JUSTICE
DEFINITION: Justice is fairness in protection of rights and the punishment of wrongs.
FACTS ABOUT JUSTICE:
Most legal systems aim to uphold the ideal of justice through proper administration of the laws of their land. It is possible, however, to have unjust laws and miscarriages of justice.
Injustices occur because we live in a sinful world. No one is perfect–this includes law enforcement officers, judges, juries, and courts involved in the legal system. Injustices also occur in business dealings and personal relationships.
Injustice breeds further injustice. “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11, NKJV).
Justice is not always fairly dispensed. Injustices are often experienced by people without funds for proper representation in a court of law or a business transaction. Injustices sometimes occur because of race or religious beliefs.
God is a God of justice. He keeps perfect records. Although someone may escape justice in this world, he will not escape in the world to come unless he repents and comes to Jesus Christ.
Our standard of justice is the Word of God. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and we are governed by the mandates of the Word.
DEALING WITH JUSTICE:
Look to God for justice. God is a righteous judge and the true judge of us all (Romans 14:12-13). Look to God for justice instead of man (Psalm 140:12).
Do not seek revenge. Do not seek revenge for injustices committed against you. The Bible says that God forbids revenge (Leviticus 19:18). Vengeance for injustice is God’s responsibility (Romans 12:19).
Love your enemies. God’s strategy for dealing with someone who commits an injustice against you is to show them love and compassion (Luke 6:27)
Seek to resolve offences. To the best of your ability, try to resolve offenses that cause injustices and set right any wrongs.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT JUSTICE:
Will not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Genesis 18:25b)
Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (Leviticus 19:15)
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)
Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:20)
Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow. Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” (Deuteronomy 27:19)
I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.” (Ecclesiastes 3:17)
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. (Psalm 103:6)
I know that the Lord will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.(Psalm 140:12)
Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. (Proverbs 20:22)
Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all. (Proverbs 28:5, NKJV)
The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge. (Proverbs 29:7, NKJV)
Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11, NKJV)
Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17, NKJV)
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18)
Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. (Isaiah 51:4)
For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. (Isaiah 61:8)
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” (Zechariah 7:9-10)
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. (Luke 18:7-8)
You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. (John 8:15-16)
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)
