Have you ever wondered what is the purpose for Justice?
Is it an arbitrary consequence for a broken law... or is there more to it? What is God's idea of justice from His perspective? Have we settled for a far simpler version of justice than God intends?
It has been a tendency of societies to punish people without the intention of restoring them - i.e. through imprisonment and capital punishment. Not only that, but often Christian doctrine upholds a punishment concept of justice instead of one focused around love and restoration. Often concepts of justice seem to seek to satisfy some abstract idea of justice, and to force people to be "good" through fear and compulsion.
Yet, there is another way of looking at justice. If we look at justice from the perspective of love ("God is love" - 1 John 4:8) it brings a different perspective for the purpose of justice. By seeing justice through love, ideally we can seek after a practical restoration of wrongs where all parties experience compassion and love. Such a practical restoration could be where the wrong done is made right, both within the wrong doer and with the victim. I ask, is it really enough to try make people "good" through arbitrary judgements? Does it even "work"? Shouldn't our aim be to restore the conscience of a person to the point where they want to do good, not out of fear, but out of courage? Surely that would produce a more wholesome society.
It is interesting that studies show Restorative Justice is more successful than punitive punishments on many accounts such as reducing recidivism, reducing post-traumatic stress amongst victims (including revenge), and both offenders and victims are more satisfied with Restorative Justice than conventional criminal justice. (See Restorative Justice: The Evidence)
We were having a heartfelt and thoughtful discussion with Cindy Skillman over at the Evangelical Universalism forum on the subject "Post-mortem punishment and the perfect love of God". She had this gem to share which I thought was so well put I had to post it here on the Benevolent Hecklers. She compares human justice with God's justice. She ultimately asks what God's attitude is towards post-mortem punishment using a Biblical concept of love. Let me know what you think!
"This is what God (through Paul) says love looks like:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is
not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Some say that God would LOVE to save all people, but He
cannot because they refuse to be saved. Love never fails. Some say that when we
die in the flesh, God gives up on us. Love always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. AND Love never fails.
Sure God can punish for the purpose of healing. Earthly
parents do this, and we submit to it. How much more should we willingly submit
to chastisement from our Heavenly Father who always does it for our good?
Earthly parents who punish for the sake of punishing and NOT to heal and reform
an erring child, are considered monsters--rightly. And THAT is only temporal,
temporary, earthly punishment. Yet we think that our Heavenly Father will
punish to no purpose other than revenge and so-called "justice," not
for a short time, not to reform, not to cure, not to make anything right but
ONLY to administer far in excess of Moses's limits of an eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth--forever and ere.
Justice is NOT taking an eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth. That is only a limitation on excessive punishment. Justice is not
eternal torment, whether or not eternal torment is deserved. Justice is not the
chair for a murderer or prison for a lesser criminal. Those things are human
attempts at justice, or human attempts at imagining ultimate justice.
Justice is making things right.
None of the punishments we could administer or imagine could
ever make things right. Justice means you get your murdered wife back, and the
man who murdered her becomes the loving brother to you and to her that he ought
always to have been. THAT is making things right. Everything else is a poor,
impoverished human attempt to prevent the criminal from having an advantage he
denied his victim. Did he kill? Let him not live, for his victim is dead. Did
he steal? Let him have nothing, for he has diminished his victims, forcing them
to support him without their consent. THAT is the best WE can do. It is far,
far from the best God can do."
