Equal Justice Under the Law

Above the Supreme Court building in the United States, a beautiful inscription reads: “Equal Justice Under Law.” It is etched in stone and symbolizes the ideal our founders longed to see—the law applied equally to all, regardless of station or position.

Many of us—and I perhaps most of all—are appalled and utterly disheartened as the realization dawns that powerful people are escaping punishment for the horrific, wicked acts they have committed. The fact that economic or relational power shields them from justice is abhorrent. The very people and institutions tasked with upholding justice fail to pursue it justly. Human justice fails.

It is evident that governments and individuals within those governments often lack the courage or moral footing to confront wickedness that is plain to all. They are failing in the God-ordained purpose clearly explained in Romans 13: to punish evil and protect the innocent. Their failure is a vivid reminder of humanity’s depravity—the capacity of sinners to commit wickedness and their inability to administer justice perfectly. While we must pray for our leaders, we must also recognize this reality in the light of Scripture.

Justice Will Be Administered

Yet, there is One whose law, whose records, and whose power no one can withstand: the true Lawgiver—Almighty God. The LORD will bring judgment to those who evade it in this life. Ephesians 6 reminds us that much of the authority exercised in this world operates under the influence of Satan. There is very real spiritual wickedness in high places. There is a spiritual war raging all around us – the evil we see is evidence of the battle we cannot see. We live in time, but God is eternal. In time, human justice may fail. In eternity, God’s justice will prevail.

All Men Answer to God

Those who reject Him, those who serve only themselves—every wicked person and powerful leader—will one day bow before the Lord Jesus. They will give an account of themselves and recognize that they are but men.

While forgiveness is available to all who call upon the Lord in repentance and faith, Romans 1 makes it clear that some, after persistently resisting the work of the Holy Spirit, are given over to a reprobate mind. These individuals will one day receive complete, righteous justice under God’s perfect law.

You may think yourself safe, as the wicked man did in Psalm 10. You may say, like others before you, “He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it” (Psalm 10:11). But God has a message for you:

14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. (Psalm 10:14-18)

To those who have committed such wickedness: You may scoff at human efforts to hold you accountable. You may believe you have escaped the punishment you deserve. But one day you will stand before God. He sees all, and He will judge you righteously. You will bow before Him and acknowledge that you are but a man—a speck of dust before an omnipotent God. Your knee will bow, and your tongue will confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Healing Is Possible

To those who have been ravaged by the wickedness of others: the Lord sees. He will administer perfect justice. When this world fails to bring healing, He is the perfect Healer. Even as human justice fails, He is the perfect Judge. When the world lacks compassion, He is full of compassion (Psalm 145:8). While the world offers no hope for the future, Christ Jesus gives hope that extends beyond this life into eternity with Him.

Injustice is not new; it has existed since Cain and Abel. Yet God can sustain and bring healing. Throughout Scripture, God even turned what men inted as evil for good – just think of Joseph.

Let these words from Psalm 9 – written amid the injustice of wicked men – guide you:

7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

These are not mere clichés or feel-good sayings; this is the reality that countless of God’s people have experienced throughout the centuries. The truth of God’s Word assures us of ultimate justice in the courtroom of Heaven. Look to Him today and allow Him to bring the restoration no human can provide.

Mercy Is Available

“That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25, Abraham pleading for the righteous in Sodom)

God’s mercy and judgment are not in conflict; they exist in perfect unity. His ways are past finding out, yet we can rest in the certainty that they are right. While extreme wickedness must never be excused, all of us fall short of God’s law. His standard is eternal, His records perfect, His rulings righteous. Every person falls short (Romans 3:20–24). Yet mercy is available to those who trust in Him and call upon Him.

Jesus Bore Our Punishment

The Lord Jesus Christ—God who became man—is the only One who has ever lived a perfect life and attained God’s perfect standard. Yet in His love, He offered Himself as the sacrifice, the payment for the sins you and I have committed. As a former persecutor of Christians who became an apostle (Paul) wrote: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He offers salvation to all who will turn from their sin and put their faith in Him (Romans 10:9–13). (If you would like to know more about this, visit our Gospel page.)

For those who know Christ, we must never forget that we, too, once stood guilty before God. We have broken His law countless times. If not for the grace and mercy of God and the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we too would be condemned. Praise God—we now have an Advocate who pleads for us.

Amid gut-wrenching injustices, lift your eyes to the Creator and remember: He sees you. He sees all. While we must do all we can to defend the innocent and bring evidoers to justice, ultimately, we can rest in the perfect justice of God. Our loving Savior will make all things beautiful in His time. We can say with the weeping prophet, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23).

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About Micah Hendry

Related Resource: Find Comfort and Strength in the Psalms

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