New Reminders: Justice
by Ardith Hoff
According to Wikipedia, “Justice is the concept that individuals are to be treated in a manner that is equitable and fair. A society in which justice has been achieved would be one in which individuals receive what they "deserve". The interpretation of what "deserve" means draws on a variety of fields and philosophies, like ethics, rationality, law, religion, equity and fairness. The state may be said to pursue justice by operating courts and enforcing their rulings.”
From Ancient Greece to the present day, the concept of justice has evolved and has been based on a variety of philosophical, religious, and ethical ideas that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law and by arbiters of the law, that laws are to ensure that no harm befalls another, and that, where harm is alleged, a remedial action is taken––both the accuser and the accused receive fair treatment and when called for, reasonable rewards and/or punishments are administered.
No system of Justice is perfect, other than God’s, and in the end, He will be the ultimate arbiter. Until then, we must work within the justice system, as it is practiced, where we live.
So, what does it mean when it says in Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”?
When we see need, pain, loss, discrimination, bias, fear, or wrongdoing we should respond with mercy, as God has shown us mercy. To do justly is therefore a practical application of the first and second great commandments, to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” In other words, when we do as Jesus instructed us: to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, house the homeless and comfort the sick and bereaved, we are doing justice. We are helping compensate for the injustices of not having enough to eat, of not being well and able, of not having adequate housing or warm clothing to wear. Doing justice means working to help right the wrongs we see in the world, however we can.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” James 2:14-17.