Justice is required of us; that is we who call ourselves Christians. Making righteous decisions is only optional in that we can obey or disobey, but the requirement and God’s standard for justice is unchanged regardless our decision or disagreement. God is God and we are not. We can use our wisdom to explain away a grievous decision made by the Supreme Court, but we would judge incorrectly because we are using the wrong measurement. When chalking out a football field you don’t guess at a 50×100 yard playing service and 10 yard end zones, you measure it, and then chalk it. Anything else would be unacceptable.
If you did measure out a football field just by guessing how big it should be, it would be immediately apparent to even the least experienced fan that something wasn’t right. When we use our standard and human reasoning to make decisions, the Holy Spirit within in us lets us know that something isn’t right. David asked two simple questions we should use to inquire of ourselves:
-
“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?†(Psalm 58:1)
David goes on to write about how the wicked will be judged by God, rightly so, and how “the righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance,†that is God’s vengeance on wickedness.
If God were to judge the wickedness of this land, I doubt that the rejoicing party of the righteous would be very large or loud. Why do I say that? Because we allow wicked laws to be passed and we follow them because they are “the law of the land.†Double worse is when we apply that moniker to a wicked court ruling such as Roe vs. Wade. Matthew Henry explains:
-
“When wrong is done under the form of law, it is worse than any other; especially it is grievous to behold those who profess to be children of God, joining together against any of His people. We should thank the Lord for merciful restraints; we should be more earnest in seeking renewing grace, more watchful over ourselves, and more patient under the effects of fallen nature to others.â€
I have been guilty of justifying my actions by my motives. I’ve assumed that if my motives were pure and the outcomes were not so pure, that God would somehow put my motives into the equation of His judgment. Foolish man that I am! My motives are driven by my heart and when I choose to do wrong, especially knowingly, then my motives are not as pure as I would like to believe. I deceive myself through the wickedness of my heart (Jer. 17:9).
The standard for me to use for making decisions is ever before me and I can always turn to God’s Word for a reminder of my deceitful heart and what the Lord expects of me:
-
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.†(Proverbs 21:2-3)
In my own life, the worst decisions I’ve ever made are ones that seem practical on the surface, but in the end violate God’s righteousness. When I use pragmatism to determine my steps, I’ve now decided upon a system that determines truth based on the outcome of my choices. Again this will many times serve us well, but it can also come up against God’s standard, as is the case with any man-made value system.
God requires of us that justice carried out. He always has:
-
“You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you.†(Deuteronomy 16:20)
Anything outside of God’s standard of justice is injustice and God will always condemn that.
More on that tomorrow…
In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4
If you’re receiving these devotionals for the first time and would like to receive them on a regular basis, please email me at jeffers221@bellsouth.net and use “Please add to Devotional List†as the subject.
-
Copyright © 2012 David Jeffers
Tags
Aletheia, Bible, Christianity, Conservatism, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Guilt, Holy Spirit, Judiciary, Mercy, Morality, Politics, Prayer, Revival, Sin, Truth, Wisdom