The following Report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Zachary during the 2007-2008 League.
Justice: A Biblical Study
Justice is the rendering to every individual that which is his due and doing what is fair according to the rules of the law.
Justice is an inherent part of God's nature. God imposes righteous laws on mankind and executes them righteously. He requires conformity to this moral law. God determines right and wrong, lays down the law, and then enforces it.
In the Bible, God gives many laws for mankind to follow. These are the basis of biblical justice. An excellent example of these laws can be found in Exodus 23:1-9. Known as the Laws of Justice and Mercy, they dictate how earthly justice is to be conducted.
Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit. If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.
After God authors laws such as these, He must then enforce them. The act of breaking the law is called sin, and God is obligated to punish this disobedience. In Romans 6:23, God details His punishment: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Focusing on the first part of the verse, we see that the punishment God has put in place for sin is death. Romans 3:23 tells us "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We all have sinned; therefore we all deserve to die.
If this were the end of the story, what a hopeless tale it would be. But Romans 6:23 doesn't end on this negative note. The next part says " But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." We as sinners could not repay the debt we owed to God, and so He sent His Son to be a propitiation for us.
One day, God will individually judge all sinners. Some will reject His offer of salvation and be judged before the Great White Throne. The judgment that God will render here is eternal punishment.
Others will accept the forgiveness imparted through Jesus Christ and will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. In this case however, judgment for sins has already taken place at Calvary. Those who are judged here have obtained pardon for their sins and are allowed to live with God forever.
In both cases, justice will be served. The only difference is the outcome. Justice necessitates judgment, making this an unavoidable truth for all people. Everyone may choose the throne where they will bow before God and be judged. This choice is not something to be taken lightly; all of eternity hangs in the balance.
