Note: If you came to this article from our email, scroll down to "God’s Law and True Justice in the home" below.
This is the FOURTH article in our 10-part series of excerpts from our new book, “In Vain Do They Worship Me, Teaching as Doctrine the Commandments of Men.”
As stated previously, the purpose of this book is to shine a light on the reasons for the frightening collapse in morality in America in recent years. Although America was built on the foundations of the education and discipleship system outlined in Scripture, we began abandoning these precepts in the mid-19th century in favor of a new church doctrine formally termed Pietism.[1] This doctrine places a false division between what is deemed “secular” and “sacred,” effectively silencing the churches regarding social and political issues causing chaos and destruction in our society. But God speaks constantly on these same issues throughout the Bible, warning nations and people of unethical, unrighteous behavior and the consequences of rejecting His Law in our culture.
Here is the next great concern.Grave Error # 3:
“Teach Kindness and Tolerance—Don’t Judge”What happens when the Scales of Justice become out of balance?
“He has shown thee, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee.
But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8)Pastor Voddie Baucham jokingly speaks of the 11th Commandment—"Thou Shalt Be Nice”— as the current unspoken doctrine within many Church circles. I remember many times over the years hearing one Christian answer another when confronted over a sin issue in their life, “Hey bro, don’t judge me! Doesn’t the Bible say we’re not supposed to judge?” This would usually end the debate because no one wants to be seen as an offensive critic.
But is this what the Bible teaches? We’re not to make judgments about Christian behavior? No. that’s not what Scripture says, but we’ll get into that in a minute. The opening point is that we all make judgments multiple times every day. “What should I wear to the wedding today? How should I spend this money I made? Our choices will always affect ourselves and others, and God would want us to make wise choices that don’t hurt ourselves or others, but when we’re simply “tolerating” another’s behavior someone will inevitably get hurt. That’s why this topic of judging is vastly important to talk about.
When was the last time you heard a sermon on Biblical Justice?
For most Christians, the answer would probably be “never.” If pastors were asked if this is an issue that should be remedied, many—if they were honest—would be forced to say “no,” because if they thought it was important they would have addressed it multiple times. What is the reason for this? Does the Bible not address justice or consider it a priority? Of course it does. As a matter of fact, “mercy/grace” is referred to over 800 times in the scriptures, while “justice/righteousness” is referred to nearly the same number.
Both concepts (mercy/grace and justice/righteousness) appear to carry nearly equal weight throughout the Old and New Testaments; yet there is certainly a distinction to be made between these terms.
Mercy and grace at the expense of justice is unrighteousness. God MUST show justice; He MAY show mercy. Whenever the Lord is merciful, it is never to the detriment of His justice. Justice is not to be sacrificed on the altar of mercy, rather, mercy can only rise from the smoke of a substitutionary sacrifice that is offered upon the altar of justice. This is precisely what we see at the cross—a perfect balance between mercy and justice. The cross is where mercy and justice kissed so that God might be just and the justifier (i.e., merciful; to acquit; to declare righteous) because Christ paid our debts.
“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.” (Rom. 3:23-26)
The gospel unequivocally and inextricably joins justice and mercy together; thus, both concepts must be taught with equal emphasis to ensure balance in the walk of the Christian.
With this in mind, here are a few examples of biblical justice:
Throughout the book of Hosea, God warns the people of judgment to come to Israel unless they repent and return to Him. But He promises mercy IF they do so, saying, “The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds… But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always” (Hosea 12:2,6)
In Proverbs 21:15, the Lord states clearly, “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” Here we learn that when justice is not delivered, the wicked take it as a license to continue in their sins while the righteous continue to mourn. Further, Proverbs 24:24-25 proclaims, “Whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent,’ will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.” There are always consequences when God’s people neglect to prioritize God’s justice.
“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24) Thus, justice, which is necessary for righteousness, is never to be impeded.
Isaiah 1:17 explicitly details what “doing justice” looks like in real life: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” In other words, stand and defend those being used or abused by others who are stronger or more influential.
Leviticus 19:15 warns us all with a command—not a suggestion—“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
Justice is to be administered equally to all, without preference or bias of any kind.
As Christians, this is our ethical mandate: we are to stand up for righteousness and speak up against injustice—and justice is the fair and impartial application of God’s moral law in society. Without justice in the land, mercy becomes a worthless word. If there are no consequences for disobeying the law, why not disobey the law? There would be no need for mercy if there were no penalties for breaking the law; and without consequences, repentance is unnecessary.
Repentance opens the door for mercy and brings love and forgiveness into the equation of justice. If justice is getting what you deserve for violating the law, then mercy is NOT getting what you deserve (in full) as a result of righteous repentance. This does not mean that there are no consequences for sin, but often the consequences may be lessened when there is genuine repentance, as in being given a reduced sentence for a crime committed.
Justice, Mercy, Repentance, and Grace
All these principles are entwined; none can be discounted or neglected in the church without consequences to man and society. It must be stated that if any of these precepts are left unaddressed or neglected in our pulpits, the resultant demise of the Church and culture will be presented as evidence against those who failed or refused to teach them from those lecterns when the Day of Reckoning comes.
God’s Law and True Justice in the home
Why should we spend time studying the biblical view of law as it relates to justice? To answer, let’s ask another question. “Why do we discipline our children?” Consider the words of Deuteronomy 8:5, "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so also the Lord disciplines you." Proverbs 13:24 adds, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.”
In the home, rules (laws) are necessary to bring order, safety, and peace to everyone in the house. Clear boundaries and expectations are proof of real love.
If fathers and mothers are not willing to be firm and balanced in their discipline, they will be doing their children a costly disservice (Ephesians 6:4). Parents are the children’s first God-figures, the earthly models of the character of God. Just as God, in love, teaches His children to obey, so it shows true love when parents teach their children the value of submitting to rules and laws that are based upon God’s precepts. If parents fail to administer appropriate consequences (justice) for the disobedience of household laws, children will learn to disregard the rules, and everyone in the home will suffer. The unruly child—one who never learns to follow instruction—inevitably causes himself, his family, and society, to suffer consequences.
If we're complacent about our responsibility to stand up for biblical law and administer justice in the home, what will be the effect in our churches? And without the church setting a right example in our neighborhoods, what can we expect to find in our culture? Perhaps the evidence is all around us?
A civilized society begins in the homes. Parents must teach their children to honor and properly apply God’s just law in every area of life.
This series is extracted from our new book, “In Vain Do They Worship Me, Teaching as Doctrine the Commandments of Men—Ten Grave Errors Tossing the Church To and Fro.”
Available on our GTI Website or Amazon.