Seeking Justice.

Life’s Not Fair! : What will God’s Vengeance Look Like?

By: Grace School of Theology

Fighting for justice Is something we applaud,

But the power to right wrongs is quite limited for most of us. We must leave justice to God.

Trusting God requires that we trust Him to be our Avenger, What will God’s vengeance look like? God will decide.

It might look like Him dying in our place. Or theirs.

Seeking Justice.

Scales

Every parent probably has had their child scream the accusation, “That’s not fair!”

While responses might vary, many parents may say something along the lines of, “Yeah, life’s not fair.”

The Bible doesn’t talk a lot about fairness.

For many of us, like children, fair often means “I get what I want.”

This immature and self-serving view comes naturally and is mired in bias.

It is an extremely good thing God is not fair and we don’t get our way.

Life is unfair because Jesus, who had no sin, took on all our sins for us.

We ought to be condemned, but by God’s grace, we are forgiven. That’s not fair.

However, instead of fairness, the Bible talks a lot about justice.

God is the Arbiter of justice.

He is the Lawmaker, the Attorney, the Judge, and the Jury.

To fully meet justice, He paid the price for our sins. He freely gave us a pardon while paying the price Himself.

That’s why grace can be a source of frustration at times because we like the illusion that we are in control.

We default to thinking we must earn what we receive.

But when it comes to righteousness in God’s sight, we can never measure up. When we are weighed, we are always found wanting.

But thanks be to God!

Jesus steps upon the scales along with us.

In Him, all requirements are met. We are fully accepted, and we can’t add anything more.

In Jesus, we have the righteousness of God.

Seeking Justice. 

Proverbs 16:11 KJV

[11] A just weight and balance are the LORD’s: All the weights of the bag are his work.

https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.16.11.KJV

Seeking Justice.

Internal Justice

God promises He will bring all things to account, including every deep and hidden thing.

There will be no thought, deed, or motive that will not be brought into full transparency.

When we perceive a wrong done to us, our initial instinct is to seek justice.

To judge, and then to make it right.

When we desire this, we are seeking something good.

Jesus installed justice in our souls.

We are, however, much less inclined to judge ourselves similarly.

When we see and react to injustice, it is worth asking ourselves whether our reaction informs us of some profound injustice within our soul.

Perhaps there is something buried deep between soul and spirit. Something Jesus can see, but we cannot.

Since all things will be brought to light, it is of great benefit to root out darkness in this life, to set aside encumbrances lurking beneath our consciousness.

To clear away the muck that poisons our souls.

Rather than succumbing to our first instinct to criticize, let’s first look for the speck in our eye.

Let’s remember that God is God, and we are not.

Conviction is the Spirit’s job. When we put on God’s robe and sit in His judgment seat, we are out of order.

When we see injustice, let’s ask God to open our eyes, peer into our hearts,

and let His cleansing light clear the dark places while we are still on this side of glory.

Seeking Justice. 

Hebrews 4:12-13 KJV

[12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,

piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

[13] Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight:

but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

https://bible.com/bible/1/heb.4.12-13.KJV

Seeking Justice.

A Response to Injustice

Fighting for justice is something we applaud.

But, for most of us, the power to right wrongs is quite limited.

What do we do when we confront injustice in our daily existence?

Perhaps we are falsely accused. We are shunned for not participating in shady dealings. And We are slighted.

And Perhaps our accomplishments are overlooked. Our honesty is used against us.

We should expect difficult circumstances to come as a worldly reaction to our faithfulness and genuine godliness.

2 Timothy 3:12 says,

“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

This verse clarifies that our primary goal should be to ensure we live obedient lives surrendered to Christ Jesus.

We should count it as a win if we suffer for doing well.

Even amid injustice and difficulty, we still have the ability to make our own choices.

The unjust circumstances of this world can only hold us hostage if we let them.

We are instructed to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

God promises to give us the power to endure persecution.

When we adopt this true perspective, we understand that God does not eliminate difficult circumstances.

He provides us with the power to overcome them.

Seeking Justice.

The Avenger

An avenger is one who acts out revenge, the practical application of the concept of vengeance.

An avenger takes responsibility for punishing wrongdoers by inflicting harm on them.

God is righteous.

We are made in His image, which means we have a desire for things to be right.

The problem is that we often need clarification about whose job it is to make things right.

When we try to serve as avengers, it simply doesn’t work.

We are prone to confuse true righteousness with our selfish ambition or inaccurate perspective.

Justice is not served when we react to evil in pride.

The key to real justice is recognizing the maximum authority—God.

As hard as it may be, we must leave justice to God.

Trusting God requires that we trust Him to be our Avenger.

The Lord says in Romans 12:19, “I will repay.”

Leaving wrath for Him to avenge, in His time and His way, is simply trusting God will do what He says.

By setting aside our need for personal vengeance, we strengthen our character.

We trust God by taking Him at His word. And we love others by slowing our world’s rampant cycle of pain.

When we react, we are ceding control to our agitator.

We are focusing on the priority of the agitator rather than on our mission.

By not reacting violently, we allow time for emotions to calm, to refocus our mission, and to pursue the best for others.

When we allow God His proper place as Avenger, we not only recognize reality but lean into practicality.

We avoid ceding control to those who seek harm.

What will God’s vengeance look like?

God will decide.

It might look like Him dying in our place. Or theirs.

And It might look like grace, love, and forgiveness. And that should be a cause for rejoicing.

Seeking Justice.

Romans 12:19-21 KJV

[19] Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath:

for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

[20] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

[21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

https://bible.com/bible/1/rom.12.19-21.KJV

Also Read: Community Restoration and The Church. – Diademng (thediademng.org)

Seeking Justice.

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