Equal Justice For All!

With the horrible murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer, people everywhere protested the injustice of that event. It was obvious to all that it was a clear demonstration of police brutality. But it was just another instance of how African Americans have been treated with abuse and injustice in this nation for hundreds of years. Something must change! Our American pledge of allegiance promises “justice for all.”

Justice is a beautiful thing when it is actually practiced. It provides safety and dignity, fairness and hope. Without it, fear and despair kick in. Without it, we are doomed. Justice is a delicate treasure that must be respected and protected at any cost. Without it, there would be total anarchy. Without it there would be no peace for any of us. We cannot accept any kind of injustice, at all. And we must demand justice for everyone no matter the color of their skin. Old, young, black, white, rich, poor, blue collar, white collar...makes no difference. God made us all and God has a strong love for us all. He demands justice for all!

The Bible declares that God is a God of justice. He has the true gold standard of right and wrong, with all the punishments for the wrong and rewards for the right. There is an eternal heaven for some and an eternal hell for others. God treats all people perfectly the same, with absolute consistency in equality for all.

How do we know all this? Because God’s Word, the Bible, makes that known. God’s justice was first exercised on earth when Adam and Eve broke God’s law by eating the fruit God commanded them not to eat. The justice for that disobedience was death, physical, spiritual and everlasting death. God’s Word says in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin, entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” God’s justice required death for Adam and Eve. Whoa! Did you know God’s justice was so strict for breaking one of His commandments? It is.

Most people have heard of the Bible words, “Do not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot” - Deuteronomy 19:20. These words of God are good and necessary in order for a government to protect the safety and welfare of its citizens. Justice means giving a person an equal level of punishment for unlawful and hurtful actions they have been found guilty of committing against someone else. If a person takes the eye of another person, they should have to forfeit something equal to losing their own eye. If they take another person’s life, justice demands they lose their own life.

But there is another aspect of justice we have to consider ... it is the justice due to us all for breaking God’s law. The Bible says we are all lawbreakers. It tells us in Romans 3:23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. What each of us earn from our many sins is death. Whoa! The Bible is saying that every one of us are guilty of committing sins against God’s law, and we stand condemned by His justice. And there will be equal justice for all!

Our only hope to escape this justice of God is that we must have a Savior whom God will accept to stand in our place and take the penalty we deserve. Do you realize that God sent His Son, Jesus, into this world to rescue us from His justice? And did you know that when Jesus was being executed on the cross 2000 years ago, it was in order to satisfy God’s justice in the place of guilty sinners? Jesus suffered “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth!” What Jesus was doing on the cross was taking the punishment for exactly what our sins deserve.

One of the sweetest verses in the Bible is Romans 3:26, which states why the Father sent His Son into this world ... “so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Our sins must be answered for; justice demands it. Either you have a Savior to satisfy your guilt before a God of justice or you must yourself face the penalty of your sins.

So, what about you? Have you given your heart and life to the only Savior who can save you from the justice of God? You can’t earn God’s favor by trying to change your life for the better. You are too guilty for that. You must trust in the only Savior of sinners to satisfy God’s justice for you. Will you cry out to Him today for His mercy?

If you desire more help in understanding what these teachings of Jesus mean, or who Jesus Christ really was ... and can be for you today ... please do contact:

Bob or Cathi at 864-640-6925

http://cornerstoneatl.org