The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Carri C. during the 2007-2008 League.
Biblical Report on "Justice"
Justice has many meanings, whether in traditional or modern times. And there are many words that are related to it. Such as: Justness - Just conduct, management, or treatment, the administration of the law. Judge- To form an opinion after careful consideration, to reach a conclusion, a person who decides. Fairness- Unbiased, just, neither good or bad. Lawful- Being with what is right or with the standards. Right - Following what is just and good. Equality - The quality, fact or state of being equal (exactly the same). Equity- Fairness or justice in dealings between persons, and Impartiality - Treating all equally.
Justice is DIKE in the Greek language. That word came to denote (point out clearly) what is right. In the Bible, Justice is used many times. It is used to show how it is a very powerful thing, Psalm 106:3 "Blessed are they who maintain Justice, who constantly do what is right", Proverbs 21:15 "When Justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers", Proverbs 29:4 "By Justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down." So Justice gives us a blessing, joy, and a stable country. But the last verse also shows us that if bribery is accepted, a country can be torn apart. And why? Well Deuteronomy 16:19, 20 tells us "Do not pervert Justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow Justice and Justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
God is known to be a just God. In fact, it says in Psalm 9:16 "The Lord is known by His Justice." God even says that He loves Justice in Isaiah 61:8 "For I, the Lord, love Justice." And He will never cease to be a just God, Job 34:12 "It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert Justice." Even at the end of the world, He will be a just God, Revelation 19:11 "With Justice He judges and makes war."
Nowadays, Justice is mixed up, there is very little Justice in our world. Innocent people are sent to jail and guilty people get away. In courtrooms, there is lying and trickery. Isaiah 59:4,9 describes our world perfectly "No one calls for Justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. So Justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is in darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows."
A man named Wilson McWilliams wrote an essay in 1980 called "Justice: Ancient and Modern". He gives a good explanation of Justice. "Justice, however, judges laws. We design laws hoping that they will be just and we argue that particular "unjust" laws ought to be changed. Even regimes which are relatively "lawless" scorning the restraint of constitutions, claim that it is unjust to follow rigid, outdated laws. The Soviet Union, for example, appeals to the Marxist "science" of history, claiming that what history commands is just and suspends ordinary law. The defenders of any constitution, Aristotle observed, will claim that it is just. Human nature is at the heart of disputes about justice. Both ancient and modern ideas of justice for all their differences, began by accepting the definition which Cephalus gives to Socrates at the beginning of Plato's Republic: justice is giving someone what is due him. We feel we have acted justly when we treat someone as we feel they ought to be treated."
Justice is struggling to survive in our world, but it will prevail in the end.
