| This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” |
| —Zechariah 7:9-10 |
When two people commit the same crime and one gets away with it while the other is sent to prison, there is something fundamentally wrong with the administration of justice. How we mete out punishment for wrongdoing must be fair, uniform, and done without taking into account the differences in status, wealth, position, or power of the various perpetrators.
It seems every day we get a new “wake up call” regarding how corrupt politics has made our system of justice, not only in our own country, but around the world. Nevertheless, we expect more of our own nation than we expect of other nations. The very foundation of our country rests on the concept of equal justice for all.
In the church, justice must also be delivered in a fair and impartial way. When I use the word “justice” in the context of the church, I’m talking about the fair treatment of all individuals who may gather in a particular church for worship and fellowship. Church leaders dare not tolerate sinful behavior on the part of some people because of their status, wealth, position, or power, while swiftly administering discipline to other people who do not have the same status, wealth, position, or power. Yet almost every day, I hear of some action by a church governing board in some church that has treated people unfairly because the process of church discipline was not handled impartially.
I’ve written several times on this blog about Matthew 18:15-17. These words represent instruction from none other than Jesus Himself. In these few verses, our Lord explains how we are to handle sin in the church. This is the only—absolutely the only—acceptable way for a church governing board, or any other group of believers, to handle sin among the members of a church. And, it’s also the way that individual believers are to handle sin in the lives of those individuals with whom they interact, as well.
The impartial administration of justice is a concept that goes as far back in the history of Judeo-Christian philosophy as possible. Please take note of these words of instruction from God, found in Zechariah 7:9-10:
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.”
As we begin another day, and insofar as we have the opportunity to do so, let’s make certain that we handle sin in our midst properly. We must follow Matthew 18:15-17. And, we should pay attention to Zechariah 7:9-10, as well. If we do this, we will contribute to a major “sea change” in the life of the churches where we attend.
Based on a blog originally posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2018
