Impartial Justice

Impartial Justice

Say among the nations, “YHWH is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with fairness.” Psalm 96:10

I make no claim to be an expert in politics but as I was reading on MSNBC.com about Sonia Sotomayor, who could very well be the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court, I couldn’t help but reflect on her pledge to serve the “larger interest of impartial justice.” Republicans have questioned her impartiality while Democrats have praised her for being a Hispanic pioneer. It very well appears that she will get the position.[1] Since we are humans that do not always remain impartial, we do not always trust that others will remain impartial as well.

I will not vote for, and no senator should vote for an individual nominated by any president who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices or sympathies to sway their decision (Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama).

Who is the one that will always judge in fairness? Who is the one that judges impartially? The writer of this psalm says it is YHWH; the Lord that Scripture says is the creator of all, king of all, and judge of all. However, YHWH is not like other judges, kings, or people who may or may not judge impartially. The Bible says that the Lord is just and will right the wrongs of this world (creation, and humans). There will come a day when the Lord will deal with injustice.

He (YHWH) shall judge between the nations,

and shall arbitrate for many peoples;

they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4).

Who will deal with injustice? Who can we trust to be an impartial judge? Proclaim to the nations that the Lord is King! He is the one who will deal with injustice. It may seem like there is little hope for justice. It may seem like there are few if any (even within God’s people) to trust, but the Lord is the one to trust. We may have our doubts about people and how they judge but know that there is no doubt that God will judge impartially. This message is desperately needed in today and tomorrow’s world. Just read the world headlines and you will see people who are desperate for someone to bring justice. I conclude with this passage from the prophet Isaiah, who was prophesying of the coming Messiah of God.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide by what his ears hear;

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with fairness for the meek of the earth;

he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

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[1] Whether or not Sonia Sotomayor will be an impartial judge is not my point here. There are places to read up on the opinions of both sides. See your favorite news website for starters.

Reflections from the way of the cross Part 3

Two Trails

“. . . the end of those things is death . . . the end is eternal life.” The Apostle Paul

There are multiple trails that lead out of Campus by the Sea. About the middle of the week family campers (who choose to) go off on a trail that leads to the tourist town of Avalon. The campers know that if they stay on the trail they will “end” up in Avalon. It is inevitable. There is another trail, a much short one (one I prefer), that ends up at the “way of the Cross.” This way too is inevitable. A camper will not go to the trail that leads to Avalon and expect to “end” up at the “way of the Cross.” One trail leads to one place and the other trail leads to another. This is what is expected. The Apostle Paul says that if one presents oneself “as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity” their “end” is death, but the one who presents oneself “as slaves to righteousness for sanctification” their “end” is life. This is their end result. The outcome of the life that is devoted to one way or the other will result in one of two things.

Paul concludes chapter 6 of Romans saying, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in the Messiah Jesus our Lord” (verse 23). We choose one trail or another but this path of life is made possible by us being in the Messiah Jesus our Lord. We have died and have risen to new life (Romans 6) and we await the day of our own resurrection.

Thanks for reading

Marcelino

What Happens After You Die?

N. T. Wright on what happens after we die. He speaks of new creation and the resurrection of our bodies. This is a short video of some of the things I have been writing about.