Biblical Justice: The Basics
Introduction
If all that follows in this post and the next is already known to you, praise God! How great it would be for our personal, family, and societal lives if God’s standards for justice were known, celebrated, practiced, and enshrined far and wide. Funny enough, the concept I’ve just described is not one that is foreign to history (even American history). If I may make a sweeping statement, Western Civilization in general and Christendom specifically relied upon biblical standards of right and wrong to moderate justice in the civil sphere while the clergy promoted the same standards Sunday to Sunday. Was this executed perfectly? No, certainly not. You can find downright silly examples of “justice” being served in Western history that will raise the eyebrows right off of your head. I would, however, contend that striving to implement and uphold God’s standards of right and wrong is objectively better than trying to invent our own. This applies to the Supreme Court and the unofficial Facebook courts. Never forget that the longest chapter in the Bible is an ode to the goodness of God’s unchanging standard of morality (Psalm 119). Many of the principles stated below still exist in our own legal system (on paper, at least). As you read them, perhaps moments from your favorite crime drama or mystery novel will pop back to mind. “I didn’t know that came from the Bible!” Yep, it did. Living according to these standards will help with your own sanity, confound your opponents, and promote truth and justice in your own small spheres of influence.
Without further ado, here is a flyover of some key principles of biblical justice. We’ll get to implementation soon. For now, just absorb them.
Some Unchanging Fundamentals
Presumption of Innocence
In the Bible’s portrait of justice, a foundational principle is that a person is presumed innocent until sufficient evidence proves otherwise. The Scriptures don’t have a category for lynch mobs dealing out passionate, reactionary vengeance toward someone who hasn’t been proven to be guilty of a crime. The rest of the principles I’ve listed here grow out of this most basic of tenants. This is pictured well in Deuteronomy 19:15-20, Numbers 35:30, and 2 Corinthians 13:1 (among others).
People are given to passions, and our sinful tendency is to hear an accusation (perhaps even a believable one), and to act upon it. We may take to Facebook and share posts. We may text our friend with the opening words, “Did you hear about…” Or, we may simply recategorize the accused in our mind. They make the dynamic shift from being a decent human being to pond scum in the recesses of our psyche. All of these reactions are premature and wrong.
Here’s your principle: Accused and Convicted are not the same thing.
The Right to Cross-examination
Proverbs 18:17 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. (ESV)
You know what’s easy, and I mean really easy? Just as easy as microwaving ramen? I’ll tell you. It’s easy to paint a horrid picture of someone’s character and actions. It’s also easy to spread the word about this abhorrent person, both in person and online. Someone could level a charge against you right now, post about it online, and within minutes they will have “likes” and sympathetic comments. The ease of leveling a charge should always be met with the biblical principle of the right to cross-examination. The passage in Proverbs 18 (above) states this in a plain way. Someone may tell a very convincing story, but their version is never the whole picture. Just bring in someone speaking for the defense, and the picture may change (perhaps it was upside-down the entire time).
Here’s your principle: Don’t come to a conclusion after hearing one side of the story.
The Necessity of Credible Witnesses
The Ten Commandments are a summary of what true morality entails. This is why God wrote them both on the hearts of people and on the tablets of stone. This is why Jesus insisted that the moral law of God would never pass away, and that anyone who tried to minimalize them was in for a surprise (my paraphrase).
Every Christian ought to know all Ten and live by them, but that’s a post for another time. My purpose here is to direct you to Commandment #9. Remember?
Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (ESV)
Notice that we don’t just need witnesses in general. We need credible witnesses, as in true, not false, witnesses. This is important enough to God that he enshrined this principle in his Top Ten. Throughout Scripture, a charge against any person may not be taken seriously unless there is contributing testimony from credible sources. Not only is this repeated throughout the Old Testament, but is repeated in the New, especially pertaining to charges against the elders of a local church (1 Tim. 5:19). Similar to the right to cross-examination, this principle prevents judgment from being cast based upon the accusations of a single source. Practically, this means that if anyone comes to you with an accusation toward another, wisdom and biblical obedience dictate that you do not jump over to “their side” immediately.
Here’s your principle: Require multiple credible sources in gathering testimony.
The Necessity of Impartiality
God does not show partiality (Deut. 10:17; Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34-35). This means he does not have favorites based upon any merit of our own, our ethnicity, societal standing, etc. Not only is God this way, but he requires the same of people (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17). This means that, as it pertains to justice, everyone gets a fair shake. While it is true that repeat offenders will be taken less and less seriously as they continue to commit infractions, there is a basic guiding rule that items of justice require equal rights and treatment to both the accused and the accuser. “Justice is blind” is a saying for a reason. We can’t factor in variables like whether or not someone shares our DNA, our hometown, our social standing, or any other trait that might cause us to “tip the scales.” This is why it is so important, for example, that jurors have no personal relationship with the accused or accuser in a trial.
Here’s your principle: Strive to be objectively unbiased in issues pertaining to justice.
Conclusion
I’ll write one last post on biblical justice soon. I’ll create some real-to-life scenarios to help flesh out these concepts. For now, if you’re thinking that this doesn’t apply to you since you don’t anticipate a future as a prosecuting attorney, let me remind you that these principles are necessary and helpful to you in the day-to-day patterns of your life. More than that, they will be helpful to your family, your future generations, and your church as you work to build them into your culture right now.
They matter for the discipline of children.
They matter when allegations float down the streets of a small town.
They matter when you read an accusation online.
They matter as you consider your new neighbor and what kind of person he might be.
They matter every day.
Our job as Christians is to step into the accusatory, litigious world around us and insist upon a better way than the feelings-driven abominations of justice that pervade the world.
More to come.
If all that follows in this post and the next is already known to you, praise God! How great it would be for our personal, family, and societal lives if God’s standards for justice were known, celebrated, practiced, and enshrined far and wide. Funny enough, the concept I’ve just described is not one that is foreign to history (even American history). If I may make a sweeping statement, Western Civilization in general and Christendom specifically relied upon biblical standards of right and wrong to moderate justice in the civil sphere while the clergy promoted the same standards Sunday to Sunday. Was this executed perfectly? No, certainly not. You can find downright silly examples of “justice” being served in Western history that will raise the eyebrows right off of your head. I would, however, contend that striving to implement and uphold God’s standards of right and wrong is objectively better than trying to invent our own. This applies to the Supreme Court and the unofficial Facebook courts. Never forget that the longest chapter in the Bible is an ode to the goodness of God’s unchanging standard of morality (Psalm 119). Many of the principles stated below still exist in our own legal system (on paper, at least). As you read them, perhaps moments from your favorite crime drama or mystery novel will pop back to mind. “I didn’t know that came from the Bible!” Yep, it did. Living according to these standards will help with your own sanity, confound your opponents, and promote truth and justice in your own small spheres of influence.
Without further ado, here is a flyover of some key principles of biblical justice. We’ll get to implementation soon. For now, just absorb them.
Some Unchanging Fundamentals
Presumption of Innocence
In the Bible’s portrait of justice, a foundational principle is that a person is presumed innocent until sufficient evidence proves otherwise. The Scriptures don’t have a category for lynch mobs dealing out passionate, reactionary vengeance toward someone who hasn’t been proven to be guilty of a crime. The rest of the principles I’ve listed here grow out of this most basic of tenants. This is pictured well in Deuteronomy 19:15-20, Numbers 35:30, and 2 Corinthians 13:1 (among others).
People are given to passions, and our sinful tendency is to hear an accusation (perhaps even a believable one), and to act upon it. We may take to Facebook and share posts. We may text our friend with the opening words, “Did you hear about…” Or, we may simply recategorize the accused in our mind. They make the dynamic shift from being a decent human being to pond scum in the recesses of our psyche. All of these reactions are premature and wrong.
Here’s your principle: Accused and Convicted are not the same thing.
The Right to Cross-examination
Proverbs 18:17 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him. (ESV)
You know what’s easy, and I mean really easy? Just as easy as microwaving ramen? I’ll tell you. It’s easy to paint a horrid picture of someone’s character and actions. It’s also easy to spread the word about this abhorrent person, both in person and online. Someone could level a charge against you right now, post about it online, and within minutes they will have “likes” and sympathetic comments. The ease of leveling a charge should always be met with the biblical principle of the right to cross-examination. The passage in Proverbs 18 (above) states this in a plain way. Someone may tell a very convincing story, but their version is never the whole picture. Just bring in someone speaking for the defense, and the picture may change (perhaps it was upside-down the entire time).
Here’s your principle: Don’t come to a conclusion after hearing one side of the story.
The Necessity of Credible Witnesses
The Ten Commandments are a summary of what true morality entails. This is why God wrote them both on the hearts of people and on the tablets of stone. This is why Jesus insisted that the moral law of God would never pass away, and that anyone who tried to minimalize them was in for a surprise (my paraphrase).
Every Christian ought to know all Ten and live by them, but that’s a post for another time. My purpose here is to direct you to Commandment #9. Remember?
Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (ESV)
Notice that we don’t just need witnesses in general. We need credible witnesses, as in true, not false, witnesses. This is important enough to God that he enshrined this principle in his Top Ten. Throughout Scripture, a charge against any person may not be taken seriously unless there is contributing testimony from credible sources. Not only is this repeated throughout the Old Testament, but is repeated in the New, especially pertaining to charges against the elders of a local church (1 Tim. 5:19). Similar to the right to cross-examination, this principle prevents judgment from being cast based upon the accusations of a single source. Practically, this means that if anyone comes to you with an accusation toward another, wisdom and biblical obedience dictate that you do not jump over to “their side” immediately.
Here’s your principle: Require multiple credible sources in gathering testimony.
The Necessity of Impartiality
God does not show partiality (Deut. 10:17; Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34-35). This means he does not have favorites based upon any merit of our own, our ethnicity, societal standing, etc. Not only is God this way, but he requires the same of people (Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17). This means that, as it pertains to justice, everyone gets a fair shake. While it is true that repeat offenders will be taken less and less seriously as they continue to commit infractions, there is a basic guiding rule that items of justice require equal rights and treatment to both the accused and the accuser. “Justice is blind” is a saying for a reason. We can’t factor in variables like whether or not someone shares our DNA, our hometown, our social standing, or any other trait that might cause us to “tip the scales.” This is why it is so important, for example, that jurors have no personal relationship with the accused or accuser in a trial.
Here’s your principle: Strive to be objectively unbiased in issues pertaining to justice.
Conclusion
I’ll write one last post on biblical justice soon. I’ll create some real-to-life scenarios to help flesh out these concepts. For now, if you’re thinking that this doesn’t apply to you since you don’t anticipate a future as a prosecuting attorney, let me remind you that these principles are necessary and helpful to you in the day-to-day patterns of your life. More than that, they will be helpful to your family, your future generations, and your church as you work to build them into your culture right now.
They matter for the discipline of children.
They matter when allegations float down the streets of a small town.
They matter when you read an accusation online.
They matter as you consider your new neighbor and what kind of person he might be.
They matter every day.
Our job as Christians is to step into the accusatory, litigious world around us and insist upon a better way than the feelings-driven abominations of justice that pervade the world.
More to come.
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