The human sense of justice can be changed as we learn more information about the situation, and every individual has a slightly different sense of what constitutes justice, with the extremes actually being fairly far apart. Over the week, I have colored the pages of the book of justice, and today, want to bring it to a conclusion as we look at the origin of justice.
When God created the man and then the woman, they were created with a perfect connection with Him. No sin or evil thought interfered. It seems as though the man knew perfectly what God's will was. But then, when the man and woman disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree, that perfect knowledge of God's will was broken, kind of like a computer losing its internet access (shocking!). No longer would the man or woman or any of their descendants know perfectly what God's will is, and that includes God's sense of what is just.
Yet, it didn't change the fact that they were created with a sense of justice within them. The only problem was that they would listen to their internal voice of reason or conscience rather than the voice of God to learn what perfect justice is. And that reason or conscience had just been irreparably broken by sin. Instead of doing the just thing, and bearing their own fault, they each pointed the finger at another. Justice became trying to avoid consequences rather than recognizing and acknowledging guilt. Justice was when the other person got what they deserved.
Ever since then, no one except Jesus has perfectly known God's justice. Sure, we may get it right sometimes, and we may fail miserably sometimes. But this points out why we go to God's revealed Word in the Bible to help us understand what He means by justice. And that is where we find that God is a God of perfect justice and of perfect compassion. Disconnected from Him, we cannot know how that combination works together perfectly, but we can glean some ideas and thoughts, and then work to apply them in our lives. That's part of the importance of knowing God's Word. It helps us better understand His sense of justice and compassion.
When Jesus makes His re-appearance, we will see God's full justice and compassion fully at work. Sadly, Jesus Himself said that many who expect compassion will receive justice. God's justice, worked through Jesus and the cross, will then demonstrate compassion on many who cling to the name and work of Jesus. That's when we will once again realize perfect justice and perfect compassion. Until then, we recognize that we will most often get it wrong, but cling all the more firmly to Jesus' forgiveness and study God's Word to be a little better at it.
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