by Ed White
May 13, 2022

JUSTICE and SALVATION

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household” Luke 19:9 CEB

Justice, as we should all come to understand, is a reality with which the Lord is deeply concerned. In today’s world, humanity is divided on its definition and execution. Scripture, however, is clear on the subject. My family in Christ, today we address firstly, what is not considered justice; secondly, what the example of Jesus Christ teaches us; and thirdly, how perfect justice can be achieved.

1. Can we truly define what justice is? This is a difficult task of which many before me have taken up. In addressing what justice is, it might be helpful to first specify what it is not.

1a. Some would focus on retribution or some version of revenge and accept that as justice. This is the definition of justice most commonly accepted in society today. Our “Justice Systems” focus on punitive action after social breaches have occurred. Whether the perpetrator, or person/ party responsible for harm, pays a fine, engages in mandatory service work, or is incarcerated, these forms of justice seek only to punish those who have made mistakes. Fines, brief periods of service, and incarcerations serve to create more divisions in our society and in some cases remove people from society altogether.

1b. Others might say that justice is the absence of oppression. They might say that it can be achieved when the widow, poor, or orphan are no longer oppressed and can live life to the fullest. In this definition, women are given full autonomy of their own lives, immigrants are given protection of the law, and the earth is no longer destroyed for the financial gain of the few. Perhaps resources are distributed equally and adequately. Certainly, we are approaching a proper understanding of justice, but this one is still incomplete.