True Justice: Who Should NOT Judge

Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all.
[ Proverbs 28:5 ]

He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
[ Proverbs 17:15 ]

Years ago I was called for jury duty. After a few hours of waiting, a large group of people were sent home. The rest, about twenty to thirty of us, were selected for the potential jury. At this point, the lawyers on both sides of the lawsuit (between a physician and a patient) carefully examined the list of possible jurors. They then asked questions of whomever they desired – in order to determine who was qualified, or not, to judge what was just in the case.

The lawyers also asked general questions of the entire group, one of which was: “Have any of you been misdiagnosed by a doctor?” A few of us raised our hands. I was then asked directly by the judge, “Given whatever happened to you in the past, can you be objective in this case?” I replied in the affirmative, “Yes, Your Honor, I can.” However, the doctor’s lawyers deliberated for a moment and then spoke, “Your Honor, we would like to dismiss Mr. Baker.” And with those words, I was disqualified.

While on one hand, I was personally offended (just a little) for not being trusted regarding my objectivity, I will (objectively) admit that there was also some relief. Why? Because this would have been a huge financial hardship. In addition, I can appreciate their position and decision because I know how important objectivity is to justice. While I was confident I could lay aside my personal feelings (as much as possible), I understood the lawyers’ desire to protect his client from any hint of bias.

Similarly, when it comes to you, personally, if you or a loved one were to be judged—and you desired nothing but true justice—would you not want people who are truly qualified in judging what is just? Would you not also want to eliminate those who are clearly disqualified to judge justice, even if there was a tiny doubt? If there was just one unqualified person—who would then pervert justice in the name of justice—would you not go to great lengths to root out this problem?

How much more important is all this when it comes to justice for our whole society, or even the entire world?

 

DETERMINING FACTORS

Before we go on, let’s review from part 1 of this series the key underlying universal factors which will help or hinder our pursuit of justice:

• OBJECTIVE: not dependent on the mind for existence; external to the mind; not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or opinions in considering and representing facts; unbiased; based on facts
• SUBJECTIVE: existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought; placing excessive emphasis on one’s own moods, attitudes, feelings, etc; biased
• UNOBJECTIVE: “not possessing or representing objective reality”

As you surely know, demands for justice are increasing, while ideology on various notions of justice (social justice; socialism; economic justice) are spreading like wildfire. Therefore, it is of supreme importance—as well as supremely loving and Christlike—to accurately differentiate between what is truly just and what is unjust and false (1 Kgs 3:9). This is true not just for you or me, but for each one of us. Most, if not all, of our society depends upon it.

While some people may, in fact, be sufficiently qualified [see True Justice: Who Should Judge?], conversely, there are many disqualifications when it comes to those who teach, preach, demand, and judge justice. As a result, we must accurately and thoroughly figure this out before we entrust justice to any individual or group, or follow any justice ideology. To approve of or align with those who are disqualified is to partner with injustice (Ex 23:1-3; Eph 5:7-11; 2 Jn 7-11). Far worse, we might be to blame for inverting justice and become guilty of a double-abomination before God (Prov 17:15).

In light of the escalating demands for justice and the growing number of people appointing themselves as the arbiters of justice, what, specifically, determines if they are qualified, or disqualified? Furthermore, in today’s world, there are many shouting for and demanding “justice,” while also appointing themselves as the arbiters of justice. Yet what determines if they are, in fact, qualified, or disqualified? Do we not need a full and accurate answer before entrusting this vital area of life over to any group or individual?

Since we have already examined the qualifications for true justice, we will now turn our attention to the many deal-breakers when it comes to this critical area of life. We previously detailed 13 pivotal qualities for true justice, which we follow here with over 50 disqualifications.

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
[ Isaiah 8:20 ]

 

50+ DISQUALIFIERS FOR JUDGING TRUE JUSTICE

 

1. Those who lack objectivity (e.g., they are unobjective, biased, and led by emotions, feelings, rage, etc.)
2. Those who depend on subjectivity and subjective sources (e.g., man’s wisdom; mysticism; experiences; feelings; cp. Is 8:20; Matt 4:4, 7; Lk 10:26; acts 17:11; Rom 15:4)
3. Those who do not have a clear, known, unchanging, and objective standard and authority by which they judge
4. Those who do not want a knowable, unchanging, or objective standard (cp Jer 5:30-31)
5. Those who prefer ambiguous, subjective, and ever-shifting standards
6. Those who have a pattern of relying on good intentions and noble goals rather than on truth and accuracy
7. Those who do not highly esteem discernment, as revealed in their actions and fruit (1 Kgs 3:9; Is 8:19-20; Acts 17:11; Phil 1:9-11; Heb 5:14)
8. Those who are zealous for a cause (e.g., justice), but are not zealous for truth and accuracy, especially when it comes to the truth concerning that cause
9. Those who summarily, and, therefore falsely, condemn an entire group of individuals (e.g., “All _____ are ______.”), or go along with those who do, or do not point out how wrong and harmful this is
10. Those who claim Christ and/or Christianity, but have world-approved theology (e.g., Rom 12:2; 1 Jn 4:5-6; Heb 11:39; Jas 1:27); in other words, they have not only conformed to the world, their beliefs and teachings concerning God and His Word are acceptable to, if not liked, by those who reject or even hate God and His Word
11. Those who neglect, minimize, or even mock eternal justice (Gen 3:4; Jn 3:36; Rom 2:5; Rev 20:11-15), while often redirecting the focus onto some form of temporal justice (usually counterfeit)
12. Those who have a pattern of selective outrage – that is, their anger and concern depends on if the accused or accuser is in the favored group, or not (e.g., in the same church, circle of friends, political party, theological camp, etc.)
13. Those who want us to trust their promises, words, slogans, platitudes, and feelings – not their actions, or the facts, truth, and reality of their notions of justice
14. Those who are, subtly or overtly, adversarial toward those who highly value truth, objectivity, reason, and unchanging standards
15. Those who rely on scoffing, mocking, and personal attacks rather than truth, objectivity, and reasoned dialogue
16. Those who do not have a love for the truth (Zech 8:16-19; 2 Thess 2:9-12)
17. Those who believe and practice the concept that “the end justifies the means“
18. Those who believe and declare “judging is wrong”
19. Those who not only state “judging is wrong,” they also judge others for judging (e.g., “You’re wrong to judge”)
20. Those who declare “judging is wrong,” and judge others for judging, yet cannot see, or will not admit their error and self-defeating ways
21. Those who believe in emotional truth or personal truth (e.g., “You have your truth and I have my truth”) and reject absolute truth or objective truth
22. Those who are being directed by the spirit of the age (e.g., what is trending among those who have rejected God and His Word) rather than the Spirit of truth, and His written Word of truth (cp. Mk 13:31)
23. Those who seek to blur the lines between truth and error, right and wrong, reality and delusion (cp. 1 Kgs 3:9)
24. Those who adhere to political correctness (which has no unchanging standard, but is always changing, and is driven by those who are subjective-saturated)
25. Those who preach and demand justice, but do not, or cannot clearly explain their notion of “justice,” nor clearly and truly support it with facts, logic, truth, objectivity, and unchanging standards
26. Those who have notions of “justice” based on feelings, experiences, and other shifting, biased, and anti-objective sources of truth and justice
27. Those who falsely equate what is earned and deserved (e.g., justice) with what is unearned and undeserved (e.g., mercy, love, charity, generosity)
28. Those who espouse ideologies, even in small ways, which frequently or always fail, and fail miserably (e.g., Marxism; socialism; collective-utopianism; cultural Marxism)
29. Those who claim the Bible, but misuse it, particularly to fit their notion of justice (2 Tim 2:15ff; 2 Pet 3:16-17; Jer 8:8)
30. Those who give value to the world’s wisdom or “man’s wisdom” (1 Cor 1:17ff)
31. Those who have a low view, or adversarial view of God’s written Word (1 Kgs 18:17-18; Jer 6:10; 18:18; Matt 15:1-9; cp. Ps 1:1-3; 19:7-11; 2 Tim 3:16-17)
32. Those who are adversarial toward people who have a high view of God’s Word (2 Chron 36:15-16; Matt 5:11-12)
33. Those who rely on false summary judgments of others (rash, harmful and false accusations: “You’re a bigot/racist/hater/etc.), rather than on reason, dialogue, etc.
34. Those who judge others by their skin color (belittle, deride, and condemn them, and/or give preference to some over others) rather than by their character
35. Those who are not against racism toward all races instead of only one or a few select races
36. Those who rely on extra-biblical revelations, as if these are from God Himself
37. Those with a pattern of shifting beliefs, which are often based on what is trending in the world and among false teachers (e.g., Ephesians 4:14; 1 John 4:5-6)
38. Those who seek to deny, undermine, or circumvent due process, at least for certain people (they judge others to be guilty-by-accusation, not by objective conclusions regarding truth, or by due-process)
39. Those who are ENABLERS (they minimize or deny the reality of wrongdoing and harmful beliefs, and do not give or allow appropriate consequences so that others learn from, and come out of their harmful ways; cp. Ecc 8:11)
40. Those who are VICTIMOLOGISTS—they exploit real, embellished, and fabricated injustices for their personal and political agendas (to gain power and/or wealth), all while claiming to be for victims; and they discourage mercy, forgiveness, etc
41. Those who do not receive correction well, and they fail to make clear and genuine admissions of wrongdoing, and erroneous beliefs (Prov 15:31-33)
42. Those who are elites and elitist in attitude, yet denounce elitism
43. Those who are elites (e.g., with power, money, prestige), or have become an elite, all while preaching equality, fairness, and justice
44. Those who distort, minimize, or mock accurate personal responsibility, sin, and the consequences of sin—and those who affirm sin (Gen 3:4; Jer 15:17; 23:14-22; Rom 1:32)
45. Those who have been involved in and influenced by Echo-Chamber cultures (e.g., academia; the media; politicians; the TV and movie industry; certain websites)
46. Those who exhibit group-think and who shame and coerce others into said group-think (e.g., the Totalitarian Echo-Chamber)
47. Those who cannot detect counterfeit justice (e.g., social justice; forcibly taking from those who earned money, and giving it to those who did not)
48. Those who are not highly alarmed about, and passionately against counterfeit justice
49. Those who cannot point out and condemn existing forms of counterfeit justice (and prove this objectively)
50. Those who espouse and fight for counterfeit justice
51. Those who do not speak up and openly warn others about the horrible harm and destruction that comes from counterfeit justice, and counterfeits of all kinds

So knavery [dishonest dealings] puts on the face of justice; hypocrisy and superstition wear the vizard [mask] of piety; deceit and evil are often clothed in the shapes and appearances of truth and goodness. Now logic helps us to strip off the outward disguise of things, and to behold them and judge them in their own nature.   – Isaac Watts

 

If justice were to hang in the balance for you or your loved one, which of these disqualifers would stand out to you the most? While just one trait in the above list could potentially disqualify an individual from judging justice, the more of them a person has, the more disqualified he or she becomes. These disqualifying traits are even more pertinent when it comes to relatively recent notions such as: social justice, environmental justice, re-distributive justice, reproductive justice, etc.

In contrast, the list of QUALIFICATIONS FOR TRUE JUSTICE, are wonderful characteristics for us to pursue, whether justice is the main issue or not (cp. 1 Tim 4:7-8).

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• When it comes to today’s self-proclaimed leaders on justice, how many of the disqualifiers above apply to them?
• Which ones are the top 5 disqualifiers of justice? Why those?
• Which of the above do you see the most of in our society?
• Which of the above do you see the most of in the Church and among believers?
• Which ones might apply to you? What about your circle of friends? Your church?
• What can Christians do to be better qualified in judging justice?
• What can Christians do to make sure they do not align themselves with those who preach justice but are against God and His Word?
• What are the top 3 to 5 reasons why some Christ-followers become (In)justice Warriors, and what can we do about this?

All of the above “disqualifiers” distort, pervert, and invert justice. Which is why, if we love true justice, we should never approve, support, or join in with those who have these characteristics. We must stay away from them at all costs. We should never listen to them when it comes to justice, truth, true love, the gospel, the true Jesus, and His Word of truth. (cp 2 Cor 6:14ff; Ps 1; Col 2:8; 2 Jn 7-11)

Furthermore, each of these 50+ traits will inevitably lead to injustice. And, as Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Therefore, those who tend to be biased, subjective-based, emotion-driven, and lacking in the necessary concern for discernment, objectivity, and accuracy are also likely to be the greatest threat to true justice everywhere. Yet, these are usually the very people who are leading the charge against perceived injustice, while at the same time shaming and falsely accusing those who are, in fact, fighting for truth and true justice.

It is vital that we learn to discern which is which.

 

RESOURCES

True Justice: Who Should Judge? is the first part in this series, in which we examine the right qualifications for justice.

Taken together, the two parts of this True Justice series are perfect for an individual, family, or small group study. Simply link to or print out copies for each person, and then take time to go through the principles and Scripture. This is an invaluable way to grow in wisdom according to the truth according to God’s Word.

You can also find more equipping and discernment resources in the HOPE FOR LIFE SHOP including our two newest books which go into greater detail on the themes of true justice and how that particularly applies to all that is happening in our world today.