The Just and the Unjust

The Just and the Unjust

9/21/15

In this day and age of crying out for justice against others, the concept of true and complete justice has been washed away.  All human activity is now a game that entails some sort of revenge as being the definition of justice, with violence thrown in if a finite mind feels thwarted.  We all know that sometimes the guilty get off and the innocent punished incorrectly but there is one being that does judge equally, yet we fail to see this side of truth as well.  The just and unjust together on the surface does not make sense but if the separation from the world has taken place, the human has a better understanding of such grace, love and parenting.

About five years ago I was introduced to a song that was written by one of the popular country music artists.  It was dealing specifically this time of the year, how summer was changing to Fall and that the first sports of the “year” were starting; in this country it means football season.  This song was written and sung by Kenny Chesney and it is called “The Boys of Fall”.  Every year since I was introduced to this song I play it at the beginning of the football season, for it brings back so many personal memories and it provides hope for many others around this nation, especially the kids.  This is one of the great things about the internet, so much information, good information can be passed down for others to hear and see.

One of the portions of the video takes place in a locker room with the coach giving a pre-game speech to the boys.  The coach is talking about being a leader and how important it is to be that leader at all times.  He addresses the fact that many who consider themselves leaders do so when the times are good, easy, glorious and prosperous.  These are the fun times and usually all is well within our world during this time, but these types of good times do not truly define a leader, but they do portray what type of leader one will become when times change; and we all know that when humans are involved, the times shall change at some point and things must be dealt with accordingly.

The other portion of the coach’s speech dealt with being a leader when times were tough.  It is not easy being a leader during these times but when the challenges begin a true leader should always be ready to take the lead, and be that true leader.  It is through these tough times that people look harder for a leader to follow and will usually follow any type of leader that they find.  The sad portion of this is that today many leaders are only concerned about their personal or party beliefs which drastically narrows the vision of their surroundings and thus harms those who have entrusted themselves under their guidance. 

If a leader is true at their word then they will understand and then convey their wisdom to those that are with them.  True leaders are sure of themselves and provide their followers or teammates with a clear and steady refuge during tough times; a bad leader will provide the opposite and have no clear understanding of what is around them, about like the world itself.  It is through these two types of leadership skills that define the just and the unjust, both on a personal level and on a national level.

The choices of leaders should be taken into this consideration before elections are held and then those appropriately chosen.  All aspects of leadership potential should be carefully weighed, not just favorable conditional statuses which this country has fallen in love with over the past few decades.  As we have endured all types of leaders we must keep in mind of exactly how each leader represents the will of the people, for it is through their response to such leaders that project attitudes towards the public, on any level.  We easily and timely forget that God is in control of all things and places His people into these leadership roles all the time, so even though some may not like who is in leadership, God understands what needs to occur before He can proceed with His plans for your life and for the life of nations.  This too is an act for the just and unjust which also defines one further description of God’s completeness.

There are countless wars and conflicts that are currently ongoing around the world today.  It is difficult to find a newspaper, news website or social media site that does not have some type of conversation or report ongoing about these wars and conflicts.  Just as the choosing of leaders, the result of such choices can lead to circumstances such as this where both the innocent and guilty clash against each other and both pay dearly at some level.  There have always been wars where humans have inhabited and the outcomes of those wars have defined borders, nations and tribes with the individual being the viable and common denominator in all cases which gains or losses.  Here again, we see the just and the unjust being secured or being thrown away for one’s selfish purpose and not ordained divinely.  On the human level, it is through this type of situations that we tend to proclaim our limited just and unjust conditions.

We like to say that God is in control and that He has everything under His hand, but do we really accept that offer when evidence points directly to His hand in action?  Another question that must be answered is if we really understand what God is trying to tell us when His hand is in motion and do we even recognize this justice as such when it is in motion.  The majority of the time, along with the majority of the people does not recognize this motion and readily dismiss it as such because it does not fit into their boxed concepts of God and what He would allow to occur.  This type of belief also defines their understanding and how they consider the Bible and its content, which then in turn defines their beliefs in God.

If we take the first complete word in this phrase and define it, it states the following: based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.  This is the adjective definition of the word “just”.  The synonyms that accompany this definition speak just as loud as the definition itself and some of them are as follows: fair, fair-minded, even-handed, impartial, unbiased, neutral, unprejudiced, and nonpartisan.  This definition and its accompanying synonyms describe a condition that many of us humans fail to recognize or refuse to comply with on a continual basis.  Even though we may cry for fairness and justice, we fail to adhere to these basic standards on all levels, with this definition accurately defines as such.  There is no doubt that every base of the “just cause” is covered when using this definition, and if we are going to use this as our standard for anything, we must include all angles and then accept every consequence accordingly, whether good or bad.  This then begs the question are we ready to accept such deeds and their consequences, for our flawed resistance to those who disagree shall nullify this standard and place us into the unjust category of existence.

Now let us take a look at the other major word in this phrase, unjust and look at its definition.  The word unjust is defined as follows: not based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.  As one would expect the synonyms for this word will closely mimic the opposite of the word above and some of them are as follows: unfair, prejudiced, discriminatory, partisan, one-sided, unequaled and biased.  It is easy for us to claim this portion of the phrase for we do it every time we try and justify our actions or someone else’s actions that we agree with when situations within our lives occur.  It is human nature to stand with others while the “facts” are being presented to others, whether it is authority figures or other friends.

For this word to be used correctly it must include the other word within its content and vice versa.  All inclusive details must be examined and weighed over time before an answer can be presented to the parties involved.  As we saw in a couple of instances within this country some people did not accept the answers given and responded according to their own biased beliefs and thus more people ended up suffering because of these further actions.  But are these people acting justly or unjustly for the entire cause and whose side is the just and whose side is the unjust?

To be honest, the word unjust is the portion that we humans like to standardize more often than the word “just”.  It is within human reasoning that even though the criminal gets their just punishment, the possessions that were taken or the lives that were stolen from our midst cannot be replaced, so our unjust stance continues its original position.  Many times I have heard family members stand up in front of a loved one’s killer and wreak their words of condemnation against the guilty party, but only a handful of those grieving people have had the courage to truly forgive those that have done wrong against them.  This is a hard position to be put in and I pray that my family never sees this day arise but it is easy to understand since the permanent closing of a situation still ends with loss.  It is also easy to portray each portion of the definition of the word unjust and all of its synonyms into our judgments, thus leaving out the total aspect of the opposite word being fulfilled, just.

It is very difficult to house a just and unjust position when we humans hold onto our personal and finite feelings and beliefs.  That is why it is hard for us to understand and then comprehend how god works; we place into the “mysterious ways” category so our minds can somewhat define these events.  This concept of just and unjust, therefore, can be proposed as the correct atmosphere to which we strive to achieve but in relative terms it is an unthinkable and utopian presentation that we can only marvel at when it occurs.  Let’s be honest, when the Ferguson incidents were occurring all of us who watched the events had our own opinions, many still do.  However, have we all come to an agreement as to what occurred there and have we all accepted the final results as the truth, both for the just and the unjust?  Think about that small incident and notice how much it exploded not only across our country but infiltrated into many other societies around the world.  We are still living its time bomb mechanisms today and as humans progressively continue their searching for their own personal utopia, this process shall never live up to this phrase.  This situation also begs that old and famous question of: is God in control?

In common terms, this phrase can be broken down into patterns that humans follow, not only on a human level but a godly level as well.  I have moved over twenty-five times in my life and while some of those moves were just neighbors away they represented a change in my life.  These changes are exactly what humans do and it is a part of our natural behavior when we have the opportunity to do so.  However, it is possible for parts of our individuality not to change when our settings pass away, which is exactly what is suppose to happen, yet in many cases with the new opportunities that are presented from such moves our changes sometimes are fluent enough that everything aspect of our lives change right along with the move and it is through this type of situational change that defines our cause and effect of just and unjust.

But God is on a different plane than us and there are many times that we forget this important detail about Him.  We have purposefully placed God into the same situational changed category as we change ourselves and this action by our hearts has proved to be most dangerous.  For we have allowed this concept to develop into a belief within our lives and thus pushed the truth away from our facilities.  It is way too often that we internally justify our methods of existence by finding some red letter verse within the Bible to obscure the truth in motion, rather than understanding the entire life of Christ and living freely with an ever-changing and unstable world.

On the other side of the spectrophotometer, we have those who faithfully have given up the world for their beliefs in God and fearfully believe what God has to say in all terms and conditions.  They are not a part of the hedonistic lifestyles of the world nor do they draw attention to themselves when that type of atmosphere is being portrayed.  While those who seek the world and all of its calamity, it is not surprisingly unreasonable that the world accepts them into its crumbling empire, but to those that choose to be separated from this destructive union are usually the ones who are set as examples from the crumbling crowds and publicly pointed out as traitors to the union. Yet, both groups live accordingly with their beliefs on the same planet, the same nation, inhabit the same neighborhood and even live next door to each other.  These are the people who are upright in standing within the community, happy and keeper of God’s laws within their hearts.  These are the people who one would think that are the unjust when it comes to the judgments of God and all that it encompasses, but within all nation building situations God has to be equal in all that He does, for it is only He who can honestly state and live through equality.

These two examples provide the foundation as to why God is the only being that is able to include both the just and the unjust when His judgment is poured out upon His people.  God is the only being that has the true capability, holy ability and true equality to complete this type of action.  It is through this truth that we have contemptuous beliefs and there is a wondrous reason as to why we indulge ourselves in this manner.  The problems that we have with the just and the unjust goes beyond the immediate surrounding effects of the physical and unless we continually study the spiritual aspects of this concept we cannot begin to understand the implications of how God establishes His command over this truth.  When it comes to our personal feelings concerning potential liabilities or situational crimes against the heart we can contemplate this concept but when it comes to things of the matter which our minds are not subject to it becomes difficult for us to reason out this concept. 

For example, one of the current trends of our society is gay marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality as a law throughout the country.  To the person who does not have any real belief in the Bible or what God has said in His Word then this concept is a breeze and really should not be of any question for its stability and rule of law.  To the true believer in God, this rule of law is highly scary and proves to be a defining point in which God has complete control to wipe mankind off the earth for acquiring such beliefs.  Notice here that I said mankind and not just the people who accept this rule of law.

To add to the confusion and distortion, we have churches and denominations which readily accept this belief into their congregations and do nothing about the sin that graces the pews each week; along with every other type of sin as well.  Further, some denominations now allow homosexual ministers to preach from their pulpits, adding to the complexity of this simple law that God states within His Word.  While we are supposed to accept all sinners into the congregations, we also have the responsibility to teach them that their sins are just that, sins.  If they show no signs of repentance then it is our responsibility to pray for them harder and to teach them further about their sins.

With this acceptance without recourse position that churches are taking today, it hinders the Kingdom of God and it furthers and advances the kingdom of our enemy Satan.  It also dulls the spiritual senses so much that our concept of the just and the unjust begins to blend together, graying the line of our conceptual reasoning about this status; in other words clouding our judgment on the truth concerning this phrase and thus dividing us further from our Creator.  When the focus fades away from God and is placed upon our lives it proves again that our finite abilities are jaded through human standards and not upon true equality.

This single example cannot even be considered a drop in the bucket to all of the issues that humans will confuse and distort in order to justify their denial or acceptance.  The number of issues that we can place into categories is countless and is continually growing due to our progressive thoughts and patterns, so it is almost impossible that we can honestly say that we understand the true concept of the just and unjust.  This point is also where our definition of God must increase and not decrease.  Our lives are strictly held within His breath and at any moment our lives can be swiped away from our existence and placed into our permanent eternal state.  Loved ones die way too soon in our opinions and young children are sometimes taken away from us before the “natural” cycle of life has its complete turn, proving once again that we cannot begin to realize this just and unjust phrase unless we have God’s knowledge and truth within our hearts.

This phrase also captivates the entire authority of God upon our lives.  How so?  Because God is our Creator and He is the Creator of all living things.  We cannot fit ourselves into this category which places us at a disadvantage when it comes to the all-knowing status, in fact it places us totally out of this category and thus out of the running to authorize the just and the unjust phrase.  God’s Word is His authority over humanity for His Word was written about us, to us and for us; all encompassing. Since He knows every detail about humanity that means He can even know the number of hairs on your head which qualifies Him to have complete authority over the just and the unjust, solidifying His love for our lives wishing none should perish but because of our choices many do, on both sides of this phrase.

The just and the unjust should trigger our hearts to make the correct choices for if we grasp this concept that means every person will fit into one of those two categories.  We also know that one day our physical life will be over and we will have to face our Creator and answer for our lives.  We should also know that individuals make up a nation and if a majority of individuals seek a certain direction for a period of time, and it goes against God then at some point god must act accordingly; both sides included.

If, God did not act on both the sides of the just and on the unjust then He could not be considered a just God.  He must include every constituent within a nation in order to bring humanity back into line with His principles and laws, it is through His love that many should live after His judgment passes.  All throughout His Word one has plenty of examples of where people have doubted the ways of the world yet they are not spared from the wrath of God when that time arrives.  God is a consistent God and He is a thorough God in all ways, He cannot deviate from His laws or words for if He did then He would be a liar.  Have you read where God has had to apologize for one of His acts because He misled someone or because He was wrong?

For whatever reasoning it will be hard to contemplate God’s total just and unjust judgment, for we cannot even predict when this judgment will occur so why could we ever dream that we could explain the concise mechanisms of such an event?  God is God and He has given us plenty of examples throughout human history for us to follow, He has also provided us with the opposite and the resulting circumstances of both cases.  God is God, no matter how we try to transpose Him into our ways and means and He is the only one that can honestly complete this phrase without honorable ridicule.  God is love through and through which is also another aspect of the just and the unjust being grouped together.  God is all in all and with that statement, I shall close and allow yourselves to ponder on these words from God.

DLB