Just right II ...

Thursday, Sept 15, 2016. Over the past days I talked to many people about what “justice” means. Are we just? Do we feel right? These were the questions I asked our youth group on Tuesday. And the answers and thoughts were highly amazing!

Am I just? …

I was amazed to hear the thoughts of our young people about justice first. They are very aware about the fact that the riches of the world are not distributed in any fair way. They are aware of the fact that justice is not there in terms of life circumstances and life chances for young people all over the world. It is clear to them, but it is also difficult to see what we can do about it.

We then talked about our personal justice. Do we have the impression we are just before men and before God? And from the whole range of participants, most said that they do not feed that they are just, that they do many things that are ok, but that they also do others which are not ok, and they know it.

I think that is an amazing observation! These people truly have quite some insight into who they are. They have the courage to see it, and to state it. How many people do I know who cannot admit their mistakes. But these young Christians can! I see this as something which the holy spirit brings: clear and mature insight into our own justice and injustice, both of it. We then also talked about the chapters 3 and 8 of the letter of Romans:

Free! …

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (from Romans 8)

The biblical message claims that in Christ Jesus we are free from our injustice. God generates a source of justice for us in Christ. It is fantastic, when you get a sense of it, when you experience it, when you believe it and realize how free you are in Christ!

We talked about good life, and how it is linked to this freedom in Christ. The freedom is there to experience true love. The freedom is there to live in a way which fits to our new community: the community of father and son and holy spirit. Only when we are fully free to do good, we can do good in its original sense, good from love, good from a true and pure heart.

This verse from Romans 8 has accompanied me many years. It has developed a lot of strength over the years, in particular in moments where I felt threatened and pressed by health problems in my immediate environment. When there is no condemnation, then there is a path for us, a path within and into the love of God. And it is there! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts