Justice, Only Justice – The Rule of Law: Justice (1)

Justice, Only Justice

The Rule of Law: Justice (1)

From the government of the soul to the culture, God seeks justice.

“Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:19

In this series we have been considering the Lord’s intention that His people should be governed by His Law, and by all His Word, from their souls, through their relationships, in their homes and communities, and in the conduct of all their cultural activities. The Law of God reveals the character of God, Who is holy and just. Since people are made in the image of God, and the redeemed of the Lord know Him, it stands to reason that we should expect to realize our fullest potential by following the path in life God has marked out for us.

And this is what God promises. The land of promise was a real and tangible place, with many blessings awaiting the people of God as they walked in obedience to His Law (Deut. 28:1-14). But, in a larger sense, the land is a symbol of all that God has promised, even including the promise of eternal life. This is reflected in many African-American spirituals which picture crossing the Jordan as a symbol of death, and the promised land as our eternal rest in God.

How then are the people of God to lay hold on all His precious and very great promises? That we should seek to do so is to be the driving force of all our lives, for in gaining the promises of God, we actually partake of Him, entering into the joy and pleasure of the Lord (2 Pet. 1:4; Ps. 16:11). The Lord tells us Himself: If we would live in and inherit His promises, we must follow justice, and only justice. We must determine that the Law and Word of God will govern our lives, in every aspect of our lives, and that we will abide within the rule of King Jesus as obedient children and people.

Living by God’s Law does not accomplish our salvation; rather, obedience issuing in justice proceeds from our salvation as the manifestation of the work of God’s Spirit in our lives. As He teaches us the Law (Ezek. 36:26, 27), He convicts us sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11), and empowers us to follow in the steps of Christ and bear the good fruit of promises of God (1 John 2:1-6; Gal. 5:22, 23). His inward work in our souls, bringing us into the presence of God and engaging us with His glory, as revealed in His Law and Word, transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ, so that justice, and only justice, will characterize every facet of all our everyday experience (2 Cor. 3:12-18).

It is incumbent on us, therefore, to understand as much as we can about the forms of justice, so that we might, by study, prayer, and preparation, strive to ensure that justice will be the defining aspect of our lives.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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