Biblical Justice

by Pastor Alvin

Deuteronomy 10:12-19

1. Justice begins with a right relationship with God
Deuteronomy 10:12
Most unjust thing a person could do is to disown parents or say to God "you didn't create me. Let me live the life I want to"

What is Justice?
1. Mishat - 200 times in the OT
2. Basic meaning : Treating people equitably (in a fair and impartial manner)
3. Commutative Justice : dealings between persons and is concerned with remedying wrongs committed by one party against another
4. Distributive Justice : It is concerned with ensuring that there is a fair distribution of social goods and services

2 words closely linked together :
"Righteousness and Justice"
Righteousness (tzadeqah) is primary justice and Justice (Mishat) is rectifying justice.
They are closely related

Righteousness means being right with God and therefore, committed to putting right all other relationships in life
- Alec Motyer, Bible Scholar -

Psalm 33:5
The Lord loves righteousness and justice, the earth is full of his unfailing love

Social Justice
Based upon his love and grace (Deuteronomy 10:14)
,br> To represent the just God (Deuteronomy 10:16-18)

Why does God wants us to observe just laws and decrees?
Deuteronomy 4:6

Is there a need to examine your heart today?
James 2:14

Represent God to do what?
- to exercise right judgement
- who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes (commutative justice)

Leviticus 19:15
Liviticus 24:22

and special care for the marginalised Deuteronomy 10:18

Doing charity is not a ....... it's a command if God has blessed you in any way
Psalm 31:8
Deuteronomy 27:19
Luke 11:39

A litmus test would be to test whether you are generous to the physically poor, spiritually poor or the needy poor.

How do we help the needy?
3 levels of doing justice :
1. Relief/Refuge (hand-out-fish)
2. Development (teaching them to fish)
3. Social reform (building a port eg. concept of the jubilee in Israel, or petition against LGBT, casino, moral decay of society etc)

As the redeemed ones of Christ
- for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt

To conclude : # Justice begins with a right relationship with God based upon His love and grace, to represent the just God, to exercise right judgement and special care for the marginalised as the redeemed ones of Christ.

"I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?"
- John Stott -