If there is a God, then why is there no justice in the world?
Dave Crofts
I'm sure many of you are familiar with the singer Lemar and are probably huge fans of his timeless classic "If There's Any Justice", in which Lemar sings these words:
"If there's any justice in the world, I would be your man, and you would be my girl."
It's clear from the words of the song that Lemar feels a profound sense of injustice at the fact that this girl he really likes has ended up with someone else. It looks to him like there isn't any justice in the world.
And many of us share Lemar's sense of injustice. I bet you don't have to think too hard to remember a time when something happened that made you think "It's not fair!" - I remember when I was a kid, my parents paid for my sister to have horse-riding lessons, but refused to give me a cash equivalent sum instead - how unfair is that?!
Those are fairly trivial examples, but often we have much better reason to cry out "It's not fair!" You look at the events in Burma in the last couple of weeks, where peaceful protests have been violently subdued, or the tragedies of civilian casualties in war, or more personal tragedies like lives cut short by cancer - and it's easy to think "If there is a God, then why is there no justice in the world?"
If you read the Bible's description of what God is like, the question seems even more compelling, because in the Bible, God makes claims like this:
"I the LORD love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong."
Isaiah 61:8
If God loves justice, why does it seem like we live in a world without justice? If you're asking that question, you're in good company - some of the Bible writers felt exactly the same. Here's a couple of lines from Psalm 73 - a poem written by a guy called Asaph, who was, I'm sure, the Lemar of his generation:
"I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of
the wicked.
For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and
sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken
like the rest of mankind.
...
Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase
in riches.
All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands
in innocence.
For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every
morning."
Psalm 73:3-5,12-14
He looks at the world and he doesn't understand why the wicked are doing well, and people like him, who have made an effort to be good, are suffering. The Bible is realistic: "If there is a God, why is there no justice in the world?" is a very good question to be asking.
But what's the answer? Well, I just want to make two brief points in response:
Firstly,
Justice is coming
God knows that there is injustice in the world, and he is going to do something about it. How do we know? Well, the Bible tells us:
"...[God] has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
Acts 17:31
Justice is coming - God has fixed a day for it. And who's in charge of dispensing justice? God has appointed someone - and proved that appointment by raising him from the dead. There's only one man who fits the description: Jesus.
Jesus, who when he turned up and started preaching, said things like this:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."
Luke 4:18-19
Jesus talked in terms of justice. He acted in justice - helping those who were on the edge of society. And in his death and resurrection, God proved to the world that Jesus is the one who will one day judge the world in righteousness.
So, justice is coming. But why is it delayed? If it's such a big priority for Jesus, why doesn't he come and sort it out now?
Well, the second point I want to make is this:
Justice is delayed for our benefit
We all have an in-built desire for justice - but if we understood justice in the Bible's terms, I wonder if justice is what we'd really want...
Let me explain. The Bible is clear that none of us naturally live in the way God wants and treat him as God - and because God is just, that has consequences. We should rightly be punished. But the great news is that as well as being just, God is merciful. Back to Acts 17:
"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed..."
Acts 17:30-31
Do you see the issue? The reason God doesn't unleash justice now is because he wants us to repent - he offers us forgiveness.
The world makes us cry "It's not fair!" and we long for justice. But what we should be longing for is mercy. I'll end with one more Bible quote - back to our friend Asaph and the final words of his song:
"For behold, those who are far from you shall
perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to
you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works."
Psalm 73:27-28
If there is a God, why is there no justice in the world? Well, there is justice - and the real question is a personal rather than a philosophical one: justice is coming, but are you ready for it?