Justice. When I say this word, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For me, it’s Judge Judy. A beacon of the court system, who has no time for those who don’t follow the rules or those who try to exploit the system, she is tough, but fair. But God is not Judge Judy.
God’s sense of justice extends well beyond our limited view of justice through the human court system. Our sense of justice is in order to do what is best for us – justice may involve separating some people from others, or enforcing fines in an attempt to get people to follow the rules. But our sense of justice is also tainted – sometimes the justice system is actually unjust. But God’s sense of justice is not about what is good for God; it is about what is good for those whom God loves.
God’s sense of justice does not come from making sure that everything is fair or right, but out of God’s deep sense of love for us. Jesus cried out in our defense, and God forgave us! When we recognize our sin and confess it, Jesus again cries out to God to forgive us, for we cannot comprehend what we are doing. Cannot fully imagine that we are hurting God, ourselves, and others. He continually asks God to forgive us, if only we would ask Christ to forgive us our sins.
As Christ has sought justice for us, we are seekers of justice for others. We may not be able to have the same kind of justice that doesn’t make everything fair or even, but clean, but we can at least strive to love people in this world. In the book of the prophet Amos, we read that God commanded that justice flow down like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24) Or as another translation puts it, a flood of justice and an endless river of righteous living. The phrase that used to describe followers of Christ who try to seek to live justly on this earth is “social justice” or “peace with justice.” While we may not be able to eliminate the wrongs in this world, we can try to correct them and see those often mistreated in society with the eyes of Christ.
Remember, seeking justice is not always popular because it forces us to examine our own shortcomings and continually reclaim God’s loving justice in our lives. It also makes us face how we have not been a good neighbor to others, and puts us into relationship with those whom our path may never cross otherwise.
What does it look like to claim God's justice in our lives? How can we seek justice on the behalf of the forgotten, ignored, and oppressed? And how can we remember that God's justice covers all?
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