Is Passing

There are times when a thing people refer to as “justice” is evoked - in the wake of  injustice, in the agony of unfairness, in the defensive response that rises up in anyone who sees what they know to be right be ignored or perverted - but that thing, that “justice,” is a hateful, vengeful desire. As natural as the feelings are and as reasonable as the response seems, the consequence-oriented, quid-pro-quo,  eye-for-eye response  (that is often justified societally) just isn’t justice - or if it is, it just isn’t godly.

The Bible often portrays God’s "wrath" as a direct response to injustice. At first, it seems like punishment, but God is not acting to punish; God is clearing the way for love. That thing that is often called God’s wrath exposes what breaks love and clears away what blocks compassion. In this Spotlight, we’ll explore how these divine actions do not negate grace, but rather bring us out of our punitive ways of thinking and into God's kingdom of mercy.

Once justice can be seen simply as a useful tool (and not the goal of all things, because mercy triumphs over judgment), the ways that justice is and isn't used can be examined in daily life. Sometimes, God uses his work in his role as a "refiner" - not a punisher, in this case, but the one who burns away what is false, clarifies what is true, and brings increased capability to the one being refined. That slow, sometimes unpleasant, process can free us from what dilutes us (i.e. an obsession with justice, etc.) and turn us toward the clarity of Christ's compassion.

There are still times when a justice-focused action or motivation can be appropriate even as you acknowledge that the true system in which humanity is meant to live - or better, needs to live - is an unjust (read: merciful!) one because it is defined by unconditionally loving kindness. Those who find hope in the story of Jesus are shaped by this, because they recognize that they are certainly not beholden to justice and certainly are beholden to mercy. This leads Jesus' followers to ask: What will it look like to think and act in a way that does not reinforce justice or enable injustice, but rather leads to loving kindness and mercy?