Retributive Justice – The Kingdom Curriculum XVII (6)

Retributive Justice

“If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.” Leviticus 24:19, 20

Usually referred to as lex talionis, retributive justice is “pay back” for injuries for which restoration cannot be made or would not be sufficient. In our day we don’t dish out an eye for an eye; civil lawsuits are the preferred means of exacting retribution against those who have harmed us, either by negligence or intent.

This is an important facet in the jewel of justice, another way of working to reset the balance of justice in a society when that balance has been disrupted. In the original cases in the Law of God, retributive justice is most often enacted for injuries or death; however, it can also be enacted against thieves. When someone steals something from his neighbor, he must repay the taken item and then some. The “then some”–which goes beyond mere restoration–is the retribution, and serves to remind the thief that crime doesn’t pay; indeed, it costs.

The most obvious form of retributive justice is capital punishment. The Bible nowhere removes the right of a government to take the life of one who willfully and unlawfully takes the life of another. However, those condemned to die for their crimes must not be regarded as beyond the reach of sovereign grace. In our day, when appeals are possible and carrying out death penalties can take some time, the Church has many windows of opportunity to bring healing to the souls of even the most hardened criminals. The state may take a man’s life as retribution for a heinous crime, but God will ultimately require his soul. Loving our neighbors requires that we support efforts to reach all members of our community with the Good News of God’s eternal justice and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Reading and meditating on the Law of God is every believer’s duty and privilege (Ps. 1). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compendium of the commandments and precepts of God’s Law, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.