We are justifiably proud of the British system of justice. It’s one of the best in the world – yet at the same time far from being perfect. Hardly a week goes by without some outcry that a sentence is too lenient (rarely too harsh), or that the victim of a crime has been let down or ignored. And the civil courts have never been busier, with an explosion in litigation fuelled at least partly by the modern obsession with ‘human rights’. Clearly we are passionate about justice, even if it’s a bit of a challenge to put it into practice to everyone’s satisfaction.
When it comes to international justice, the process tends to be either frustratingly slow or non-existent. How many retired dictators are living in comfortable exile somewhere in the world today, enjoying the proceeds of their crimes against humanity? Very few of them get called to account in this life.
So why is the religious doctrine of divine judgement so unpalatable these days? Hellfire preaching is (mercifully, I think) out of fashion; threatening people usually succeeds only in putting their backs up. But do we have to go to the opposite extreme and pretend that a final judgement will never happen?
Perhaps the problem arises when things start to get personal. We are all in favour of justice – unless the person standing the dock, with all the evidence pointing against them, is me. Then, being a normal human being, I want to be let off. But there will be no escape from an all-seeing and all-knowing Judge – and no higher court of appeal.
Or is there? If God has a case against us (and who could honestly claim otherwise), wouldn’t it be sensible to accept His offer of an out-of-court settlement? “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) – because the debt has been paid, the charge cancelled, and the prosecutor satisfied already.
Discovering the Bible 