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Searching For Justice<\/h2>\n
\u201cSearching For Justice in the 2024 Presidential Election\u201d might sound like a bold claim. After all, what makes me the expert? Why do I feel like I\u2019m the one who can spot it in the day-to-day world of politics? After all, what is it, anyway? Justice\u00a0is really a simple concept. It means doing the right thing<\/strong>.\u00a0 In this article, I want to examine the subject from 3 different angles: Governmental responsibility, Personal ethics, and Biblical understanding. But lying under the surface of this search for justice are questions that need an answer. Questions like: Does justice stand alone? Is it enough by itself? What virtues support the work of justice. Let\u2019s begin with a look at justice and the role of government<\/p>\n Searching for justice in the 2024 Presidential Election first requires that we understand the government\u2019s responsibilities to its citizens. According to the World Economic Forum, those responsibilities fall into 3 categories<\/strong>:<\/p>\n These 3 are the framework for a government\u2019s approach to justice<\/strong>. Different countries have different values and ideals that affect how these three basic elements are approached and administered.<\/p>\n The leaders of a government are primarily responsible for protecting, providing, and investing in justice. In the United States, that leadership is separated into 3 areas of authority: The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government. Government implies politics, and politics is the art of compromise<\/a>. For those leaders to collectively act justly requires a certain quality of character. That character involves 4 things:<\/p>\n The United States of America is a great country. In my opinion, it is the greatest country on earth. However, objective data might suggest otherwise. The World Population Review ranks the United States as #34 (a flawed democracy) out of 167 democratic nations (Democracy Countries 2024, World Population Review, Retrieved November 1, 2024, from WorldPopulationReview.com<\/a>.) If you, like me, are an American, you will probably disagree with that view for sentimental or personal reasons. However, if the data are correct, then there isn\u2019t anything that we, as individuals, can do about it. Instead, we must focus our efforts on what we can actually effect. That\u2019s where personal ethics matter.<\/p>\n The second view of justice comes from our ethics<\/strong>: a person\u2019s sense of right and wrong.<\/strong>\u00a0 Jesus\u2019s new commandment \u2018To Love your neighbor as yourself.<\/em>\u2018\u201d<\/a> is the foundational Christian ethic. He<\/span><\/span><\/span> made it clear that every good regulation revolves around the issue of love. Even though ours is a secular, pluralistic culture, much like the one in which Jesus lived, that is all the more reason we need to live by love. In a previous article, I wrote about \u2018yard wars\u201d; planting yard signs naming our preferred candidate<\/a>.\u00a0 In Saginaw, Michigan things escalated to the point that some people took their neighbors to court.<\/a> But Jesus showed us that it is possible, even necessary, to be civil<\/strong> and to discern what is good and evil, even under pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Russell Moore, Ph.D., is Christianity Today\u2019s Editor-in-Chief. A fine theologian and communicator, Dr. Moore has written a brief article titled \u201cHow To Develop a Christian Ethic.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0It is well worth the read, but if you can\u2019t take the time right now, I\u2019ve listed what he calls the \u201c3 most important things you can do to develop a solid Christian ethic,\u201d<\/em> along with their first paragraphs.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see what Dr. Moore\u2019s first emphasis, \u201cKnow the Bible,\u201d has to say about justice.<\/p>\n In simple terms, justice means doing the right and merciful thing. <\/strong>The Hebrew words for justice, charity, and righteousness are very similar<\/a>. Taken together, they teach us that God is righteous<\/em>\u00a0and he is love<\/em>; therefore, he is just<\/em>. Because of his great love, he makes it possible for us to be righteous<\/em> or right with God. If we are right with God, we will also desire to act justly toward others. This is the foundation for loving neighbor as self. Justice is not judgment, but when we, God\u2019s people, fail to act justly, the Holy Spirit will convict us so that we may repent (John 16:8)<\/a> and not be judged (I Cor. 11:31<\/a>). This pattern is consistent throughout the Old and New Testaments. I said earlier that justice is doing what is right. However, doing the right thing is often a subjective reflex. In other words, there are times when we respond from a place of confusion about what is right and what is wrong. As a result, our immediate response to a situation might well be unjust.<\/em><\/p>\n Roughly 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah accurately prophesied important events for Judah and Israel. One of those prophesies was about the birth of Jesus the Messiah (Micah 5:2).<\/a> There are other important predictions as well, but perhaps the most memorable verse in the book of Micah is (Micah 6:6-8). <\/a>\u00a0Verses 6 and 7 are a rebuke of the outward ceremonial acts that God\u2019s people thought would please him. But then, the prophet makes clear that God is more interested in the condition of our hearts than in our religious ceremonies. He says it like this:<\/p>\n \u201cHe has\u00a0shown you, O man, what\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0good;<\/span> Justice never stands alone. In fact, it is surrounded by the actions that prove its very existence. Justice is not possible without a passion for mercy<\/strong> and a posture of humility.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n While searching for justice in the 2024 presidential election, I\u2019m sure we\u2019ve seen the commercials, listened to the candidates and their surrogates, watched our favorite 24-hour news channels, and read from newspapers and periodicals that suit our bias. But where is the justice?<\/strong> Where is the mercy? Where is the humility?<\/strong> Those are the questions we must ask of our government and our own personal ethics. As my good friend Ben Bookie, a licensed professional counselor, often says, \u201cF<\/span>or too long, Christians have let their politics inform their faith instead of their faith informing their politics.\u201d So, when you vote, please remember that Jesus wasn\u2019t political. He lived in one of the most politically charged times in history, and he did not address it. Instead, time after time, he directed our focus on the Kingdom of God<\/strong>, where justice, mercy and humility reign.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Government\u2019s Responsibility<\/h2>\n
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Credit: Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGovernmental Leadership<\/h3>\n
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Personal Ethics<\/h2>\n
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Understanding Your Personal Ethics<\/h3>\n
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Biblical Understanding<\/h2>\n
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Image by John F from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDoes Justice Stand Alone?<\/h3>\n
\nAnd what does the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0require of you<\/span>
\nBut\u00a0to do justly<\/strong>,<\/span>
\nTo love mercy,<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnd to walk humbly with your God<\/strong>?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
If you like this article, please leave a comment below, I would like to hear your thoughts.<\/h3>\n
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