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Essay / Justice in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Church Today
Table of ContentsJusticeConclusionReference ListJusticeJustice is a concept based on many ideas and theories from many different fields, viewpoints, and perspectives . In simple terms, justice means being fair to all or making things right (Pomerleau nd). Although this definition seems simple, it raises important questions such as: who “makes things right,” what is “just,” and why is justice good. Humans have an innate sense of right and wrong, and with it the belief that wrongdoers must be punished and the weak or victims must be protected and restored to health. Humanity as a collective wants justice and believes it to be good. This justice comes from God, since God created humans in his image, and justice is an attribute of God. The Bible, the prophets and Jesus have shown humanity the right path and inspired people to live righteously. The idea of justice is presented in various ways throughout Scripture, in the affairs between people, as an attribute of God, and as a path to living a righteous life in order to earn salvation. In the Old Testament, justice is presented as a theme in the creation and exodus stories, reiterated by the prophets, and shown instances where God himself acts as judge. In the New Testament, Jesus and his mission inspire his followers to live righteously and seek salvation, and God acts as judge. In today's Church, justice still plays a prominent role in the lives of Christians, as part of their mandate to do justice from Scripture and their call to protect all of God's creations. Many people have their own standards for how they choose to live their lives. Some people choose their moral standard based on what they believe to be right. Many Christians have chosen to live righteous lives because they believe that the right thing to do is to follow Christ's example and live according to God's plan. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe Christian God is a monotheistic being, the creator of heaven and earth, who is pure in spirit, existing outside human constructs, such as time and space. “Theists believe that the ultimate principle of reality is God – an omnipotent, omniscient goodness who is the creative foundation of all other than himself” (Wainwright 2005). The main attributes that are generally linked to God are: God is loving, God is all-knowing, and God is all-powerful. Another important attribute associated with the Christian God is justice. Justice as an attribute of God is demonstrated in Deuteronomy 10:9, 10 where God is described as "not partial and takes no bribe", and continues to say that "He executes justice" . This concept is also demonstrated in Isaiah 33:22 “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us.” Since God is the creator and is all-powerful, God must always be just, God defines what is right and wrong, and God sets the standards of justice. When God acts justly, he maintains his faithfulness to the people of Israel, his chosen people with whom he has a covenant. God enters into a covenant with humanity, adheres to it righteously, and sets the terms of that agreement. Since God is able to perfectly exemplify righteousness, people seek God's wisdom to understand how to live righteously and in accordance with God's will. God is just, and since that is one of his attributes, he cannot be unjust. THEHumans, on the contrary, are endowed with free will and do not need to be just. God gives humanity a guide on how to live righteously according to His will, giving them the ability to differentiate between good and evil. Humanity's sense of justice is transmitted by its creator. God brought justice to mankind when He gave them the Sinai Covenant (Exodus 20:23-23:19). In exchange for God's commitment to humanity, they must remain faithful to the covenant and the commandments. The 10 commandments are “written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18) and given to humans (Exodus 25:21) so that they may live according to His will. Acting justly, doing good, and helping the oppressed are among the responsibilities of humanity that are presented as part of doing God's will (Isaiah 1:17). Humans who choose to follow God have a responsibility to uphold their covenant with God and ensure that they live according to His will, with the commandments as their guide. In today's society, justice is often associated with the law or the judicial system (Dupuy, 1999). It is the responsibility of a judge to act justly and rule fairly. An excerpt from Romans 13:1 says “God is the highest authority,” meaning that God is the highest judge, referring to His omnipotence. Humans may strive to live righteously by earthly standards, but must ultimately live in accordance with God's will and plan if they are to achieve salvation. Justice is an important theme throughout the Old Testament. It is originally established in the creation story, it is displayed again through the Exodus story, it is a reiterated theme among the prophetic writings, and there are many occurrences where God is described as a judge and must deal with injustice himself. In the creation story God's gift of justice and his call to justice are rooted in the creation of the Imago Dei. The Imago Dei is the notion derived from the creation story in Genesis 1:26-27, according to which God created humanity in his image and likeness (Middleton 1994). God himself considers all humans equal and makes no difference between different types of humans. Since justice is one of God's attributes and humans are created in His image and likeness, humans therefore have intrinsic value and have basic human rights related to equality and justice. The theme of justice is also present in the story of the Exodus. In Exodus 1:11-14, the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites and held them as slaves, subjecting them to hard labor. God recognized this injustice and responded by working through Moses to serve justice. In Exodus 1:7-10, God recognizes the injustice occurring in Egypt and acts to redress the situation. This is important because it clearly illustrates that God acts to resolve injustice by interacting with humanity and showing them how to act justly. God also used prophets to guide humans to act justly and follow God's will (Houston 2019). Throughout history, there have been specific times when humans have had great difficulty keeping the covenant and following the commandments. At that time, prophets were sent by God to redirect mankind who had strayed from God's will. A common theme that recurs in the message of these prophets is that God is just (Bọlọjẹ, Groenewald. 2014). The prophets who spoke of justice in the Old Testament were messengers of God who spoke to the people of Israel to bring them back into the will of God. The best example of justice as one of the main points emphasized by the prophets comes from Micah: “Hehas shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Prophets do God's work and inspire justice in the community by bringing people back into God's will. There are many examples in the Old Testament of God himself resolving injustice. It is the most literal way in which God communicates to humanity His will for justice. In the Old Testament scriptures there were references to two types of judgments. The first type of judgment is that of recognition of injustice and punishment, and the other refers to a final judgment or a day of judgment. Examples of where God “executed judgment” against those he found to be unrighteous are found in Genesis 2:17, Exodus 32:26-35, and Isaiah 66:16. All of these sections of scripture have God as judge and punish injustices that have occurred. The other type of judgment from God described in the Old Testament refers to a "final judgment" where God judges good versus evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14). This threat of final judgment encourages humans to behave well and justly. Justice is also an important theme in the New Testament, but the concept and execution of justice has changed slightly. The New Testament authors present a different representation of justice: there is a change from the powerful God to be feared presented in the Old Testament, to a more loving God in the New Testament (Foster nd). This depiction of a loving God and the call to seek Him and the possibility of obtaining salvation by acting righteously and living His will, is brought about by the life and mission of Christ. In Christianity, justice has often been viewed as a kind of concept, but the life and teaching of Jesus encapsulates the term and provides an example for others. Jesus, his life, his ministry and his mission are described in the Gospels. His mission is fulfilled today by his followers, who are inspired to live righteously and seek salvation through the example of Christ. Throughout his life, Jesus led by example and spoke of the importance of living justly and protecting those less endowed than you, because all men are equal under their creator God. Examples of Jesus bringing justice to those in need and compelling others to do the same are coming; Matthew 19:21, Matthew 25:35, 1 John 3:17-18 and Luke 14:13. These actions and words of Christ convey the message that Jesus wants us to follow his example and live righteously and present a call for justice from all his people. Jesus spends much of his ministry throughout the gospels talking about salvation and how to achieve it. A central theme found throughout the New Testament and heavily centered in the gospels is the coming of the kingdom of God. This theme and the call to act righteously and seek salvation is especially prevalent when Jesus came to Galilee and said, “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus also gave a new commandment to his disciples (John 13:34-35, 15:12, 17). Jesus died for the sins of mankind so that they could receive forgiveness and salvation. Christ, through his life, his mission, and the gospel, inspires people to act righteously and seek salvation. There are many examples in the New Testament of God Himself executing justice. In the New Testament scriptures there were references to two different types of God's judgments. The first type of judgment is a punishment for injustice, and the otherreferring to the final judgment of all souls. Examples of where God “executed judgment” against those he found to be unrighteous are found in Romans 12:19 and Acts 12:21-23. Both of these sections of Scripture have God as the judge and punisher of injustices that have occurred. The second type of judgment described refers to a final judgment where each God judges the earth. Examples of this type of righteousness are found in Romans 2:16, Psalm 58:10-11, and 1 Peter 4:5. This idea of a final judgment requires Christians to prepare for that judgment by remaining in the light of God and doing God's will throughout their lives so that they can achieve salvation. We can learn much about justice and how it should apply to our lives and in the Church today by examining the Scriptures and applying the lessons and teaching to situations in today's world. Justice is an important part of the Church today and two of its important applications are the mandate set forth in Scripture and the dignity of the human person. Christians seeking salvation must live good and righteous lives, doing God's will until judgment (Hosea 12:6). Justice is a good starting point for those seeking to make a difference in their community while living according to God's plan. As they examine the life and works of Christ, His disciples are commissioned or called to “do justice” (Micah 6:8). ). This call to “do justice” involves recognizing and confronting evil, caring for the less privileged, and recognizing and repairing injustices (Isaiah 1:17). This call to live and act righteously is reiterated several times throughout the Bible. The call to recognize and confront evil and right injustices requires followers of Christ to become aware of injustices and act as God would, actively seeking justice. By doing this, Christians can help rectify an unjust world with God's justice. The call to care for the less privileged comes from Psalm 82:3-4, which tells us to “do justice” or care for those who are less privileged than ourselves. People can work to answer this call using the virtue of solidarity. “At the heart of the virtue of solidarity is the search for justice and peace.” Throughout Scripture, we Christians are also called to care for God's creation. This primarily refers to the treatment of other humans, as man was the pinnacle of God's creation. This call appears in the parable of the Last Judgment, when God rewards those who acted justly and showed love toward their fellow men, but damned those who did not (Matthew 25:31-46). In today's world where many injustices are occurring, we should follow Christ's example and actively pursue justice while trying to rectify injustice. We should ask ourselves whether our actions as individuals or as societies respect or threaten the dignity and life of the human person. We must also participate in a society that supports the well-being of all its members. We must protect the fundamental rights necessary for everyone to lead a decent basic human life. We should also pay special attention to the needs of those who are less endowed than us. The scriptures, the example of Jesus, and the prophetic writings are all good places to get examples of how to live rightly according to God's will. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom EssayConclusionThere are many different designs =