Why do we have a sense of justice?

We now live in a society where the general opinion about whether things are right or wrong can at times be vague.

I believe that, in the Bible, God has given us clear information about what is right and what is wrong. There is a reality about things being just or unjust.

Here are some things to consider:

·      Why do children cry “that’s not fair” or “it’s not right”!

·      Is there is an inbuilt awareness of fairness in a child!

·      Why is it common for people to have a really well developed feeling for what is right and what is        wrong?

The Bible gives us the explanation. It teaches that God “has written His law in our hearts”. God gave us this inbuilt awareness of right and wrong. Holy scripture (the Bible) teaches that we have a conscience. It teaches that we have an inbuilt knowledge within ourselves and a knowledge about ourselves. We automatically can clarify the reality of the rightness or wrongness of the things that we say, feel and do.

For example, most of us feel impulsively that to tell blatant lies is wrong. We instinctively know that to remove property that belongs to someone else is wrong. The Bible teaches these principles but somehow we know them to be true! Is that significant or co-incidental?

The ‘ten commandments’ teach that you shouldn’t steal, you shouldn’t lie, and that you shouldn’t take somebody else’s wife and so on. The list defines prohibitions as well as teaching positive things that we should do. Things like loving God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind (and Jesus summarized the rest by saying “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” – Matthew 22:39).

You may say to yourself, “I’m not really sure why we all know those things?” Let me come back to what the Bible says - God has planted within us an awareness of right and wrong. Just look across society for a moment. People are very interested in equal rights and equal opportunities. We are very concerned that disabled people are cared for, that ethnic minorities aren’t disadvantaged, that there is religious freedom, freedom of thought and freedom of belief. We campaign for the rights of the unborn child plus we debate people’s rights for free speech. Public behavior is monitored ensuring that people do not overreach themselves and inflict damage on other people or their property. In all of this we try to balance the rights of a society to be free and yet free of criminal activities.

These things are right. I believe we are like this in society because God has implanted in us an awareness of things that are very important to Him - a consciousness of right and wrong and of the realities of living in a way that is fair and equitable. God describes Himself as a just, as well as righteous, doing right. He is a God of light; God is love, a God who is eternal and a God who is all-knowing!

We wouldn’t know these things if God hadn’t revealed them to us in the Bible. This is why the Bible is such a key book for us to read. In fact it is God’s message to humanity and it’s an amazing thing that we have it so freely available despite some societies today that still restrict access to the Word of God.

Let me leave you with a statement from the Bible, the Bible says this, “For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God”, 1 Peter 3:18. This verse is saying that if God was being just, if God was being fair He would punish is for our sin, He would penalize us, He would judge us for breaking His law because we are guilty. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world and suffered for sins to bring us to God. He personally suffered the penalty for sin by dying for us. Three days later He was brought up back to life. His resurrection is sufficient evidence that the price for sin was fully paid. His resurrection establishes that you can take advantage of salvation. You do this by confessing your sin (to God, not a religious representative) and asking God to forgive you. You are effectively asking for God’s blessing upon your life.

I wonder if you would take advantage of a God’s offer of salvation today. Will you come to Him for forgiveness and rest upon Him for salvation? You can know what it is to be forgiven and saved.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – the Bible, Acts 16:31

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Needless deaths - could it be different?

We are all affected when we hear of someone being murdered in the course of their work life. This is especially pertinent when the victims are people involved in public duties i.e. police, nurses, teachers, firemen etc. We feel that our freedom has been violated and we are more vulnerable as a result. The murders of PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone are just the most recent examples of the violent and sick society that we live in. Sadly this is not a lone incident, as it is not long since we mourned the death of PC David Rathband who found life impossible to go on living after losing his sight  as a result of violent crime in July 2010.

Can we do anything to change the course that society is on or is it just something that we have to live with?

I know that what I believe is not popular but I believe that it is the truth. The Bible teaches that 'righteousness exalts a nation and sin is a reproach to any people". Our society is now so far removed from the word of God (the Bible) that the basic principles that govern behaviour and cultivate a good society have been lost. The reason we need laws, police etc is because we all have a bias to do what is self centred and wrong. Thankfully this does not manifest itself in the grosser forms of evil in every individual but we all do things that are wrong and have the capacity to do all sorts of evil.  The Bible states the case plainly when it says 'for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'. God's standard is majestic and not just at the level of rule keeping and ticking boxes.  The bible teaches that the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked. This is the potential that we saw unleashed in these acts of violence.

What can we say then about good citizens like PC Hughes and PC Bone? They, like us, had a sense of justice, they wanted to improve society and they gave their lives to see that happen. As one of their senior officers promised when he was being interviewed his aim is to make sure they did not die in vain. My prayer is that they will succeed in this.

As I close can I give you some hope. Things can be different! This is precisely what the message of Jesus, his death and resurrection is all about. Christ died for our sins, he knew that we could not save ourselves or improve our society without his redeeming grace and forgiveness. He is willing to forgive those who confess their sin and accept his forgiveness. When this happens in the experience of the individual they become a whole new person, old things pass away, all things become new. Believe me, I have seen it in the lives of the most unlikely individuals.

Yes we do need great police officers on the beat, we need laws and law enforcement to prevent tragedies like we have witnessed reoccuring but we need to preach the life changing and soul saving gospel of Jesus Christ to reform the people of our country from the inside out.

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