the injustices of the human race. God’s justice was on display at the cross.
2. The cross showed very clearly the justice of God on display. It was not known by any watching there what was transpiring. They saw just the execution of criminals.
3. The justice of God was the retribution for injustice, for all sin is injustice against God; against the righteousness and holiness of God.
4. Through Christ's death, the justice of God that brought it about, has justified us, so we sit in the seat of the justified, the place of forgiveness because the righteous One died for the unrighteous ones in a substitutionary death.
5. Through the justice of God against sin at Calvary, we have all entered into salvation.
If any are listening to, or reading this and you are unsaved please remember this. God’s justice will condemn your sin as you are guilty. However, the Lord Jesus Christ became the guilty One on your behalf so that you can be declared righteous and just before God. Repent of your sin and ask the Lord Jesus to be your personal Saviour. He will come into your life and you will be born again with a new nature, as a child of God.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
