INTRODUCTION
Last week we looked at the righteous reign of Christ and the position of sin and sinners who are under the dispensation of Grace. This message examines another aspect of the righteous reign pertaining to Justice especially for the vulnerable.
It establishes God as the owner of righteousness and justice in heaven, which he confers upon Jesus, His King on the earth. It explains the nature and the standard of Christ’s Justice including acts of goodness, compassion and forgiveness and sincerity and impartiality. Again judgement and justice in this series is not concerned with the second coming.
1. GOD OWNS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE
“Righteousness and Justice” are the habitation of [God’s] throne”. Justice is a key part of righteousness. Where justice runs down as waters, it can create a mighty stream of righteousness (Psalm 89:14; 97:2; Amos 5:24). God hates injustice that entails under the dominion of the worldly kings especially unfairness and partiality in judgement and the perversion of justice. (See Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:17; 24:17; Exodus 23: 2-3 & 6-7; Isaiah 5:23; Proverbs 17:15).
He desires that righteousness and justice be executed to deliver the oppressed and the vulnerable including strangers, the fatherless and widows from wrong or violence; and to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. (Isaiah 1:23; Jeremiah 22:3). But all have become corrupt and “there is none that doeth good”. They judge unjustly in favour of the wicked and those that judge others do the same things and thereby condemn themselves. (Psalm 14:2-4 & 82:2; Romans 2:2).
Only “the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit [injustice and He] will render to every man according to his deeds”(Romans 2: 6). Thus “God [being] judge himself” on the throne will judge the people with equity (or impartiality) even as He has judged the world with His own righteousness through His son Jesus (Psalm 7:11; Psalm 9:4; Psalm 98:9).
2. THE REIGN OF JUSTICE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
God promises to “redeem [Israel] with judgement and her converts with righteousness”; and “to raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land” (Isaiah 1:27; Jeremiah 23:5). Jesus is the “righteous branch” and the “rod out of the stem of Jesse” that fulfils God’s purpose of dispensing justice as His righteousness upon the earth (Psalm 50:4 & 6; Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 33:5).
2.1 The Nature of the Reign of Justice
What is the nature of the reign of Justice? Jesus will judge God’s people with righteousness and with fairness and will deliver justice for the humble, the poor, the afflicted, and the righteous. (Psalm 72:2; Isaiah 11:4). How will he do this? The power of “the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, [including] the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD”. By the spiritual empowerment, his “mouth” shall become as a “rod” with which he shall overcome the earth (i.e. the worldly regimes); and the “breath of his lips” shall become the weapon to slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:2-4).
The Lord Jesus will especially be attentive to the “poor” the “needy” and those that are ‘helpless’ among the people. He shall hear when they cry to him, will show them mercy, and save their life. He will redeem them from deceit and violence and their blood shall be precious to him. He shall crush their oppressor in pieces. (Psalm 72:4 & 12-14).
Thus, since believers are hid in Christ and Christ lives in them, they obtain by grace the spiritual personality of Jesus and thereby the disposition to deal justly. (Galatians 2:20; Psalm 16:6-7). The ‘spiritual gifts of Justice’ – wisdom and understanding, guidance and strength, knowledge and the fear of God – shall make his people know that judgement and justice are His (Isaiah 33:1-2). Believers have assurance that he will hear our cry, be merciful, and shall redeem us from injustices and treachery. “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).
2.2 Jesus fulfills God’s Standard of Justice
As by Jesus came one standard of righteousness for Jews and non-Jews, that is not premised upon one’s perfection in doing the laws, so also, the requirements for Justice is not premised upon doing the law. Rather it is led by the Holy Spirit who refines our attitudes to perceive justice from what God has done for us and to demonstrate it to others. God overlooks our sins and does not judge us according to our unrighteousness but according to His love and mercies.
His justice in the reign of grace through Christ is for believers to demonstrate His example of righteousness. The standard of Justice therefore no longer becomes an “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, [and] foot for foot ” Justice, but to forgive those who trespass against us, as our father forgives us our trespasses (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Matthew 6:12 & 14; and 5:38-39).
Consider that, as with God’s righteousness, Jesus fulfills God’s standard of justice in that it is not an “eye for eye” justice that Jesus who committed no sin, was made sin to die for sinners, that we could escape punishment and death. It is rather God’s righteousness demonstrated in His love for us – an unparallel Justice (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 4:10)
Justice then is an expectation that, those that are reconciled unto God through the blood of his son Jesus, are mindful of their judgment of, or condemnation of others. Let us now examine examples of the manifestations of Justice under the righteous reign.
2.3 MANIFESTATIONS OF JUSTICE
a) Acts of goodness as righteous judgment
Believers should “judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”. (John 7:24) Judging righteously entails basic fairness in one’s actions but also in the rationality and reason for judging situations including in the way one interprets the Mosaic Law. A reasoning that permits an act of goodness is a righteous judgment and thereby justice.
For example, according to Jesus, if the religious Jews could allow circumcision on the Sabbath day to uphold the law, they should also allow for the sick and the oppressed to be healed or delivered on the Sabbath day. Similarly if they permit to lift out of a pit a sheep, which fell therein on the Sabbath day, they should likewise allow a man to be saved on the Sabbath because “a man is better than a sheep”.
Thus “it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days” (Luke 13:14-16; Matthew 12:10-12). It is like the saying, ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander’. And to all who patiently continue doing good, seeking for glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life through Christ, they will enjoy glory, honour, and peace (Romans 2:7-8).
b) Compassion and forgiveness
Justice is to have compassion and forgiveness. Jesus demonstrates his righteous judgement to obtain justice for the vulnerable by compassion when the scribes and Pharisees invoked the Law of Moses to stone the woman caught in the act of adultery. He “said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” At this, statement “they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last” (John 8:3-11).
Jesus also illustrates the essence of forgiveness as justice through the parable of the debtor who obtained mercy but he could not forgive. The servant owed his Lord but could not pay and the Lord forgave the debt. But after he was excused, he attacked a fellow servant who owed him. The master said to him:” I forgave thee all that debt, because thou [asked] me: [should you not] have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?” He handed the servant to the tormentors. Jesus then warns saying “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses” (Matthew 18:21-35).
But the larger point about judging rightly by compassion and forgiveness that Jesus teaches is the effect of forgiveness on cultivating Love in the one who is forgiven. Jesus reasons with His Peter the apostles that one who is forgiven of the most debt or wrong is more likely to love him more. (Luke 7:41-43 & 47-48). This explains why we are required to forgive our brethren seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22).
Therefore Brethren we should aspire to cultivate love in our brethren by our acts of compassion and forgiveness under the righteous reign of Christ.
c) Sincerity and impartiality
Administering and pursuing justice involves judging fairly, justly and impartially. (1 Samuel 8:18-20; Deuteronomy 17:14). Jesus illustrates insincerity and partiality in the example of lawyers who lay on people burdens grievous to be borne but they themselves will not touch the burdens with one of their fingers.(Luke 11:46; Matthew 23:4).
This analogy depicts cases where one expects another to perform under a condition, standard, or criteria, which they themselves could or would not perform. For example, the Jews sought to restrain disciples and coverts into the faith of Jesus Christ unless they were circumcised. By imposing this condition, they sought “to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither [their] fathers nor [they] were able to bear”. (Acts 15:10).
In other words, the Jews who are circumcised could not keep the laws themselves but desire that others abide by it so that they can boast in their flesh. On this wise, those who impose such expectations of others do test God (Galatians 6:13).
Children of grace, even today, most believers and church leaders tend to preach and impose doctrines and standards, which they do not observe. Justice should require that one who teaches another, to teach himself first; or to “cast out the beam out of thine own eye; [so you can] see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye”.(Romans 2:21; Matthew 7:5). Brethren be aware that hypocrisy informs and perpetuates injustice.
3. FOOD FOR THOUGHT
My people of God, righteousness and Justice are twin principles of godliness that all believers should desire and seek.
The requirements for Justice is no longer premised on the law but is Spirit-led. The Holy Spirit teaches us the paths of justice to emulate what Gd has done for us in overlooking our sins and to demonstrate it to others. The spiritual gifts of justice shall make believers understand that judgement and justice is the Lord’s, and we are assured of justice through Jesus Christ.
Let us therefore avoid the “eye for an eye”- type justice and instead judge righteous judgement through acts of goodness, compassion and forgiveness, and with sincerity and impartiality. We yield fruits of righteousness when our acts of forgiveness cultivate the love of God in those we forgive.
Next week, we will conclude the series by looking at deliverance from evil and bondage under the righteous reign.
PRAYER
Almighty God, thank you for your word and for thy GRACE upon all thy children.
Lord Jesus, be attentive to the prayers of thy people especially the poor, the needy, the helpless and the vulnerable in bondage societies and protect and defend them.
Dear Lord grant them your ‘Spiritual gifts of Justice’, that they may make righteous judgement and endeavour in well doing in the face of the spoiler and treachery. Empower their mouth O Lord by the power IN THE NAME OF JESUS, that upon the breath of their lips, they will slay the wicked.
I make this prayer in JESUS NAME. Have a Sabbath of peace!
Lots of Love, P. Schwartz (SOG), 16th December, 2017.
