What is justice?

 

At first it seems justice would be easy to define. Most dictionaries say it is giving a person what is due them, being fair, impartial, a moral rightness. One says justice is based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity. These terms can mean something different depending on background, culture, social norms and belief systems.

For instance, if a person kills an innocent bystander, some would say that person should be killed. That is justice. Others might say he or she deserves a fair trial, or maybe the bystander was not innocent and deserved to die. Law gets tricky and what is fair and just very often seems a matter of opinion.

Perhaps this confusion happens because truth has been relegated to personal opinion. Many assure what is true for one person is not necessarily true for others. The Bible is considered objective truth, yet many dismiss it as being true only for those who believe it. In other words, God not longer is considered the standard or truth for anything. Instead, humans decide what is true, or just and what is permissible.

Biblically, justice means: “to make right.” It is mainly a relational term — people living in right relationship with God, one another, and creation — and God determines what that ‘right relationship’ looks like. Our example and standard is Jesus Christ. He lived in right relationship with His heavenly Father and with humanity — by His obedience to His Father. For us to live justly, we need to be in a right relationship with God through faith in His Son. Then in that relationship, we also need to obey our Heavenly Father and treat others as He desires. Some examples include how we deal with those who mistreat us:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19–21)

On the other hand, if someone violates law and is guilty, the ‘repayment’ to promote order and punish the guilty has been given by God to government authorities. When private citizens take the law into their own hands, they actually usurp the authority of God. Yet even this is debated. In some countries, if an intruder threatens and their victim takes action, the victim is charged with a crime. In others, that person is applauded for defending themselves.

Justice isn’t just about crime. Micah says: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Another OT prophet says:

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. (Isaiah 1:16–17)

This passage goes on to connect justice with having sins forgiven and then being obedient to God. People who are in His family are to live with consideration for barriers to human thriving and the misuse of power that exploits people’s lives. We are to repair harm and inequities. However, justice is not the same as charity and development. Instead, it is more about challenging corruption, violence and abuse of others.

Unfortunately, the Greek word dikaiosunê has been translated in many English bibles as “righteousness” and North American churches tend to limit the idea of justice to vengeance or punishment in courts and prisons, as opposed to the wider vision of challenging other sinful activities such as greed, and unfair treatment of those who are vulnerable.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

PRAY: Jesus, justice is lacking in an overwhelming way and in every part of the world. Some are called to fight it directly, others to pray for good governments as well as Your intervention. Grant me the ability to listen and be wise in words and actions as well as in praying for justice and mercy where both are missing and most needed.