This is a topic I recently got into due to all the terrible things happening in the World, examples:

  • Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted, with no outcry from the world.
  • The whole world is turning against Israel. (Read here why Replacement Theory is a false doctrine & why Christians must stand with Israel)
  • Blatant corruption in the world.
  • The Church is weak and Christians are afraid to speak out.

And there is one conclusion from these things: There is no peace in this world because there is no justice.

God knows this, and eventually will punish all sin once and for all at His Son's second coming. But, God has already made a way for Christians to come out of sin through Jesus. So if you are out of sin, you can then start to enact Justice. The Church seems quite aneamic on anything to do with justice, and actually looks weak when world events unfold. Is this what God's Church is called to be?

Christians must choose to come out of sin; otherwise, they are not Christians. John says this well:

1Jo 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

Otherwise, they are part of the corrupt world, which deserves judgment. Remember, Christians will prophesy (One of the most 'advanced' spiritual gifts) & cast out demons for Jesus, and God will not recognize them as Christians. Something must qualify you as a Christian, and that is turning to Jesus, coming out of sin, and following Him.

However, there is a problem. And that problem is Christians! Christians do not want to come out of sin. Sin is comfort & sin feels good in the moment. Because of this, Christians don't want to hear that they are sinners because we live in an offended generation.

When sin is called out, Christians put their guards up and say 'How dare you!'. This is because the Church is the only place where sin is called out.

Christians fail to understand that God explicitly requires the Church to judge other Christians:

Mat 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

Mat 7:4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Mat 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Many people misinterpret this verse as 'Do not judge', but read it again. God says once the log is removed from your eye, then it is OK to continue removing it from your brother's eye.

You have a responsibility to call out sin in a fellow brother or sister!

In addition to this, people (non-Christians & Christians) are tired of this ‘accepting / blessing’ culture, and have changed to instead shout for justice. We see this in response to things like mass migration, LGBTQ, climate change agendas, & corrupt governments/billionaires.

So if the world is crying out for justice, where does the church stand? In this teaching, we will explore the topic of Justice. This is a third option we have access to when Mercy and Grace are not an option. We can pray for justice, and God will get it for us. Let me show you how.

Intro Verse

Jesus taught His disciples an interesting parable on JUSTICE in Luke 18: 2-7.

2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.

3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,

5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

Justice is an important part of the Gospel, not only grace and mercy. If worldly people understand justice, how much more with the Father care about it.

Definitions

We need to establish what Justice, Mercy & Grace are before we continue:

  • Justice – Receiving the punishment you deserve for your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc…
  • Mercy – Not receiving the punishment you deserve for your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc…
  • Grace – One step ahead of mercy, receiving what you don’t deserve for your thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc…

Application Exercise

Whilst this is a teaching, I will include an exercise to practice these definitions. This is a great way to present these definitions in a home group. It will really illuminate what people have been taught about justice, mercy, and grace. Try the exercise for yourself first before you continue:

It’s the year 2050. The national police force, SAPS, has long since collapsed. In its place, communities govern themselves—enforcing their own laws, delivering their own justice.

You are a farmer living in an isolated rural zone. Your only family is your teenage son. One morning, just before dawn, you wake to the sound of chaos—shattered glass, animal cries. Grabbing your torch, you step outside to a scene of devastation: your livestock slaughtered, your storage barns looted and your house ransacked.

You rush inside and call for your son. No answer. You climb the stairs, and head to his room. You find him in his bed—lifeless, brutally murdered.

Weeks later, the perpetrator is caught. A former drifter, he’s found with your son’s watch, bloodstained clothes, and stolen goods. The evidence leaves no doubt: he did it. In your community’s tribunal, the judge turns to you and says:

"This court recognizes the weight of your loss and your right to decide the sentence. You must choose: should this man receive Justice, Mercy, or Grace?“

Based on our definitions, pass a sentence for each (Justice, Mercy, and Grace) and then decide which one you would pass.

Exercise Guide

When I presented this case to our small group, we had a completely mixed bag of answers - Some said they would execute the criminal, while some said they would completely forgive the man, and everything in between. My thoughts on that are below:

  • What you will find is that those who forgive the criminal have been in Churches that teach 'hyper-grace'. These are churches that typically only teach forgiveness and do not ever touch on consequences or God's Justice. They will focus on Jesus forgiving everything and nothing more. This is a one-sided gospel, and while it is partly true, it lacks the justice aspect.
  • Whereas on the other side, people who say they will execute the man are typically people who are more emotional or have had a personal experience in a similar case.
  • I found zero people who had been taught a biblically neutral doctrine of Justice, Mercy, and Grace, and none answered with a perfect answer.

The 'correct' answers for this exercise are something like:

  • Justice – The burglar goes to jail (Maybe even worse). No forgiveness.
  • Mercy – You forgive the burglar, pay for the damages, and do not press charges. He walks free.
  • Grace – You not only forgive the burglar, but you say you will adopt the burglar as your own son, love him, and pay for all the damages.

And this story illustrates Jesus' sacrifice for us. Our sins (we are the burglar) killed Jesus on the cross. We killed God’s only son, and he instead chose to adopt us as His own sons and daughters.

The Unbalanced Doctrine in the Church

The Church has become an expert in mercy & grace, because they like these things. We like hearing that we are forgiven, saved, and get what we don’t deserve. But this is unbalanced, as it does not speak about justice.

What is taught now?

  • No judgment for the believer – You are always forgiven, and nothing else matters.
  • No judgment for sinners – We are only to turn the other cheek and not confront. In the face of evil, we can do nothing but forgive, bless, and forget.

In your heart, you should know this is wrong. If a country is enslaving people, we should not bless or forgive. If someone steals from you, you should not bless or forgive them (Unless they repent!), because if you bless something, you accept it.

Why is This Doctrine Unbalanced

Isaiah 54:17 - no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will condemn every tongue that accuses you.

    • If you believe this verse, you believe there is a second option other than to forgive/bless, and that is to condemn.
    • When evil comes to you, you can confront it and curse it. Jesus did this many times.

Here is another verse:

1 Co 5:3 - For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.

    • Context: There is a man who is sleeping with his father’s wife. Paul is amazed that the church is doing nothing.
    • Paul says he has already judged this man!
    • Is this not true of the church today? Where was the Church during Nazi Germany? Israel’s Wars? Violence against Women? The Church has become so accepting of sin.
    • This is not God’s heart. God’s heart is redemption, not destruction. Speaking to someone's sin can lead to redemption.

If we continue reading from 1 Corinthians 5:3, Paul shows us to deliver the man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his Spirit may be saved (Redemption). We see this judgment and cursing all over the New Testament (e.g., 1 Tim 1:20, 2 Tim 4:14, James 3:1).

Paul cursed people who did him harm, but he always said it was to save them. Paul, in his final letter, addresses this letter to someone who harmed him previously. What do you think he said in the letter? Then take a moment to think what the church would say?

Probable Church Response - ‘I forgive this man for doing me harm’, but Paul instead writes ‘May the Lord repay him according to what He has done’. He curses the man.

How can we harmonize the grace and mercy Gospel (Which was propagated by Paul), when the man himself is cursing people who did him wrong? The way it is harmonized is because God’s Justice also manifests Grace. The victim is vindicated, and the sinner can change his ways.

Even Jesus shows that Christianity is not always ‘Turn the other cheek’ and at some point we pray for judgment (i.e., Justice)

Jhn 20:22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Jhn 20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

From Yeshua himself - If you have received the Holy Spirit, you hold the power to forgive or judge people.

The Justice Protocol - When to Extend Justice, Marcy, or Grace

In short, we first extend mercy and grace, but if that fails, we can pray for justice.

So here is the protocol to use for Justice:

Step 1: Before Praying for Justice

  • Don’t Be Unjust Yourself
    • First, remove the plank from your own eye, and then you are OK to remove someone else’s.
    • If you pray for justice, but you are unjust yourself, you will bring the curses you pray on yourself!

Step 2: Extend Mercy/Grace to your Enemy.

  • Use the Matthew 18 approach (confront privately, then 2 reputable people, then the church) if it's someone you know or can confront in church.
  • This is where you must discern if they are truly worthy of grace/mercy. If they do accept your rebuke. If they reject it, move to step 3.
  • If it is someone you can’t confront (I.e., someone hijacked your car, robbed you at gunpoint and you cannot find them), you can skip this and go directly to sue for justice.

Step 3: Stop Extending Grace/Mercy

  • It does not make sense to continue extending olive branches if they have refused, OR they do not pass your discernment/tests of justice.
  • It is not good to just ‘forgive and bless’ your enemy who wronged you, as this does not vindicate you. That is an injustice!

Step 4: Sue for Justice

There are two main areas to choose from: One for the Church and one for non-Church

Church / With Believers:

  • If your brother or sister in the church has failed to listen to the Mat 18 protocol and you have discerned they are unrepentant, you must continue following Mat 18:
    • Jesus tells us in Mat 18:15-18 that whatever we bind in Heaven will be bound and whatever we loose in Heaven will be loosed. So if the mercy/grace was rejected, you must bind the person. (Do not give mercy and grace! That ship has sailed.) and give them ‘Over to satan’.
    • To bind someone means that you must treat them as an outsider to the fellowship. (The Bible says like a tax collector). This includes things like not involving them in Church, communities, etc, until they have shown repentance and passed your tests of justice.
    • This sounds harsh, but this is from God himself. This is for the benefit of the sinner, as if you continue letting them be involved in these things, they will continue being unrepentant and might even drag the whole group down.
    • This is the method Paul used.
    • Justice is difficult and requires effort, but it is one of the highest callings of God!

Outside Church:

  • This is the case if someone, like a criminal, government, or institution, has done you great harm and there is no way to approach it in a Church-like manner.
    • Here, we pray directly to God to avenge us, just like in Luke 18.
    • Pray these scriptures for this:
      • Psalm 143:9-12
      • Psalm 37:6
      • Psalm 10
      • Psalm 27
      • Psalm 94
      • Psalm 144
      • Psalm 118
    • Note, you do not take revenge! You let God vindicate you.

More Scriptures to Pray against your enemies or people against you:

      • Romans 16:20
      • Proverbs 16:7
      • Isaiah 54:15
      • Psalm 86:17
      • Psalm 23:5-6
      • Micah 7:9-10
      • Isaiah 10:33
      • Isaiah 12:11

Conclusion

The God of Scripture is not only a God of mercy and grace — He is a God of justice. To remove justice from the Gospel is to remove one of the pillars. The Church’s failure to uphold biblical justice is one of the reasons the world has fallen into chaos. The church seems weak in the face of evil, teaching that we are only to forgive and bless when people wrong us. When sin is not confronted, corruption thrives. When truth is silenced in the name of “tolerance,” evil grows bolder.

As believers, we are called to reflect all aspects of God’s character — not just His forgiveness, but His righteousness and His justice. Grace and mercy are beautiful gifts, but when they are continually rejected, justice must follow. Justice restores order. It vindicates the believer and disciplines the wicked, leading both to repentance and restoration.

Jesus Himself gave His followers the authority to forgive or retain sins. Paul exercised judgment in the church, not to destroy, but to save souls through correction. The same Spirit that empowers us to show mercy also empowers us to stand for justice. This is the balanced view of the Gospel.

So, when the world mocks righteousness and rewards evil, do not shrink back. Examine yourself first, walk uprightly, and then stand boldly for truth. Confront sin in love. Extend mercy when someone repents earnestly, but when grace is rejected, lift your voice and cry out to God — for He is the righteous Judge who hears the cries of His elect day and night.

Be Blessed!