Justice can be tough sometimes. Pastor Gordon Banks told us at our annual First Love Conference a few weeks ago about being stopped and ticketed for speeding when he knew he was not guilty. He took his case to court and before entering the courtroom he prayed, “Give me justice, Lord. That’s all I want is justice.” After hearing his story the judge said, “Guilty, next case!” He left the courtroom muttering to himself that he would wear an orange jumpsuit and pick up trash along the highway rather than pay that unfair fine. When he got back to the car he pleaded, “Lord, I asked you for justice.” The Holy Spirit replied, “I gave you exactly what you asked for. That fine is for all of the times you were speeding and didn’t get caught. You should have asked for mercy.”
Even when we recognize our need for mercy, we still have a tendency to call for justice for others. Our nature draws us to the Old Testament form of justice that says “an eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24 and Leviticus 24:20). In the hands of men, that becomes revenge instead of justice. We need to turn to Jesus (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27&35) who tells us to love and show mercy to our enemies while letting God dispense justice.
The Laws of Nature are created by God and discovered by man. In addition to the law of gravity, Isaac Newton discovered his third law of motion which states, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” There is a parallel spiritual law that states “You reap what you sow”. (Galatians 6:7) It is God’s law of just reward. Some call it karma; others just smile and say, “What goes around comes around.” Whatever you call it, it is just as dependable as gravity or any physical law of nature. If you want to be blessed – bless others. If you want to be forgiven – forgive others. If you want encouragement – encourage others. If you want to be loved – love others. If you treat others cruelly – brace yourself.
Our God is not only just, He is also loving and merciful. He gives us grace (that which we don’t deserve) and mercy (sparing us from what we deserve). In this world justice and mercy are an either/or proposition; we can receive one or the other. Only God can be both just and merciful. Here is how that works. God’s word tells us that all of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23) It also tells us that the penalty for sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Imagine standing before the judge and receiving a death sentence for your crimes, and then the judge takes off his robe, steps down from the bench and offers himself as your replacement on death row. That is how our loving God is both just and merciful; Jesus gave up his life for your sins.