Justice is salvation

Session 2 – Justice is Salvation.

On day one, we talked about how difficult justice and fairness is to wrestle with. Today, we’re going to address justice from a different perspective. Maybe it will keep us motivated to discover more. More Bible, more God, more Jesus.

Today, the fact in front of us is that we NEED justice.

As far as God goes, we often think that Grace frees us from justice. From this perspective the tone of justice seems a bit more sinister, a little bit evil. We slide into thinking that justice and grace are diametrically opposite. But the Bible tells us that Justice is full of Grace and Grace is full of Justice. They are woven together in God’s perfect tapestry of relationship with His people, with us, His precious children. 

Let’s read Romans 3:21-26 to get something solid under our feet in this discussion (focus in a bit on v. 26):

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Now – the Greek for the word righteousness and justice in this passage, again have the same root word…our word for “just” in Philippians, dikaios. To clarify a bit, go back and read the passage above one more time and use the word justice, when you see the word “righteousness.” You’ll find 7 instances where the same root word is utilized. This passage shows us, Justice and Jesus are wrapped up and tied together like the cords of a rope. The cords of a rope thrown to us, to save our life.  

Jesus is justice and He is the justifier.

* All have sinned. Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. You and I sin every day.

* Justice demands our death. God’s right and perfect justice, which we can not argue with. He is God, we are not.

       * Christ’s act of mercy, act of complete Grace, in His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb brings us a New Justice that we call Salvation.

This is why we call it Justification, friends. Justice and Grace all wrapped up and tied together.

How does this make a difference in our life? First, God Is so much more vast and large and deep than we make Him. He does not think like we think. He does not act like we would act. He is God and when the world is pushing in and we can’t understand where and when justice will come from, we at least have a basic answer – Jesus. We look for that day when Jesus comes back and everything is 100% right and just and true. (More on this on day 4!)

Second, when we want justice, we can understand that in God’s economy it looks like Grace. When the high school shooter intrudes into our lives, when evil rears it’s ugly head into our homes and our families, we know our response - Grace.  The two are not separate but wrapped together in the person of Jesus, and so shall they be in our lives. We can offer Grace, we can search for moments of Grace, when others cry out for vengeance, because we ourselves have received the same.

Where is God inviting more Grace in your life? Praying with you in it.