Category Archives: Justice

Justice, equality, and fairness

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Justice is often assumed to be the same as equality.  We treat people with justice, it is argued, when we treat them equally.

But it’s not quite as simple as that.  Even in a court of law, two criminals may have commited exactly the same crime, and yet each receive a different punishment, because the judges see that different circumstances and motives apply.

Similarly in the home.  If two children are fighting, a parent may send them to their bedroom as a punishment. …

The Cross inspires justice, as well as love

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John Stott spells out one important aspect of ‘living under the cross’:-

The cross is a revelation of God’s justice as well as of his love.  That is why the community of the cross should concern itself with social justice as well as with loving philanthropy.  It is never enough to have pity on the victims of injustice, if we do nothing to change the unjust situation itself.  Good Samaritans will always be needed to succour those who are assaulted and robbed; yet it would be even better to rid the Jerusalem-Jericho road of brigands.

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Restorative justice

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I’ve been scratching my head about what it means to forgive and to be forgiven.  We hear of people who, after having been terribly wronged, say, “I forgive that person.”  We hear of others who say, “I can never forgive that person.”  And what of the other person, the person who is considered to be ‘in the wrong’?  Do they need to ‘accept’ the forgiveness in order for it to work?  What of the person who refuses to believe that they are in the wrong? …

Isa 10 – Passionate about justice – sermon notes

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Should Christians devote themselves only to evangelism and personal morality, or should they concern themselves also with issues of social justice?

Consider the following scenarios:-

An elderly lady lives on her own just down the road from you. She has difficulty getting out. Do you (a) tell her that God loves her; (b) offer her a lift to the shops once a week, or (c) lobby for improved public transport so that she and people like her can get out and about themselves?…

1 Kings 21-22 – The power to judge – sermon notes

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[Notes of a sermon preached at Holy Trinity Norwich some years ago.  It differs from my usual expository approach by attempting to follow the narrative form of the passage itself, while reflecting (I think) careful exegesis and including applicatory points along the way.  If I were asked to preach from this passage again today, I would be tempted to take a similar approach, while aiming to strengthen the practical implications and applications.]

Act 1, Scene 1 – In Which Ahab Wants Naboth’s Vineyard, 1 King 21:1-7

Ahab gazes out of his palace window. …