Given the recent world events, I feel compelled to discuss a topic that I think most people could agree, especially Americans, is one of the most important news-makers of the past decade.
President Obama announced late Sunday night that an enemy of the state, Osama bin Laden, had been killed in town not far from the capital of Pakistan. The news spread like wildfire, and before anyone had the opportunity to hear it delivered from the President's lips, word had leaked to every social media outlet known to man - including Twitter and Facebook, which is where I first got the news. The American reaction was nearly universal - JUBILEE. Without going too far into the background of this situation, bin Laden has been wanted by the United States for at least a decade for various terroristic acts, the most memorable of which is the orchestration of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Elusive as he was, U.S. Navy Seals were able to get to him and take him out without the loss of any more American lives. News reached American intelligence immediately, and once DNA confirmed that the deceased was, in fact, Osama bin Laden, the President and his team began preparing a speech to inform the American public that the key Al Qaeda operative had been removed.
Within minutes, news media had their hands on one of the juiciest stories in recent history. Man-on-the-spot interviews ranged from local firefighters, to college students, to widows of the September 11 attacks, to the former mayor of New York City. Americans watched with bated breath to learn the fate of one of the most hated men on the planet. And with swift confidence, President Obama delivered the news: "justice has been done."
Part of me was very happy at this. We have searched high and low for this man. And to know that his reign of terror was no more, well, it was a relief. But then the wheels in my head got to spinning. The word "justice" stuck out in my mind like flashing neon lights. Something wasn't quite making sense. So I began to investigate and pray.
First, I felt it was important to define what justice really is. According to dictionary.com, justice is defined as follows:
jus-tice
[juhs-tis]
1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.
3. the moral principle determining just conduct.
4. conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.
5. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.
Most Americans would probably agree, based on these definitions, that justice was indeed served. Bin Laden took many, many lives in a brutal and disgusting (and unnecessary) way, and the only way that justice could be done would be to take his life from him. However, this idea disturbs me a little bit. Admittedly, I believe that his life was required of him as punishment for the sins committed against fellow man, either by him or at his command. We live in a society governed by laws and rules and consequences for rules and laws that are unabided. My issue with this "swift justice" is a moral one... What does God say justice is?
Our God is a just God. He is fair. Scripture shows us that no one who has ever sinned (which is all of us!) has ever been allowed to skate by without paying for sin. Adam and Eve paid for their sin by the pains of childbirth and working the field (see Genesis). Look through Exodus and see the Israelites travel aimlessly through the desert for years as part of the penalty given by God for a lack of faith. And did God not make it clear that NO ONE will be allowed to enter His kingdom but through Jesus Christ - the final atonement for all of sin? God's way is clear: justice will prevail.
I believe that the problem comes when we, His children, decide what the punishments for those sins should be. We live in a society of order. Rules and laws are established to protect the members of that society. In order to promote order and peace, punishments (and deterrents) are sometimes necessary. Without getting into the death penalty debate, I feel it is important to understand the difference between "correction" and "punishment". A correction shows the offender the err of his ways, and quite literally rights, or rectifies, the situation. Maybe someone who has been caught littering is "corrected" by having to pick up litter himself. Of course, the line between correction and punishment can be a fuzzy one. Sometimes a correction and a punishment are one and the same. The main difference is that a punishment is meant to be nothing but unpleasant. It may serve as a deterrent for future violations. It's real purpose is to make you hate and regret ever having violated the rules of the society.
When delivering "justice", I believe it is important to examine what you are doing - correcting or punishing? With the case of Osama bin Laden, the government came to the conclusion that he could not be corrected, and that it may result in greater loss of life to innocent citizens should they attempt a correction. In his case, punishment was the only way (according to the U.S. government). The punishment was severe - loss of life. Many debate this action. I choose not to.
So what about us? Does God punish or correct? Or both? Perhaps it's not so important to understand the heavy hand of the Father as it is to understand the difference between justice and mercy. We can look through thousands of verses in the Bible and see God's justice. He is always fair. Always. But we can see in so many of those verses His amazing mercy. He gives us chance after chance to make a better, wiser choice. He gives us the chance to choose to be better. It is not God who chooses to curse us for our mistakes, but it is we who choose the consequences for wrong actions. And still, God provided us a way to make it right... Jesus Christ.
Justice is getting exactly what you deserve. Thankfully, God knows that while He is perfectly just, we are a sinful people. Mercy is getting so much better than you deserve. And the day that Jesus gave up his life on the cross, we received the fullness of God's mercy... a chance to live with our Heavenly Father for eternity, despite the sins we commit here on Earth.
It matters little what side you fall on with regards to the "justice" done for Osama bin Laden. But your eternal condition weighs on what you decide to think of the undeniable justice and incredible mercy afforded by your Creator.
President Obama announced late Sunday night that an enemy of the state, Osama bin Laden, had been killed in town not far from the capital of Pakistan. The news spread like wildfire, and before anyone had the opportunity to hear it delivered from the President's lips, word had leaked to every social media outlet known to man - including Twitter and Facebook, which is where I first got the news. The American reaction was nearly universal - JUBILEE. Without going too far into the background of this situation, bin Laden has been wanted by the United States for at least a decade for various terroristic acts, the most memorable of which is the orchestration of the September 11 attacks in 2001. Elusive as he was, U.S. Navy Seals were able to get to him and take him out without the loss of any more American lives. News reached American intelligence immediately, and once DNA confirmed that the deceased was, in fact, Osama bin Laden, the President and his team began preparing a speech to inform the American public that the key Al Qaeda operative had been removed.
Within minutes, news media had their hands on one of the juiciest stories in recent history. Man-on-the-spot interviews ranged from local firefighters, to college students, to widows of the September 11 attacks, to the former mayor of New York City. Americans watched with bated breath to learn the fate of one of the most hated men on the planet. And with swift confidence, President Obama delivered the news: "justice has been done."
Part of me was very happy at this. We have searched high and low for this man. And to know that his reign of terror was no more, well, it was a relief. But then the wheels in my head got to spinning. The word "justice" stuck out in my mind like flashing neon lights. Something wasn't quite making sense. So I began to investigate and pray.
First, I felt it was important to define what justice really is. According to dictionary.com, justice is defined as follows:
jus-tice
[juhs-tis]
1. the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
2. rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.
3. the moral principle determining just conduct.
4. conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.
5. the administering of deserved punishment or reward.
Most Americans would probably agree, based on these definitions, that justice was indeed served. Bin Laden took many, many lives in a brutal and disgusting (and unnecessary) way, and the only way that justice could be done would be to take his life from him. However, this idea disturbs me a little bit. Admittedly, I believe that his life was required of him as punishment for the sins committed against fellow man, either by him or at his command. We live in a society governed by laws and rules and consequences for rules and laws that are unabided. My issue with this "swift justice" is a moral one... What does God say justice is?
Our God is a just God. He is fair. Scripture shows us that no one who has ever sinned (which is all of us!) has ever been allowed to skate by without paying for sin. Adam and Eve paid for their sin by the pains of childbirth and working the field (see Genesis). Look through Exodus and see the Israelites travel aimlessly through the desert for years as part of the penalty given by God for a lack of faith. And did God not make it clear that NO ONE will be allowed to enter His kingdom but through Jesus Christ - the final atonement for all of sin? God's way is clear: justice will prevail.
I believe that the problem comes when we, His children, decide what the punishments for those sins should be. We live in a society of order. Rules and laws are established to protect the members of that society. In order to promote order and peace, punishments (and deterrents) are sometimes necessary. Without getting into the death penalty debate, I feel it is important to understand the difference between "correction" and "punishment". A correction shows the offender the err of his ways, and quite literally rights, or rectifies, the situation. Maybe someone who has been caught littering is "corrected" by having to pick up litter himself. Of course, the line between correction and punishment can be a fuzzy one. Sometimes a correction and a punishment are one and the same. The main difference is that a punishment is meant to be nothing but unpleasant. It may serve as a deterrent for future violations. It's real purpose is to make you hate and regret ever having violated the rules of the society.
When delivering "justice", I believe it is important to examine what you are doing - correcting or punishing? With the case of Osama bin Laden, the government came to the conclusion that he could not be corrected, and that it may result in greater loss of life to innocent citizens should they attempt a correction. In his case, punishment was the only way (according to the U.S. government). The punishment was severe - loss of life. Many debate this action. I choose not to.
So what about us? Does God punish or correct? Or both? Perhaps it's not so important to understand the heavy hand of the Father as it is to understand the difference between justice and mercy. We can look through thousands of verses in the Bible and see God's justice. He is always fair. Always. But we can see in so many of those verses His amazing mercy. He gives us chance after chance to make a better, wiser choice. He gives us the chance to choose to be better. It is not God who chooses to curse us for our mistakes, but it is we who choose the consequences for wrong actions. And still, God provided us a way to make it right... Jesus Christ.
Justice is getting exactly what you deserve. Thankfully, God knows that while He is perfectly just, we are a sinful people. Mercy is getting so much better than you deserve. And the day that Jesus gave up his life on the cross, we received the fullness of God's mercy... a chance to live with our Heavenly Father for eternity, despite the sins we commit here on Earth.
It matters little what side you fall on with regards to the "justice" done for Osama bin Laden. But your eternal condition weighs on what you decide to think of the undeniable justice and incredible mercy afforded by your Creator.
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