In sport, in the rule of law, in our work – in every area of our lives we have a burning desire to see fairness reign and justice prevail. From players surrounding a referee on a Saturday after a poor decision, to drugs cheats winning medals – from the anger at seeing an incompetent colleague promoted, to seeing dangerous criminals get away with a slap on the wrists – our desire for justice pervades every area of life.
But identifying our longing for justice is one thing. Explaining why it’s so innate is another. After all, if the human race has got to where it is today by the survival of the fittest, then there wouldn’t seem to have been much room for justice in our development.
And if justice is just a social construct, why does it mean so much to us? Why is there so much anguish when murderers like Harold Shipman take their own lives and (seemingly) escape the punishment they deserve?
For me, the Bible’s explanation of why we care so much about justice is far more compelling. This deep-rooted desire for justice in us all comes from the fact that we’re created in the image of a God of justice. The Bible tells us a number of times that ‘the LORD loves justice’. We were created in his image – and remnants of that image remain in us all.
And yet while the Bible explains where our desire for justice comes from, the fact that there’s a God of infinite justice isn’t automatically good news for us. Because one day, it will be our turn to stand in the dock. God tells us that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). And even if our good deeds could somehow outweigh our bad, that wouldn’t be enough – God’s standard is perfection.
Nor can we take the attitude that if something happened a long time ago, it doesn’t matter. Historical abuse enquiries rightly seek to bring people justice, despite the fact that their crimes may have been perpetrated decades ago. A just judge won’t ignore wrongdoing, just because many years have passed.
And so the fundamental question of Christianity is how God can forgive sin and still be just. If God ignored wrongdoing, he would cease to be God. As someone has put it, ‘The moral fabric of the universe would tear in pieces if God were not fair’.
And yet in God’s infinite wisdom he has provided a way in which we can be forgiven, and he can still be just. When Jesus died on the cross, he did so bearing the sins of all his people. Martin Luther called it ‘The Great Exchange’ – Jesus takes our wrongdoing on himself, while his record of perfect obedience is counted as ours.
And so as we await Line of Duty’s climax, we know that a far more significant day of reckoning lies ahead. But because of Jesus, his people can look forward to it without fear.
An updated version of this article appeared in the Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press, 6 May 2021
