Endgame

The Bible is a book of justice, of solid principles that contribute to orderly relationships between human beings, predicated on the love of God. Amos 5 states:
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

Thank God that with regard to our sinfulness, God also showed mercy.  We deserved eternal punishment because of sin, but in His great mercy, He sent His Son to die in our place, to be the substitute for our sins and to bring us forgiveness.  So, Biblical justice is intended to be restorative, making a person who breaks the laws of a country or a community culpable for those transgressions, but offering a compassionate way forward, with justice meted out fairly and equitably.

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From the turbulence that we have witnessed in our society, not only in the months of dealing with the Coronavirus, which has not gone away, but now in seeing the protests in the streets of cities from coast to coast, we know that God wants to bring forth a sense of His presence and His justice.

Biblical justice is tied up, I believe, in the role of government that we see in 1st Peter chapter 3:
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

But there is a higher law to which believers in Christ subscribe.  When there are unjust laws that are implemented by human beings, we can echo the words of Peter in Acts 5, which says:
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,
28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.

So, people of faith can seek to change unjust laws - but, we have to make sure that we are acting in tandem with the Holy Spirit and not just according to what we think is right.

In our land today, we have seen a recent outbreak of lawlessness.  It began with the lawless act of a group of men who were charged to enforce or uphold the law, and resulted in the death of someone who did not deserve a death sentence, even if he had committed a crime.  It continued with the lawless acts, not of protestors who are seeking justice in the aftermath of that brutal incident, but of people who are committed to anarchy, provoking American cities and putting lives and property at stake.  As the New York City police chief said on CNN last night, 800,000 police officers across America were put at risk by the acts of one rogue cop.  

And, we have to ask ourselves, what is the endgame here?  There are those who are committed to denigrating, weakening, and even overthrowing the Constitution of the United States, a document that has played a huge role in preserving order in our land.  I would dare say that the majority of those taking to the streets have differing views of what it takes to bring justice in our land, just as Christians in the body of Christ have different perspectives on matters of race and justice.  But can we find a way forward that doesn't require 100% agreement?

I think so. So does Johnnie Moore, who was once on the faculty of Liberty University and is a communications specialist, being a mouthpiece for a number of ministry leaders, including Greg Laurie.  Pastor Greg retweeted one of Johnnie's tweets the other day, and I believe it's instructive:

Dear Media: Please don’t miss (or bypass) what unites 99% of US

1. HORROR over the murder of George Floyd

2. DEMAND for justice

3. SUPPORT for peaceful protests

4. RECOGNITION of our need to perfect this union...

He also included an "EXPECTATION" for "Mayors/Governors stop anarchists exploiting injustice."

Can't we agree on that?  Now, perception of what justice looks like, even among people of faith, can be different, as witnessed by some of the the things that have been written and spoken in the last few days.  But, in communities all across our land, this is an opportunity for civic leaders to evaluate their justice system to make sure that it is fair to all, and that those who do evil are punished in a consistent and equitable manner - this can and should involve community members, and include the presence of the Church and Church leaders.

Tony Evans expressed this need for action and a significant role for the church in a recent tweet:

We must righteously voice our dissent but we must simultaneously follow it up with a strategy for a long-term solution. We need more than words. We need more than a protest. We need a plan. The primary source for this potential solution comes through the church. #icantbreathe

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family writes that there should be a way to address racial issues, but notes that:

Answering evil with more evil creates a downward spiral.

“Do not be overcome by evil,” wrote the apostle Paul, “but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

Only in Jesus Christ are solutions to our current problems found. In this current crisis, Christ is the answer.

He continues by saying:

Christ helps us bear one another’s burdens, directing us to seek justice and address one of the leading causes of the anarchy and evil – the overwhelming impact of family breakdown and the absence of role models.

We have a number of issues in our culture - the Church rightly should have a place at the table to bring Biblical solutions, based on the concepts of loving God and loving our neighbor.  Protests without practicality end up being just a group of people walking and shouting.  But, there needs to be an endgame in all that we participate - a holy and righteous purpose.  Communication involves talking and listening - finding common ground without violating matters of conscience and Biblical principles.