The Justice of God is good, because it flows from His character. Any expression of Biblical Justice in our world that is displayed by Christians must also extend His character. Our “good” must be motivated from Godly compassion.
Preliminaries:
- Biblical Justice is the extension of God’s character to do the right, say the true, and help the broken
A. Tsedeq is the foundation (the what is right)
B. Mishpat is the practice (the doing of what is right)
– retributive justice (fair) and restorative justice (right) - C. Dikaioo is the action of keeping with the right character of God before man
Observations:
- Love for God is must be holistic and complete = covenantal
- Love for God and love for neighbor are inseparable
- Love in this parable is defined as compassion
Conclusions:
- You need Jesus, because:
1. Loving your neighbor is conditioned on a covenantal relationship with God
– Biblical Justice requires not the presence of good, but the presence of God
2. Loving your neighbor is the condition that evidences eternal life
– Bibilcal Justice brings heaven down to earth
3. Loving your neighbor is bounded by the effort and resources you expend for yourself
– Bibilcal Justice grades the right through the lens of “yourself” - You will be tempted to limit the scope of Biblical Justice
- You must change the way you see in order to get Bibilcal Justice correct
1. How you see the world
2. How you see yourself
Application: For this church to advance local missions, we must live Bibilcal Justice by:
- Following Jesus
- Sacrificing from this world to invest in the next
- Identifying who our neighbors are
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(2)
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Psalm 103:6-12
“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Matthew 22:34-39
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
John 17:3
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
1 John 3:14-18
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no compassion on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Philippians 2:5-7
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
Galatians 5:13-14
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 6:32-34
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.”
Matthew 5:43-44
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”