Justice

The dictionary defines justice as "the quality of being fair and reasonable." Kind of an undefining definition since "fair and reasonable" seems to be purely relative. So Merriam-Webster goes with "the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments." Now, if I wasn't trying to get to "the justice of God," that might be better. As it is, it's not. Justice corresponds to fairness, moral rightness, of every person receiving his or her due. So justice is that which corresponds ... to what's right.

But, as is so much the case these days -- words are shifting -- "justice" is shifting. Part of that is displayed in that simple first definition above, where "fair and reasonable" becomes purely "What I consider fair and reasonable." Instantly it becomes contrary and meaningless because too many of us would define "fair and reasonable" in a way that is neither. The biblical use of the word doesn't shift much, but our understanding does. In the biblical version it refers to "justice" or "righteousness" because in the biblical version they are synonymous. And now you can see, just as I said above, the "just" and "right" are the same. Justice is that which corresponds to what is right.

Still, we're up against another wall. Well, not another; the same one. Perhaps we can all nod and agree, "Yes! Justice is that which corresponds with what is right." Our agreement would end there because our definition of "what is right" varies ... sometimes wildly. So if we're going to use this biblical definition, perhaps we can determine something about "what is right" from the Bible as opposed to what we prefer.

The Bible seems to have a different perception of what is right than we naturally do. Take, for instance, the first violation of what is right. In Genesis we see God saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen 2:16-17). At this point in time, then, all sin earned the death penalty. "But seriously, God, eating of that fruit deserves death?" God thought so. We wouldn't. Surely "death for eating fruit" wasn't ... just.

Perhaps you see, now, why simply "that which corresponds that what is right" is something of an unhelpful definition for "justice" when we are so deficient at knowing what is right. God considered adultery worthy of death (Lev 20:10); we don't. God considered murder worthy of death (Gen 9:6); we don't. Eve opted to eat the fruit she knew she wasn't supposed to eat so that she could "be like God" (Gen 3:5-6). Thus, God equates sin with "fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23), and God is jealous over His glory. We can't really grasp God's glory. All that was made was made for His glory. The purpose of all creation is His glory. His infinite perfections, infinite greatness, and infinite worth are violated when we take it upon ourselves to circumvent Him. Thus, the penalty for failing to meet that all-encompassing glory must be equal to the size of the failure. That's what corresponds to what is right.

But, that's alright. "We aren't really interested in that justice. We aren't really deeply concerned about that version of 'what is right.' Hey, wasn't that first fruit something that endowed us with the knowledge of good and evil? Who needs God anyway?" And we walk with eyes open into explicit and radical idolatry with ourselves as the idol. And wonder about how unjust the God of the Bible could be. "If He would just line Himself up with our version of 'what's right' --our version of 'justice' -- we're pretty sure He'd do much better."

Here's the thing. If we understand sin like it is described in Scripture -- a violation of God's glory, an assault on God's holiness, treason against the Most High -- then lots of things change. Death for sin becomes reasonable. The magnitude of the crime is not measured in eating fruit or the adultery, but in the naked attack on God's greatness. When that is given the gravitas it deserves, God's grace becomes huge, His mercy unbelievable, and His love almost unbearably brilliant. Instead of our ever-popular "I'm the important one," we would ask, "Who am I, that You should show the slightest kindness to me?" The fact that He sent His Son to die for us would drive us to our knees in gratitude and worship. If we understood how much we were forgiven, we would love greatly, forgive others largely, and seek to never fail to serve Him. If, on the other hand, no such description of sin exists, then grace is small, mercy is mild, love is forgettable, and love for God is ... nice, but certainly not necessary, not a driving passion. God becomes a devil for passing a death sentence on a fruit-eater and Christians who believe that Christ redeemed us by His blood (Rom 3:25; Rom 5:9; Rev 1:5) are backwards, ignorant, and, basically, just as evil as this god they believe in. Or, as I started to explain, they believe in a different form of "what is right" and it is not consistent with Scripture, history, or Christian doctrine.