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The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘justice’ as ‘the maintenance of what is just or right by the exercise of authority or power; assignment of deserved reward or punishment; giving of due deserts’. In our day, the word has become more relative in terms of its virtue. Everyone has carved for themselves a definition of ‘justice’. Recent incidents and tragic events about attacks in the church, persecutions, and murders for the sake of the gospel have become rampant in our country. The voice of the Martyrs can never be silenced spiritually. Tertullian said, ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’ Over the centuries this has been the time-tested truth.
How do we look at it from the Bible?
The Bible 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)’
God demands justice from us. And the Bible also says, ‘Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you (Ps 89:14).’
He is the source of this virtue that God requires of us. Since He is just, holy, and righteous, and we are unholy, unjust, and unrighteous, the revelation of ‘justice’ has grown out of proportion. We are beginning to act like ‘god’ to the situations that have deeply wounded us – directly or indirectly. If not in person but emotionally, mentally, or psychologically, we are taking the seat of God in deciding what’s right to the victim and declaring the ‘guilty’.
I am convinced that the more we look to the cross and see Christ crucified, one who never sinned, never committed any crime, not even deserving a punishment, yet took our sins and the consequences of our sinful nature – death, we have certainly lost the ability to demand justice outside of Christ. We nailed a sinless man to the cross. Justice was served for us in Him. The cross of Jesus is the greatest and the only example where justice and righteousness both came together in perfect harmony.
For those who are outside of Christ, they cannot demand justice, for they plead being unjust;
For those who are in Christ, justice is already served, therefore we cannot ask for more justice.
As long as we are in this world, there is no perfect justice that is already revealed outside of the Cross of Jesus Christ.
“God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood… It was to show his righteousness… so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Rom 3:25-26