Looking for spiritual justice
I have read a fair amount the last couple years about social justice.
There are political cries, marches, speeches, rallies and articles going out for social justice to be served in society. But what is social justice?
“Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society,” Wikipedia states. “This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity and social privileges.”
Many would say it’s about fair play and balancing social justice and injustice. However, who decides this and what values, subjectivity and absolutes are considered? What if there are disagreements about what is fair? The purpose of social justice warriors/advocates are to recognize and right the wrongs they see in society. I don’t believe this debate will ever be settled in a free and open society, but there is another questioning that has a parallel, called spiritual justice.
Consider the Prophet Habbakuk. His lament toward the prospering of the wicked was considerable. Read Hab. chapters 1, 2 and 3. Actually, in the NIV for CH 1 it is titled “Habakkuk’s Complaint”, which is registered as the following question: How much longer will God tolerate wickedness and evil?
In some excerpts you tolerate wrongdoing, the law is paralyzed, justice never prevails and is perverted. Habbakuk’s righteous anger and hurt was over the seemingly good fortunes, undue influences and imbalance he was witnessing between the corrupt rich and politically connected who abused and subjugated those lesser than them on the societal scale.
He was disgusted and angry about the abuse and wanted God to take action to achieve spiritual justice. We have the same feelings and attitudes at a societal level, but injustice plays out more at the personal level with us as Christians.
We recognize a spiritual disconnect whenever we see a pornographer live a long healthy wealthy life and some poor schlup trying to make a living to support his family gets killed in a car accident through no fault of his own.
How is it fair that a drug dealer can get away with victimizing people and accumulating riches and a poor single mother works to the bone to feed her kids? How is it spiritually fair that someone living a good moral churchgoing life gets cancer and a Ponzi scheme manipulator is as healthy as a horse?
We accurately conclude that it’s not fair to see wicked immoral people not only “get ahead,” but also live long healthy lives! Why? When will they get what they deserve?
We understand we are not immune to heartache and pain, but the reality is we want to see bad things happen to bad people more so to balance out the spiritual justice. That is something deeper and more heartfelt than social justice. It is what Habakkuk recognized and wanted. It is spiritual.
God responded to Habakkuk and informed him that justice was being prepared and would soon be merited out. God has informed us Christians, also, about spiritual justice taking place, but we need to have patience and understanding.
“God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them,” Rev 21: 3b-4 NIV states. “They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. V4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Please read the fuller scripture promises in Rev 21.
Also Rev 21:8 NIV states, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and the liars-they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
As I have mentioned before, for the believer, this life is the worse that it can ever get, for the unbeliever, this life is the best it can ever get. Hold on Saints, hold on. Spiritual justice is on its way.
Blessings
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