A Level Playing Field
Justice is such an important issue today, and the cross speaks volumes to this. In fact, for followers of Jesus, you can’t have a biblical understanding of justice apart from the cross of Christ. And at the cross, we see the greatest demonstration of justice in human history: God pouring out his judgment on our sin.
It’s at the cross where we learn, ultimately, that God is a just God. So we have a vision of justice from the cross, but then what we have to learn is that the cross makes us a just people. We are justified by the blood of Christ, and as a justified people, we are then called to seek justice for every image-bearer on the planet.
For us as Christians, I really believe the cross makes us a people of mercy and justice. The cross levels the playing field. You can’t look down on anyone else when you’re at the foot of the cross, because we recognize that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And yet it’s the grace of God that motivates us to go and serve, to show mercy, to seek justice for all. We really need the cross to understand this today.
Jeremy Treat is the author of The Atonement: An Introduction.
Related Articles
Justice Denied Is Love Denied
You have heard it said that justice delayed is justice denied. But I tell you that justice denied is love denied.
Can We Have Justice without Jesus?
The real question is whether or not we would want justice without Jesus. And there are two reasons why the answer to that question should be ‘no.’
Podcast: Has Christianity Really Caused More Harm Than Good in the World? (Sharon James)
Sharon James makes the case that despite the many failings of many Christians over the centuries, Christianity has indeed been very good for the world.
Podcast: Have We Domesticated the Cross? (Jeremy Treat)
Jeremy Treat talks about how the doctrine of atonement is often misunderstood by believers and unbelievers alike and about the impact that it should make on our day to day lives as followers of Christ.