Someone asked me after our Prayer service on Tuesday about the terrorist attack: “Can we at the same time pray for justice and still love our enemy?”The answer is yes.
But let’s start with our own guilt. Christians know that if God were to deal with us alone according to justice, we would perish under His condemnation. We are guilty of treason against God in our sinful pride and rebellion. We only deserve condemnation. Justice would only condemn us to eternal torment.
- But God does not treat us alone in terms of justice.
- Without compromising your justice.
- Do you justify the bad guys? (Romans 4.
- 5).
- This seems unfair.
- And that would be the case if it were not for what God did in the life and death of Jesus Christ.
- God’s mercy led him to send the Son of God to endure God’s wrath.
- To justify God’s righteousness when he justifies sinners.
- Who have faith in Jesus.
- Therefore.
- We have our own life for mercy and justice (Romans 3:25-26).
- Mercy and justice were found on the cross.
Therefore, we do not rush to seek open justice. Jesus commands: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; that they may become children of their Heavenly Father, because he raises the sun upon the bad and the good, and rains upon the righteous and unjust?(Matthew 5:44-45). And, of course, Jesus set the standard for us as a perfect man. Why, if we enemies, were reconciled with God by the death of His Son (Romans 5. 10) And even when Jesus died for his enemies, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Thus, the categorical commandment of the apostles is: “Bless those who persecute you, bless, and do not curse; do not aerge yourself, beloved, but leave room for anger; because it says: revenge is mine; I will pay, said the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed them; If you’re thirsty, will you drink it?(Romans 12: 14-20). When we live this way, we magnify the glory of God. mercy and the treasure that satisfies all that He is to our souls. We have shown that because of its supreme value to us, we do not need the feeling of personal vengeance to be satisfied.
But this truth is not compromised when we say that God must also be glorified as one who rules the world and delegates some of his authority to civilian states; therefore, some of God’s rights as God are granted to governments to contain evil. and keep social order under fair laws. This is what Paul means when he writes: “There is no authority that does not come from God; And the existing authorities were instituted by him?[This authority is] a minister of God, vengeful, to punish those who do evil?(Romans 13: 1-4).
God wants human justice to maintain control between governments and between citizens and civil authority. It doesn’t require governments to always get on the other side. It’s not without reason that the government carries the sword. The police have God’s right to use the sword. force to contain evil and bring criminals to justice. And legitimate states have God’s right to restrict life-threatening assaults and bring criminals to justice. If these truths were known, this exercise of God-ordained divine prerogative would glorify God’s righteousness. he who commands with mercy that the flood of sin and misery be limited on earth.
Therefore, we will magnify God’s mercy, praying that our enemies may be saved and reconciled with God; on a personal level, we will be willing to suffer for your eternal good, and we will feed and drink you. We will reject evil hatred, and personal vengeance. But on a public level, we will also magnify God’s righteousness by praying and fighting for the righteousness to be done on earth, if necessary by a wise and adequate force of divinely ordained authority.
Seeking to magnify ALL the glories of God,