A Juror and a Christian, Part 5

After the trial was over, I was wrestling inside. I suppose one could make a good case that the United States has the best justice system in the world, in terms of dispensing justice. Yet it certainly seems that what was done in that courtroom was far from actual "justice." Undoubtedly, Thomas Sowell would write me off at this point as being transfixed on "cosmic justice" (meaning from a divine, or omniscient, perspective), which is humanly unattainable. He would say that we must be content with our human limitations and do the best we can. And I agree with him.

However, my heart yearns deeper. Justice is written into us. It is in our nature as humans that what is good ought to breed life, and what is evil, death. Wrongs must be set right, however one defines that process. Yet even the "best" justice system in the world falls terribly short of actual justice. The law was obeyed, but justice was not truly achieved.

This got me thinking. What is justice anyway? I admit that my definition has largely been distilled from Christian theology, but the question needs an answer. It's difficult to answer. Obviously, there is something terribly wrong with the abandonment of all moral constraints. Such a world would allow Hitler to conquer (and consequently destroy) the entire planet. Evil exists in the world, and it demands a response. Passivity is not an option. Conversely, the same is true of virtue as well. My fraternity's creed correctly states that we (humanity) must take action on behalf of what is good. Therefore, in my mind, just has two primary facets -- the correct response to evil and the correct action on behalf of good. But enough of my philosophizing...

I think I've reached the conclusion that true justice (i.e. - Sowell's "cosmis justice") is humanly unattainable. Humans are simply not powerful enough to actually do it. Only Jesus can. Actually, "Judge" is one of His titles in Scripture. And yet another reason why I believe Christianity is true. I can face the reality of human limitations with hope, because my hope rests in a divine Person (Jesus) who is able to make wrongs right and will do so when He returns. And that truth is very comforting in the middle of injustice, which is where we find ourselves here on planet Earth.