By David Faust
Recently a worship leader asked me, “Have you noticed that very few hymns or contemporary worship songs mention the justice of God?”
“You’re right,” I told my young adult friend. I couldn’t immediately think of any song lyrics about God’s justice, although the Bible says a lot about the subject.
“And that’s strange,” he continued, “because in our culture we hear a lot of concern about justice.”
I believe a sense of justice is imbedded in our intellectual DNA because it’s an attribute of God and we are created in his image. That’s why moral indignation and outrage arise in us when injustice occurs.
I told my friend, “You ought to write a song praising God for his justice.”
“Maybe I will,” he replied.
Just and True
Do we pay enough attention to the justice of God? “He is the Rock,” Moses sang, “his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). David sang about justice, too: “For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones” (Psalm 37:28). A messianic prophecy predicted Christ would “proclaim justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 12:18).
In biblical terms, justice (and its synonym, “righteousness”) have to do with right relationships and right behavior within a community—making sure things are the way they ought to be. A just judge is fair, reasonable, and consistent—true to established laws and covenants. Biblical justice condemns evil, preserves and defends what is right, values people, shows no partiality, upholds the cause of the defenseless, and seeks to fix what is wrong.
God’s justice isn’t forgotten in the book of Revelation. John saw a throng of saved souls holding harps, and they “sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations’” (Revelation 15:2-3).
God’s justice is affirmed again in Revelation 16, a chapter that describes God’s punishment for sin. “Seven bowls of God’s wrath” pour out devastating consequences upon the earth (Revelation 16:1-21), including intense heat and oppressive darkness. There are outbreaks of demonic activity. The earth shakes, cities collapse, and huge hailstones fall from the sky. If you wonder if these harsh judgments are justified, Revelation 16 isn’t the place to look for loopholes. On earth, sinners curse the name of God and refuse to repent, but in heaven, praise for God resounds. “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One . . . for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets” (v. 5-6). “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments” (v. 7).
Putting Justice into Practice
The justice of God is a challenging concept, but it has practical implications for us.
We should study what the Bible says about God’s justice, include it in our prayers, and pursue it in our relationships. Concern for biblical justice should impact how we treat others and help us decide what causes and leaders to support. The more we respect God’s justice, the more we will appreciate the way he forgives our sins even though he has the right to punish us.
Maybe someone should write a new song about it.
Personal Challenge:
Offer God a prayer of praise, honoring him for being just, fair, righteous, and holy. Thank him for offering his Son as an atoning sacrifice for your sin, allowing him “to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26; 1 John 2:2).
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