Justice is a powerful buzz word right now. Human rights, trafficking, and anti-slavery movements have all donned the mantle of justice as a way of identifying the character of their cause - and rightfully so. Those are phenomenal ministries with the hope of true justice pumping through their veins. So, why is there so much resistance and apathy when it comes to the idea of justice? The Scales of Justice imagery exists to instill a trust in those who view it. The trust is based on the assertion that truth and fairness are at the core of judicial process, which is supposed to reflect our grand social contract. Yet, so many struggle to trust the justice system as it functions on behalf of society. "Where is the truth?" they say, "where is the fairness?" Weak and vacillating expressions of justice are too prevalent to ignore and too polluted to garner support. And they often derail the masses in its pursuit.
It is important to reinforce the reputation and gravity of justice as a concept; and fuel the fires that are starting to burn on its behalf. The origin of the word is the Latin phrase for "law." The root meaning, however, goes back even further to the concepts of "precision, equity, and placement." In other words, justice means that something or someone is placed precisely according to its equity - with equity being the value of a thing that exceeds its cost. The beauty and authority of justice are hidden in its origins. If we are to recapture the honor of justice, we must relent to its true origins. Justice is a slice of the nature of God. It is not subjective to the whims of individuals or the tides of popular society. It can not be legitimately redefined by the elite, nor do the poor corner its market. Justice is a direct reflection of the person of Jesus Christ; and restoring justice to it grand place requires yielding its formation to His word.
If we will do this as individuals, we will experience true justice as a nation. As the church, we have the unique opportunity to reclaim and refresh the glory of true justice. If we will extract our heads from our own portals of impure reasoning, turn from empty, selfish activities, and focus our affections on the person of God and the persons to whom and before whom His wind drives us, we will find that Justice will flow freely and heal the land.
“I'm so turned off by empty religious meetings. So unimpressed with my people's stiff, cerebral conferences and conventions. I am completely disinterested in religious projects, slicked up with falsely motivated messaging and self-centered agendas. I'm really tired of all the professional scheming and hollow, souless marketing strategies. Ego-charged expressions of worship just have to GO! What I'm really looking for is something much more tender and genuine. Do you know what I want? I want justice, true justice on a mission of love—and oceans upon oceans of it. I want fairness and equity, smart, sincere, and spritually-grounded—rivers upon rivers of it. That’s what I want. You projecting My heart. That’s all I want.
Amos 5:21-24 (Kingdom Paraphrase)
Forever panning for gold,
Chris Liotta
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