Doing Justice

In our ongoing look at the issue of justice, we need to consider justice as handled by law enforcement agencies and courts. Leviticus 19:15 states it succinctly: “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.” A motivation for my addressing this topic comes from the book our church read and recently got to discussing, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. If you read the story of Walter McMillan, the returning narrative of the book, and place his experience alongside the dictates of Exodus 23:12-3, 6-9, one of many passages in which the expectation of informed, impartial, and appropriate justice is made known, you’ll see that his “justice” violated every one of Moses’s demands. It was a travesty. Those who have been unwilling to repent of the injustice they perpetrated will have to give an account to the one who warned, “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked” (Exodus 23:7).

But legal injustice is not confined to abuse by “officers of the court.” The church has long acknowledged that unjust laws are no laws. That is, laws that are being enforced might very well be unjust in and of themselves. And when injustice has manifested itself in this way, those who decided they “must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) have been held in high esteem. The power to make laws and execute justice is not absolute. Only in God can we find an all-righteous law maker and defender. When humans fail to do justice those who serve the one who defines justice must live under his law.

That being said, even when laws are just and the associated punishment appropriate, there are times when mercy must triumph. I believe the “woman caught in adultery,” recorded in John 8, is to the point. Was she guilty of the crime? She was. Did she deserve death according to the law? She did. Were there mitigating circumstances that would have made the ruthless carrying out of the punishment an injustice? Apparently there were, for Jesus sent her way uncondemned. There are differing opinions as to what those mitigating circumstances were, but they were sufficient for the Lord to offer her another chance at life. Here, mercy triumphed over judgment.

The Equal Justice Initiative, the organization that Bryan Stevenson founded, reports that a short while ago Nick Sutton was recently executed. In 1980 he was convicted of murder and was imprisoned as an 18 year old. During his incarceration he became a different man. His transformation was so significant that his clemency application was “supported by correction staff, victims’ family members, many of the original jurors, and those whose lives Mr. Sutton has saved.” The last group noted included three prison guards whose lives were protected by the condemned man. His kindness and service to other inmates, as well as his continuing efforts at mediation between inmates and correction officials, made him an asset to the prison population. Nevertheless, his application was denied and his execution, some 40 years after the verdict, was carried out. Was this just? Technically, yes. Morally, no. There are enough mitigating circumstances on record that the Governor could have justly shown mercy and set aside the death sentence.

Doing justice is hard work. It can get messy. But it is required. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love mercy,

and to walk humbly with your God”

Micah 6:8

Love for Neighbor

The plight of the illegal immigrant is usually included in the call for ‘social justice.’ The rhetoric surrounding the debate, however, is often misleading. The dropping of the term “illegal” by advocates makes it sound as if all who oppose illegal entry oppose all immigrants. This is unfortunate, for it only serves to cloud the issue rather than clarify. The same could be said of language coming out of the Christian community. When stipulations from the Mosaic law regarding treatment of the “sojourner” are offered, or Jesus’ Judgment Day expectation of care for the “stranger” is cited, important contextual considerations that deny a universal application of the obligation are overlooked. That being said, a pertinent and, frankly, more demanding text, is applicable: the parable of the “Good Samaritan.” In it, to use the words of R.C. Sproul, the obligation of the “universal neighborhood of man” requires that “I love each human being as much as I love myself.”

There is a “macro” view and a “micro” view of the issues involved. The macro is concerned with an unregulated influx of people. Without vigilance, it proves difficult to keep track of how many there are, who they are, where they have come from, and where they are once they arrive. This is not an insignificant concern. Personally, I think the threat of rapists and murderers flooding the country is more rhetoric than reality, nor is the possibility of jihadists slipping in undetected a major concern, but the sheer number of people that desire the prosperity and freedom we enjoy could easily overwhelm the country’s capacity to accommodate them, actually undermining the very institutions that allow for prosperity and freedom. The civil government is tasked with maintaining a just and stable society and this involves establishing and maintaining laws. To think otherwise is folly. R.C. Sproul is right to affirm the universal neighborhood of man; but he would be the first to deny the universal goodness of man. Hence, the need for appropriate regulation.

That being said, the micro view understands that the vast majority of people desiring to enter our country are fleeing very difficult circumstances. Economic stagnation, authoritarian or failed governments, and unchecked violence are all contributing factors that make people feel as though they have no other option but to pack up what they can and leave. There is often great expense and risk involved in the undertaking, which suggests that the decision to depart is not made lightly. When the illegal immigrant ends up at our doorstep, literally or figuratively, having suffered from his trek, Jesus’ parable teaches that our first obligation is to care for them as neighbors. The inclusion of a priest and levite avoiding a man who appears to be dead, contact with whom would have rendered them ritually unfit to perform their duties, illustrates what Jesus approves elsewhere, “to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33). This, perhaps, should temper our zeal for strict adherence to law.

There is the need for social stability that is provided by laws that govern immigration, and there are the needs of people, many of whom are escaping undesirable circumstances. These are both weighty considerations that demand wisdom more than easy answers. For the Christian this is particularly true. Understanding the need to love others as we would be loved, we must resist the dehumanizing demagoguery that too often characterizes the debate and seek to respectfully honor our government and compassionately love our neighbor.

A Just People

Soon after the entrance of sin into his creation God signals that he is going to have a people that will be fighting against and victorious over the serpent’s scheming. In the unfolding story of redemption, biblical theologians understand the “he” who would bruise the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) is revealed to be Christ. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, victory over sin and death, the dark fruit of the serpent’s deception, was accomplished. 

But there is scriptural warrant for also asserting that the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman represent those loyal to each. Enmity exists between those who are subject to “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and those who have been “made alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Cain “was of the evil one and murdered his brother,” while Abel “was commended as righteous” (Hebrews 11:4). The Pharisees who opposed Jesus had the devil as their father (John 8:44), but those “who abide in [Christ’s] word . . . are truly [his] disciples” (John 8:31).

One of the purposes God has for the "seed" of the woman is that they would live as God intended, and their obedience to God’s will would enable them to form a just society by which he would be displayed among the nations. His people, living according to his will, was to cause others to yearn for the equanimity and justice that God’s design produces. This was true for Israel and is true for the Body of Christ. 

God's mission was hard for Israel and is perhaps even harder for the Body of Christ, given the diversity of its makeup. Paul teaches that by faith all manners of people are brought into the covenant promises of God. In his letter to the Galatians he assures his readers that there “is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:28-29). Positionally, all moved from being children of wrath to children of God (Ephesians 2:3). But this bringing together of disparate peoples brought with it challenges as the church wrestled with the troubles and tensions that sin brought into the world. Consider the list above. Jews would not have considered Gentiles to be part of the covenant people unless they stopped being Gentiles. Neither slaves nor women enjoyed the same status as free men. Add to this the gulf between rich and poor (see James 2) and it takes little imagination to envision how hard it was for the prayed for unity to be realized (John 17:15-23).

It is still hard. But we are told to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). So, despite the challenges we must demonstrate to the world that in Christ it is possible for people of different races, sexes, classes, and economic status to live together justly, for all have been “brought near by the blood of Christ.” For Jesus “is our peace, who has made us . . . one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:13-14)

47 Years of Injustice

God expects righteousness and justice to be maintained. The authority granted to rulers is given for that very purpose; they are to govern in such a way that victims are defended and perpetrators are punished. History has many “bad actors” who have abused or neglected the authority granted to them, falling woefully short of divine expections, and the people under them have suffered. Such misuse angers God. The prophets often decry exploitation of the poor and vulnerable and calls for justice and righteousness are many. Because injustice concerns God it should concern his people. He wants us to care about it and labor to ameliorate its effects. We might not create heaven on earth but we can represent heaven on earth.

A tragic example of injustice that has persisted in our country for the past 47 years is the unfettered access to abortion granted by the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. The very institution that has been entrusted with deciding what is just when competing interests are jockeying for their perceived due, offered no protection for the unborn baby, the most vulnerable of the pertinent parties in the dispute. The infamous 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision has been described by some historians as the worst the Supreme Court has ever made. As unjust as that ruling was, Roe v. Wade far outstrips it when judged by its consequences. Some 62 million abortions have been performed since that decision and each of them ended the life of a defensless human being. This is injustice worthy of a prophet’s most vehement scorn.

The current call for social justice among evangelicals is not to be ignored, but neither is the plight of the unborn. If our concern for righteousness and justice grows out of our love for God and neighbor, this should certainly include our fellow image bearers in the womb. Each one of us has started our human journey in the same place and there is none who are less human than another simply because of where he or she is on that journey. Let us labor for the kind of society that God declares ought to be. Those who are the victims of unrighteousness deserve the advocacy of those who serve the One who is the “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” (Psalm 68:5). This must include all those in our society who are unable to advocate for themselves, including the child in the womb.

Why Is Justice Important?

Noted 19th century politician and statesman, Daniel Webster, opined, “Justice is the greatest concern of man on earth.” Given the tenor of our days, it is not an overstatement. If there is one thing that could define our time it is the cry for “social justice.” Each self-identified group clamors for it. It is not always clear what standard is being applied to determine what is just, but the belief that there is a need for justice is palpable. In this regard, Webster’s observation holds true. 

Why is justice so important to people? Why are humans beings so rankled when an injustice is perpetrated? I believe it has something to do with our being made in the image of God. If being just is “based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair,” as one definition would have it, then without equivocation we can declare that God is just, for he is “a faithful God who does no wrong” (Deuteronomy 32:4, NIV). He his all-righteous. Indeed, he defines what it means to be righteous and just. As we are made in his image, we have been created with a desire for righteousness and justice. The problem we have is that our capacity for determining what is just has been greatly vitiated by our rejection of the One who is just. As a consequence, our moral compass points more south than north.

That being said, though we may not always get what true social justice is, God does. He speaks of it often in the word he has given to us. As we look into this subject more, I think we will find that not all of the clamor is justified — but some of it is. Sin has caused serious injustices from the moment it entered into God’s good creation. Cain’s murder of Abel was just such a manifestation. God said that Abel had done that which was right; for him to be slain by his brother on account of righteousness was a deep injustice. We get that. 

Are similar injustices being perpetrated today? Indeed, there are, and God hates them as much as he hated Cain’s act of cruelty. And because God cares whether or not human beings are just we, his redeemed children, should also care. Not only have we been created in his image, we are being transformed into his image (2 Corinthinas 3:18). What he hates, we should hate. What he desires, we should desire. 

You have a mighty arm;

strong is your hand, high your right hand.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Psalms 89:13-14

Just Rulers

It is remarkable how often in Scripture God’s assessment of rulers involves how they have treated the poor, oppressed, fatherless, widow, or aliens (more on what constitutes an alien in an upcoming post). It would appear that his entrusting authority to rulers carries with it the expectation that they would care about the same thing that he cares about, namely, reversing the results of sin.

I think this is why so much concern is directed toward vulnerable members of society. Sin manifests itself in many ways, but when it results in abuse or neglect of those without power by those who have been entrusted with power its seems particularly sinful. 

Jesus is the model of servant-leadership that all in exalted positions should imitate. The path he walked was one not marked by leveraging of heavenly identity. A translation of Philippians 2:6-7 that I favor reads this way, “. . . though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be held on to for advantage, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant.” Jesus willingly stepped down from his exalted position in order to serve those whom the Father had entrusted to his care. 

This needs to be taken into account by those who would rule for to sit in the place of power brings with it grave responsibility that will require a reckoning. Following a parable in which the steward of a household is described as abusing his place of authority, Jesus teaches, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Luke 1:48) This is why we need to pray for our rulers. We want our leaders to be people who possess a servant's heart and a healthy dose of humility. God expects them to be protectors of the weak. They need to be sensitive, therefore, to the forces at work in our fallen world that exploit those without power.

That being said, it can be discouraging to acknowledge that all people in power, to lesser or greater degree, fail in their God-given duties to defend the vulnerable. We read with longing a passage like Psalm 72. A society in which authority is used to subdue workers of evil while establishing righteousness and justice seems to good to be true. But it is true or, at least, will be true when the reign of God’s anointed is fully realized. Jesus alone reigns with unmitigated righteousness, and all his enemies will be made his footstool. This is the end to which history is moving. Let’s pray that those who rule now will anticipate Christ’s rule as they humbly take up their mantle of leadership.