Justice vice Judgement

     Beginning in the month of June, our Sunday School lesson will focus on "Justice." This term has a very specific meaning in both the secular and Christian worlds.
     The secular view of justice focuses on an individual receiving the rightful due for their actions, whether good or bad.  A man commits a crime, then that man justly deserves to be punished.  A woman does the work, then justly she deserves to be paid. 
     Secular justice is tit for tat, but Christian justice has a much deeper meaning.  Often the adjective added to the term justice in the Christian view is social.  Social justice is about proving for those less fortunate, being fair in your dealings with others, and being as God is with us toward others - gracious and merciful.
    There will be some who will disagree with my definition, as they point to the idea of God's judgement.  The idea of judgement as it relates to God deals with the final day when we all will stand before our maker to give an account for our deeds done in the flesh, but even then those who have made Christ their Lord will receive justice (grace and mercy) because of Christ's atonement for our sins.
     As to not stray to far from the subject of justice, I would ask for your prayers in the month of June as we enter into a study of how to understand God's meaning of justice and how we can be instruments of His justice on earth.