Justice Finally ...

Friday, Oct 26, 2018. Humans are very interesting creatures. We spend a lot of time and effort on justice. We create international courts of justice. We pursue justice 60 or more years after crimes have been committed. We care quite a lot about justice. It is important to us, we cannot accept that people killed many others without being drawn to justice! Yes, we care.

We care about Justice! …

On the other hand, we try to ignore justice in many parts of our life. We kind of care about the huge injustice in the living conditions on this planet. But we do not know how to change it and choose to ignore the problems rather than bringing ourselves into a lot of trouble by telling autocrates and many religious leaders of states and regimes that their behaviour is not acceptable.

The New Testament has addressed this issue a long time ago. Injustice is inacceptable, it leads to death and destruction. Nothing else is acceptable - according to our own judgement when we are faced with it personally in any particular instance. But the New Testament also establishes a path to justice. It describes the choice of God to let Christ Jesus bear the sin of the world. He went to the cross, as innocent human, to generate a path of justice. It can be your personal path, and it can be a path for the world.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you2 free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8, 1)

The cross …

The cross of Christ Jesus is the point in world history where deep love meets full justice. Here, we experience what we need. Our sense of destruction is satisfied. You might call it human. You might analyse it to be necessary for God. Theologians have thought a lot about it. But as Christians and Christian writers we talk about the salvation, forgiveness and justice which can be found in the cross - as a matter of fact.

It is good that justice comes. It is good that justice is not left aside. It is very good that our own feelings, our wounds, all the points and issues where we have been hurt deeply, are brought to a conclusion. It is good that it is clarified that all this is not ok. Also, our own behaviour, where we hurt others, is not ok. No, it is not!

There is a path for us. The path “in Christ”. The path of faith. Faith is not a rigid system of rules to obey. Faith is an open hand of God, who wants to come into my life. He is the great creator, eternal love. He generates justice, and he knows all my failures anyway. But he did all what is needed for me, to come to him in faith in Christ Jesus. There is good news about justice: it comes, cannot be avoided. And in Jesus, full justice already came. It is there, for me and for you, today and tomorrow and for eternity. (Roland Potthast) ... further texts