Justice
by David J. Stewart
"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." —Matthew 5:23-24
We are all
sinful human beings capable of unspeakable acts. We all experience
times of immaturity and foolishness in our lives. American author Elbert
Hubbard (1856-1915) said, “Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes
every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” Unfortunately,
some people greatly exceed the limit. Oh, how foolish and unreasonable we sinners can be at times. Hopefully, we will
mature as we grow older.
Sadly, some people never grow up. They think the world centers around them. They think they are the only ones having any problems. They're just like little spoiled babies throwing a tantrum because they can't have their way. They are reckless and don't care who they hurt.
Everyone has problems, but those problems don't give us a right to hurt others. If we do hurt others, then we are OBLIGATED by God to make RECONCILIATION with our victims. We must right our wrongs!
Reconciled: Defined from Strong's Greek Concordance, from dia - dia and allassw - allasso; to change thoroughly, i.e. (mentally) to conciliate:—reconcile.
Reconciliation begins with repentance on our part, i.e., a "change" of mind. This is when we realize the error of our way and desire to make things right. This change of mind will lead us to make re-conciliation.
God says that we must “re-conciliate” the matter with the one whom we have wronged.
Conciliate means to:
1. Cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
2. Come to terms
3. Make compatible with
So “re-conciliation” means to return to a state of conciliation (RE-conciliate). “Conciliation” is when we honor our agreements with other people and they are in agreement with us. Conciliation is when no one can call us a crook, liar, or thief. If we defraud someone(s), then we are commanded by God to restore everything to a condition of conciliation. We need to come to terms with the person(s) we hurt. We need to make things right once again. When we hurt someone in any way, there is no conciliation. The only way we can ever reconcile (re-conciliate) a matter is by making RESTITUTION. This is God's method for us to come to terms with someone whom we have wronged. All of the civil laws given to God's people in the Bible were based upon RESTITUTION.
RESTITUTION:
1. A sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
2. The act of restoring something to its original state
3. Getting something back again
While in Jesus' presence, Zacchaeus was convicted about the people he had hurt in the past and wanted to make things right with God. Zacchaeus knew what he needed to do. He needed to make RESTITUTION.
"And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." —Luke 19:8
Have you hurt someone? Have you reneged on your part of an business agreement? Have you caused pain and loss for others? Then you are obligated by God to reconcile the matter (i.e., “to restore” as Zacchaeus did). For minor offenses, an apology may be all that is required. However, in situations where money or loss is involved, full restitution must be made. If you have done wrong, then you need to make reconciliation through restitution.
The Bible teaches that we are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Matthew 7:12, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
It wouldn't have been enough for Zacchaeus to simply apologize to his victims. His victims lost money, they were cheated and suffered a financial loss. It doesn't matter how wealthy or poor they were, Zacchaeus robbed them! Zacchaeus pleased the Lord only by making restitution. Also noticed that Zacchaeus returned FOURFOLD the amount of money which he cost his victims. In today's cut-throat world, such restitution is almost unheard of anymore. Very few people are willing to make restitution, let along return more than they took (i.e., punitive damages). Restitution is a Biblical teaching and practice.
Justice is often symbolized by a weighing scale. When someone hurts another person, the scale is out of balance. The only way for the scale to be restored to balance is for the offender to make full restitution. Justice is a balancing of the scales. Proverb 11:1 declares, "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight." We don't see much justice in the world today.
Does God expect us to forgive someone(s) who has no intent on making restitution? Yes, of course; however, this in no way relieves them of responsibility and accountability for their actions. We must not hate them, but we have every right to demand restitution. Just because we forgive someone does not alleviate them of the judgment facing them. This is hard for some people to understand. Forgiveness and restitution are two separate events. We can forgive a person while still demanding justice. Life is too short to live with a burden of hatred. We must learn to forgive others, even if they are cold-hearted and unrepentant. By the way, even if someone sincerely apologizes for what they have done to you, they still are obligated by God to make restitution. God is a fair God. No one is going to get away with anything. Matthew 12:36, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
You have NO RIGHT Scripturally to expect someone to accept an apology from you, until you FIRST make full RESTITUTION. They have every right to demand back the money you cost them. They have every right to expect God to avenge them. Even if the person forgives you, you are still Scripturally obligated to right your wrongs. This is justice.
"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified."
—1st Thessalonians 4:6
What Happens to Believers Who Hurt Others?
