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The Gospel and Justice — 2/3/2025 10:00 AM
Today's speaker is Matt Martens, trial lawyer and Professor of Legal Ethics at Duke Law School. Mr. Martens implores us, as Christians, to heed the command God chose Abraham to give, which is to do God's justice by presuming innocence, investigating thoroughly, and being committed to accuracy. His text is Genesis 18:16-33.
Notes
Today in chapel, Matt Martens talked about what biblical justice looks like, reading from Genesis 18 and Galatians 3. In the Scriptures, God repeatedly calls His people to live justly in the world around them. From the very beginning, God’s plan has always been for His justice to be carried out through His chosen people.
We see this in His calling of Abraham, whom God chose not only to bless but also to be a vehicle of His justice to the nations (Genesis 18:19). God’s covenant with Abraham is foundational to understanding justice in the Bible, as it illustrates how His righteousness extends beyond just Israel to the entire world. As the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:6–7, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." This shows that the essence of being Abraham's true descendants is through faith, not merely through biological lineage. We are, therefore, “children of the faith,” called to live according to God’s justice and righteousness, as seen in Galatians 3:29.
Justice in the Bible is not simply about punishing wrongdoers; rather, it involves living in a way that reflects God's righteous character. In fact, in Scripture, justice and righteousness are the same thing. God’s justice is His perfect righteousness in action — His unwavering commitment to fairness, truth, and the flourishing of His creation. Biblical social justice, then, is not merely about advocating for others but about living in alignment with God's character and actively promoting justice in our society wherever we have influence.
In Genesis 18, we see a vivid picture of how God models justice in human form. When God decides to judge the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, He first shares His plan with Abraham, revealing His heart for justice. God’s judgment is never hasty or indiscriminate; it is always measured, fair, and right. He allows Abraham to question Him, even pleading for the cities if righteous people can be found there. This shows us that God is not a distant, impersonal judge but one who is deeply concerned with fairness, mercy, and truth.
So, how are we to live out this biblical justice in our everyday lives? Martens says that we must accept responsibility for our actions and live justly in every sphere of life, and we must demand accuracy and truth, especially in a world that often distorts or hides facts for convenience. We must also use our vote wisely, recognizing that we have a role in upholding justice in society.
Ultimately, we are called to “keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:19). This is not just a command for Israel in the Old Testament, but a command for all believers in Christ. Justice is not an optional part of the Christian life — it is integral to the way we reflect God's character in the world.