Biblical Justice and Social Justice Part 4

In the second part of this series, we discovered God’s character, attributes, and expectations of His people. In part three, we explored how our Heavenly Father provided frameworks, systems, and objective standards for His people. Here we will see how having laws, systems, and expectations does not ensure Biblical justice. The third factor is the administration of Biblical justice by people. People are not perfect and as a result justice will not be evident when laws are not administered justly. The following passage speaks to the very great responsibility of administering God’s Biblical justice.

Deuteronomy 16:18-20 "Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. 19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you."

What are the characteristics of judges or officials or law enforcement? Who is worthy of administering God’s Biblical justice? Why is character a crucial factor?

Equitable judgement must be a value of the judge (and law enforcement). The judge must have as a base motivation fairness without prejudice toward any person or group of people (v. 18)
A godly judge is an administrator of God’s laws, not a person charged with legislating from the bench. Judges do not make law they administer existing law (v. 19)
Judges have upstanding moral and ethical characters. They are not swayed by self-interest, profit, or personal feeling. They desire to see everyone treated fairly under the law (v. 19)
Character is the single most important characteristic of a judge because without it the law will not be administered fairly and people and groups of people will suffer as a result of lack of justice

What are some ways Biblical justice can be thwarted or derailed according to the passage? What are some ways we see that same thing happen today?

Bribes – gaining advantage (monetarily, socially, or otherwise)
Personal agendas that motivate the judge to slant the outcome or impose personal views over the laws.
There is a rampant movement to legislate from the bench and circumvent the laws of the land because the laws have not been changed to a judge’s liking. The phrase heard over and over is that the Constitution is a living document meant to be reinterpreted in light of shifting values and culture. Such rationale is disingenuous and self-motivated. Authors write with ONE meaning in mind. The Constitution is ONLY a living document because it was design to be amended by the will of the people, not by the personal opinions of judges.

In Luke 3:10-14; how did John the Baptist call on people to administer Biblical justice? What are some ways we can live out this Biblical principle?

Luke 3:10-14 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

Be generous without being enabling (v. 11)
Be fair to everyone without favoring any person or group (v. 13)
Be people of integrity (v. 14)

What are some ways we can keep on track in pursuing and maintaining Biblical justice in our world today?

Make sure you are a person reflecting God’s character in loving everyone without regard to status
Speak the truth in love when opportunity arises
Be involved in advocating for God’s principles of justice and fairness
Hold those who violate principles of justice accountable in fair-minded ways (after all, every person, including violators should be treated fairly and justly if we are to reflect the character of God)

Conclusion: We have seen three essential parts to bringing equal justice to all: First, understanding God’s character and expectations for society. Second, grasping and implementing God’s principles of equal treatment for all through just and fair laws and regulations that reflect His character and values for every person. Third, the critical implementation of justice by authorities of high moral character and integrity.