Justice: A Biblical Perspective
Author: Pastor Ron Kreager
August 15, 2024
From the moment Adam sinned in the garden of Eden, justice has been an important
part of human civilization. Created in God’s image, men and women have hearts that
long for justice in a world filled with much evil. Here at home, we Americans proclaim
“justice for all” every time we say the Pledge of Allegiance, because we recognize that
justice is necessary to human thriving. Yet, many who declare justice fail to appreciate
that justice comes from God and is related to the idea of righteousness. With an
inadequate understanding of justice, even many professing Christians apply justice only
to a specific group of “oppressed” people or focus their efforts for justice to a narrow set
of social issues.
Today, many call for justice in various forms such as “social justice,” “climate justice,”
and the like. As Christians, we must evaluate whether these forms of so-called justice
are consistent with true justice established by God, who is the perfect standard of
justice (Deuteronomy 32:4). To do so, we must look to God’s Word, the Bible.
Armed with a biblical understanding of justice, we will be able to counter the lies of
Satan concerning this critical theme. Moreover, a biblical understanding of justice ought
to enhance our proclamation of the gospel and motivate us to pursue righteousness in
our own lives, so that Christ would be glorified and souls would be won to the praise of
His great name.
Justice in the Bible
In the Bible, justice is fundamentally rooted in the character of God (Isaiah 5:16;
Deuteronomy 32:4). The word “justice” in the English Bible is primarily translated from
the Hebrew word mishpat and the Greek word dikaiosyne, which have the idea of
“divinely righteous action, whether taken by humanity or God, that promotes equality
among humanity.” Garrett, Jeremiah K. “Justice.” The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham
Press, 2016.
Justice and righteousness are often connected in Scripture. Sproul, R. C. What Can
We Know about God?. Vol. 27, p. 43. Indeed, there are at least 68 verses in the Legacy
Standard Bible that include both words in the same verse. For example, in Genesis
18:19, God states: “For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his
household after him, that they keep the way of Yahweh to do righteousness and
justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”
Later, in 2 Samuel 8:15, we read that “David reigned over all Israel; and David was
doing justice and righteousness for all his people.” Given this relationship between
justice and righteousness, justice has been defined as “alignment to a standard of
goodness.” Allen, Scott David. Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice. p. 17.
Since God treats all men impartially (Eph. 6:9, Col. 3:25), biblical justice demands rules
and privileges that apply equally to all people regardless of their station in life. For
example, just weights and measures are required for justice in business dealings (Deut.
25:13-16). Additionally, justice in the courtroom demands an impartial judge who is not
prone to bribery (Deut. 16:18-20).
In these Old Testament examples, justice involved actively establishing the rights of
others. In the New Testament, the idea of justice is further developed along spiritual and
ethical lines as the emphasis is placed upon righteousness. In 1 John 3:7, John
articulates a critically important principle involving justice and righteousness: it is the
one who practices righteousness who is righteous. In commanding men to pursue
justice (Deut. 16:20), God is not only concerned with the legal rights given to people.
God is also concerned with the moral behavior of the individual. Simply put, biblical
justice cannot be separated from personal righteousness. There is no such thing as a
morally-neutral form of justice. Thus, to identify something as “just” is to assign to it a
moral quality of righteousness.
Justice in the World
Now that we have looked at the biblical definition of justice, we can compare it with the
world’s contemporary usage of justice. In America today, there is a resurgence of
interest in matters of justice, especially on issues of “social justice” that range from
racial equality to gender rights to reproductive justice. But despite all the contemporary
obsession with these issues, there is very little interest in matters of righteousness,
especially righteousness based upon the Word of God.
Take, for example, the issue of “reproductive justice.” According to one activist group,
SisterSong, the term “reproductive justice” refers to “the human right to maintain
personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we
have in safe and sustainable communities.” “Reproductive Justice,” SisterSong,
https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice. As Scott David Allen notes in his book,
Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice, the phrase “the right to … not have children”
hardly refers to the right not to engage in sexual activity that leads to procreation.
Rather, the phrase means the right to abort unwanted children. While the group’s
website states that reproductive justice is about more than abortion, even a quick
examination of SisterSong’s activities reveals that abortion access is at the core of this
form of “justice.” Specifically, SisterSong’s website indicates that reproductive justice
involves more than merely the right to choose to have an abortion; it also demands
widely available access to abortion at a convenient location and at a minimum expense.
In other words, justice demands both the legal permission to have an abortion as well
as the society’s financial support for the abortion.
This example highlights that the modern understanding of justice stands in stark
contrast to biblical justice. It is but one of many present-day examples that could be
cited to show that righteousness is no longer considered when people think of justice
today. Scripture clearly sets forth that the act of aborting an unborn child is wicked and
unrighteous. Nonetheless, the contemporary movement for “reproductive justice”
maintains that such acts must be promoted.
Conclusion
So, what is a Christian to do when confronted with the “justice” issues that are in vogue
today? How should a Christian respond to the claim that it is unjust to recognize only
two genders for purposes of setting up public restrooms, collegiate sports, and the like?
What about the argument that it is unjust to permit some to be rich while others are poor
yet unwilling to hold a steady job?
To answer these questions, Christians must first resolve to define justice according to
the Word of God, not according to the world. The Word of God must be our final
authority and our ultimate source of objective truth (John 17:17).
Second, Christians must be mindful of the close biblical connection between justice and
righteousness. When an issue of “justice” is raised, we must consider whether the
matter promoted is one that furthers righteousness in the world or one that leads society
into greater wickedness (see Romans 1:18-32). Only when righteousness is promoted
can we say that true justice is at hand. An invitation to sin is not a call to justice.
Third, Christians must be resolved to pursue a life of personal holiness and fidelity to
God. In our striving to fulfill God’s command to do justice to those in our world today,
we must live righteously before God and men. Only with such a testimony firmly
established will our claims of justice have any credibility as we seek to refute attempts
to place the label “justice” on that which is sinful.
Equipped with a biblical understanding of justice, we may be bold and skillful when
responding to modern distortions of justice in our world today. In so doing, let us
remember to share with others not only the justice of God, under which sinful man is
rightly condemned, but also His mercy and grace in sending Christ to the cross to take
the penalty that would be justly placed upon us. In all things, might we seek to serve
Him in justice and righteousness for all of our days!
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