Justice is shown throughout the world today when people commit crimes and are sent to jail or ordered to pay a fine or when other acts that are seen as immoral are committed. The same things occurred during Biblical times; there were just different types of outcomes. Justice in today’s times refers to lawfulness, righteousness, or a given punishment because of a wrongful act. In the Old Testament, justice is used as a form of discipline, whereas in the New Testament it is viewed as a form of correction. There are instances of justice that can be found in the Bible; the meanings of justice also share similar acts.
According to the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible (p1251), justice in the Old Testament is referred to as an act “according to the norms and demands which are determined by His [God’s] own essence.” God shows justice towards Adam and Eve in the creation story found in Genesis. God created Adam and Eve and when he created them, he gave them the power of free will. Along with this free will, God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were tempted by Satan to eat from the tree. He told them that God said that they shouldn’t eat from it because they would have knowledge of things and become like God. After they ate from the tree God kicked them out of the Garden of Eden and said that man had to work for what he needs and women would experience pain during childbirth. Because of their disobedient behavior, they suffered negative consequences.
In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain was jealous of his brother Abel because Abel received more from God. The only reason Abel was treated better was because he always gave God his best. Out of his jealousy, Cain killed Abel. The end result in that story was that Cain was forced to walk the earth for the rest of his life as a fugitive. God also shows mercy towards Noah. When God saw that what he created had gone awry, he decided to cause a flood to wipe everything away. He did however spare Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal so that they could start again and possibly make things better.
In the New Testament, the definition of justice is basically the same thing. According to eastonsbibledictionary.com, “justice is rendering to everyone that to which is due.” In the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible justice is invoked on people when they disobey God” (p.95). In the New Testament, in the book of Mark, justice is shown towards Legion. Legion is a demon that reigned in one specific area. When Jesus went to cast the demon out of one of the men, the demon pleaded with him not to send him to another area but to send him to the pigs. Demons were cast out of people even though they continued to sin and disobey God. At the same time, sinners are shown mercy. Peter is told by Jesus that Peter will deny Jesus three times but that did not cause Jesus to write off Peter from his life and did not desert him. Yet people continue to do wrong and yet they are given another chance by God. Once God decides to punish them to show them that what they are doing is wrong, they act as though God has given up on them and that the world is over.
In chapter 7 in the book of Matthew, Jesus speaks to his people, the Jews during the Sermon on the Mount. He tells his people not to be hypocrites and not to be like the Gentiles, to follow his commandments, and how to humble themselves and be Christ-like. If his words are disobeyed, during the time of judgment, he will say, “I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23) Those who do not follow the way of God will be disowned and seen as a betrayer who and will no longer be welcome in the kingdom of God. This seems as though it would be the ultimate form of religious justice in Christianity because there is no more room for second chances and because in Christianity being accepted by God is one of the most important aspects. If there is no acknowledgement or acceptance from God, then the person in question is lacking on their religious side because God is there for those who are with him and do his will. In the story of Abraham and Isaac, Abraham was ordered by God to kill his only son, Isaac, Abraham was a man of faith so he followed what he was told and because of his faithfulness to God, God told him not to kill his son but to sacrifice the ram instead. Since Abraham followed what he was told by God, God made Abraham the father of many nations which to Abraham was a great honor. Also in the story of Cain and Abel, Cain was jealous of Abel because he was highly favored of the Lord. The reason that he was blessed was because he blessed God with his best in everything. What Abel did for God, God found to be pleasing and it caused Abel to be in good standing and good favor with God. This shows that as long as we stay in the will of God, he will be on our side and we will not have to see the ugly side of justice.
Justice from biblical times to times of today has not changed much. It is still seen as a consequence that is used during a time of unrighteousness, it is just a matter of what the punishment is that has changed as well as the one giving the punishment. Discipline is no longer just given by God, it is also done to give people direction and guidance and to help develop morals. In biblical times, it is God’s way of playing the parental role, by disciplining his children when they do wrong. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, justice is used as a form of correction and should be look on as a good thing; it lets the children of God know that he hasn’t left them and that he is still there to guide them in the right direction.
Works Cited
Buttrick, G. Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. 4 Volumes plus Supplementary volume, (NY: Abingdon, 1962). (p80-84,94-98,704-705)
Hartman, L. Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible. (NY: McGraw Hill, 1963) (p1251-1255)
Holy Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Genesis, Matthew, Mark
Justice.” Eastonsbibledictionary.Com. 20 Sept. 2007 .
” McKenzie. Dictionaryof the Bible. (Milwaukee: Bruce, 1965)(p739-743)
