Topical Bible: Justice: God: Sets the Highest Value On

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Justice is a central theme in the Bible, reflecting God's character and His expectations for human conduct. The Scriptures consistently portray God as a just and righteous judge who values justice above all. This entry explores the biblical understanding of justice as it relates to God's nature and His requirements for His people.

God's Nature and Justice

God's commitment to justice is rooted in His very nature. The Bible describes God as inherently just, emphasizing that His actions and decrees are always fair and righteous. In Deuteronomy 32:4, God is described as "The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He." This verse underscores the perfection and consistency of God's justice, affirming that He is incapable of wrongdoing.

Justice in God's Law

The laws given to Israel reflect God's high value on justice. The Mosaic Law contains numerous statutes designed to ensure fairness and equity among the people. Leviticus 19:15 commands, "You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly." This directive highlights the impartiality required in the administration of justice, mirroring God's own impartial nature.

Prophets and Justice

The prophets of the Old Testament frequently called the people of Israel back to the principles of justice, often rebuking them for their failure to uphold it. In Micah 6:8, the prophet succinctly summarizes God's requirements: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" This verse encapsulates the divine expectation that justice be a fundamental aspect of human behavior.

Justice and the Messiah

The coming of the Messiah is closely associated with the establishment of justice. Isaiah 9:7 prophesies about the reign of the Messiah, stating, "Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever." This prophecy points to the ultimate fulfillment of God's justice through the reign of Christ.

New Testament Teachings

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ embodies and teaches the principles of divine justice. He condemns the hypocrisy and injustice of the religious leaders of His time, as seen in Matthew 23:23: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin, but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness." Jesus emphasizes that justice is a weighty matter, integral to true obedience to God.

Justice in the Early Church

The early church continued to uphold the value of justice, as seen in the writings of the apostles. James 1:27 defines pure religion as caring for the vulnerable, stating, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." This reflects the biblical mandate to pursue justice by protecting and providing for those in need.

Eschatological Justice

The Bible assures believers that ultimate justice will be realized in the eschaton. Revelation 20:12 describes the final judgment, where "the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books." This future event underscores the certainty of God's justice, affirming that all wrongs will be righted and righteousness will prevail.

Throughout the Bible, justice is not merely a legal or ethical concept but a divine attribute that God esteems highly. His people are called to reflect His justice in their lives, ensuring that their actions align with His righteous standards.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 2:13
Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Justice.
... It sets a contradiction in the very nature of God himself. ... As to the justice of
God requiring the punishment of the sinner, I have said enough. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/justice.htm

Harmony of the Old and New Testaments.
... clause and in two words the prophet sets forth the ... thus stated: "Wisdom teaches sobriety,
and justice, and virtue ... Spirit from the higher." [82] For God alone is ...
/.../chapter 16 name of the.htm

The Permanent Significance of the Old Testament
... of the ideal of character it sets before us ... of our religion and the character of
our God. ... singleness of purpose, truthfulness, honesty, justice, generosity, love ...
/.../chapter vi the permanent significance.htm

"And if any Man Sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,",
... and sentence against us, and this is it which sets the soul ... you may understand how
it is partly an act of justice, partly an act of mercy, in God to forgive ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxv and if any.htm

Submit Yourselves Therefore to God. James 4:7.
... as a mere matter of pure grace, to which you have no claim on the score of justice. ...
It sets before him a partial view of the character of God, to which he ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/submit yourselves therefore to god.htm

Purposes of God.
... God never sets aside the freedom of moral agents to ... of the attributes and character
of God to them ... their display or manifestation; that neither justice nor mercy ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xlvi purposes of god.htm

God Has Everything to do with Prayer
... with God may be seen as he readily sets aside His ... There is no vengeance pronounced
by God so dire which ... There is no justice so flaming that is not quenched by ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/iv god has everything to.htm

The Wages of Sin
... The interest he sets himself to secure is entirely ... in order to meet the demands of
justice and benevolence. Now God's law aims to secure the highest universal ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/finney/sermons on gospel themes/iii the wages of sin.htm

Victor Emmanuel, Emancipator
... down, for he perceives his guilt and the justice of God. ... God to glorify his grace
sets free the captives, then why ... have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/victor emmanuel emancipator.htm

The Doctrine of God
... God should have dealt with them in justice they would ... Christianity is really the
only religion that sets forth the ... not that we loved God, but that God loved us ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrine of god.htm